I agree a lot with this. I like to try to grab eye contact with people who are turning in front of me or in the side of me. Also knowing who is in the car helps too. More teenagers, equals more risk. School time soccer moms means more distraction on their end.

One thing though, rear end collisions make up for 1/3 of all bike/car accidents according to LAB.

You really need an airhorn.

I would say the lesson should also be to avoid the door zone entirely as much as possible.

Example from last night, of car signaling at last moment and probably not looking for traffic. I would have kept my speed and been next to them in the intersection, but I slowed to avoid exactly what happened.

According to the RoSPA, bike accidents involving poor handling, not a collision with a vehicle, are far below half (17%).

https://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advi...s-figures.aspx

Although, I can attest to poor handling being a garuantee for an eventual self-caused fall, which can lead to some painful road rash...

Identify and avoid the trouble spots in your area. For example: school zones at drop off and pick up times. (I'd rather ride through the bar district at 2am than past a school at 8am.)

I reached down to adjust a reflective trouser clip while coasting at about 12 mph and went over the handlebars. I bruised two knees so badly they got huge scabs, bruised my left shoulder and right shoulder blade, and took a divot out of my left pinky knuckle. I continued to bleed from the finger for half an hour until I got home.

Lesson: wear FULL-FINGERED gloves. The short gloves leave your knuckles exposed.

Cost of lesson: new bar tape (ripped on left, soaked with clotting blood on the right).

I fully agree with your point. In fact, I do exactly that on a stretch of road near my house with a 30 km/h speed limit. I didn't bring it up here since I've had no incidents pertaining to this thread; but you're quite right.

[h=1]Bobby Valentine Learns Dangers Of Texting And Cycling[/h]
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/10/...g-and-cycling/

I was busy watching for traffic in a parking lot that I didn't see the wheel-sucking pothole. Went over the bars and did a faceplant on asphalt. Gave myself a concussion and have a bump on my chin to remind me of the occasion.

Lesson: crazy drivers aren't the only threat to cyclists.

Speaking from very recent experience, i would have to disagree. Still nursing the road rash and sprained ankle from being rear ended. Obtain and maintain a full 360 degree awareness. Don't trust that they will respect or avoid you.

If you don't ride in a cold climate ignore this.

Did anyone mention ice yet? That'll put you down quicker than anything. Especially if you try turning on it and sometimes even if you don't. Studded tires help a lot, so does having them mounted on the bike when you need them.

a trick i learned about public speaking (some people have a similar problem as you're describing) can be modified to help you out - on the podium, just above your notes, put a BIG YELLOW note that says LOOK UP.

just find a place on your bars or top-tube to put that note!

hope you're on the mend!

despite your personal experience, the fact remains that being rear-ended on a bike is statistically much less likely than being hooked. a lot of people think that being rear-ended is high on the list of likely crashes, and they ride too close to the curb to avoid this less likely crash, and in doing so they make it more likely they'll be hooked.

in any case, yes, 360° situational awareness at all times is a good thing. mirrors help with this but mirrors are NOT a substitute for shoulder-checks/life-savers. follow noglider's advice and practice holding a straight line while looking behind you. practice with a friend, and count each others fingers while looking backwards.

So, "Clawhammer", bike skills. I find my mountain biking skills translate well for commuting. Can you bunny hop? Great move for getting over a curb or a branch. Mountain biking is all about active anticipation and body positioning. Ever practice a shoulder roll? Another skill learned from mountain biking. I find wider tires and good brakes help me from getting into trouble too.

Bright sunny moring riding to work. Police siren coming from the front. Minivan passing me, neither of us going all that fast as we're about 100' clear of red light. Police car appears from around the curve, Minivan moves over to the right, I start pounding on his windows & yelling. He keeps pulling over, I'm still yelling & banging. There's about 2' of grass & a sidewalk. I head across the grass to the pavement. Police car goes by, van pulls back on to the road & is gone. So now when I hear siren I adjust, sometimes even moving to my left to block some one slowing down from repeating my previous experience

bright sunny, cold morning. A breif (maybe 5 min) sprinkle about 6am. Temp. drops. I roll down the driveway @ 7:30, turn onto the steet & BOOM, I'm down. I stand up & Bang I go down again. I make it to the lawn across the street, sore hip & elbow. I walk on lawns to the main road & ride to work. Black ice. My walk & driveway were both ice free. Also 3 different pavements

I was on a club ride in a paceline of seven riders. I was in the last position, drafting the riders in front although I was staggered to the left a couple feet. A small dog about 20 lbs runs out of nowhere after the rider directly in front and to the right of me. I broadsided the little dog directly through his rib cage and this collision sent me sprawling across the asphalt at 18mph. I had no real injuries other than some bad road rash on my left elbow and hip. The dog came out unscathed also. This is the only time I have ever hit the pavement. Only thing I could have done was have a higher level of awareness and perhaps I would have seen the little fella as he was darting out in fornt of me.

I dont really consider this my fault even thou the lady never touched me, but I was riding a fairly busy 2 lane road when this lady decided she didnt need a clear oncomming lane to go around me. I was riding the line too tightly anyway (learned my lesson), and as she was passing me at what seemed like a 2-3 mile per hour difference, I couldn't keep it together and tasted the pavement just as she went around. Chick never stopped but the two cars behind her did. The lesson learned was to take as much road as I need to be safe, and if it ever looks like I might go down, find some grass ASAP!

1) loose gravel in driveway - drop, skinned up hand.
2) loose sand patch on corner - drop, 12 stitches in the face.
3) snowfall a day earlier than predicted, made it nearly home, rear wheel went out on me, butt on the ground, no injury. Put studded tires on that evening.

Wow, do I have to admit these? Probably not, but I will anyway. I'd gone (I kid you not) 30 years since my last crash. Until 3 months ago, I'd not actually gone down on a bike since I was 15 (I'm 45, to save you the math). However, in the last 3 months, I've gone down 3x, all on bikes that I wasn't familiar with, but it had more to do with arrogance and stupidity than that.

1st Gravity Study: Riding along on the return leg of a 20 mile round trip ride, I spy a few ducks to the right. I start watching the ducks and fail to notice the bus sign pole approaching rapidly. I had just enough time to say "Oh crap!" before hitting it with, and destroying, the front wheel of my son's mountain bike. Replacement wheel, $50 and 2 hours; road rash, a week; bruises, two weeks. Having to endure comments like "Ah, you forgot to DUCK!" Priceless.

2nd Gravity Study: I'm old enough to have used toe clips with cleats and got my first set of SPD pedals/shoes 2 months ago. The advice to practice before riding?? Heed that advice. I didn't. Classic tipping over at stop light in front of a crowd of people.

3rd Gravity Study: Speaking of clipless pedals, it had not occurred to me not to follow my wife up a hill as closely as I always have. She stopped suddenly to chat. I had a choice between a 10' drop to the right (bad), hitting my wife (even worse) or having my fall cushioned by a very nice hedge of roses. I chose the roses, far less painful than the other alternatives. Yes, in shorts. Yes, with short sleeves. And yes, it took 5 minutes to get the bike untangled before I could manage to extract myself from the bush...

FOOLISH and FAST FILTERING

1) In the storefront lane along a busy stripmall, I passed a car at speed on the right through a parking lot intersection. The car turned right (of course) and significant contact was made. It sucked. I was a moron.

2) On a rainy day on a very busy 4 lane arterial road I filtered the right side of a line of about 50 cars at significant speed. The one at the light turned right on top of me. I clipped the passenger mirror and went over the mini-van hood and landed on my back on sliding down the right lane of the arterial road just waiting to be run over. Luckily, traffic stopped (including the driver I had hit). Instead of a fight, she offered to give me a hug because "you clearly look like you need a hug". That surprised me and took the wind out of my sails. I accepted the hug. What the hell...beats a fight anyday.

HARD RIGHT ON ICE:
Took a fast and hard 90 degree right on black ice. Slid across two lanes of traffic and hit the front wheel of a car stopped at the light waiting to turn right onto the road I had just exited. Tore my tights...bruised my ass.....felt like a jackass.

HEADS UP FOOL!
Hit a parked landscaping trailer tearing ass to school when I was late for class one day. Was wearing flip flops and hit the trailer with my foot/pedal. It put me on my face and nearly tore a couple of toes off. Bloody mess that day in school.

I have not had a crash like those in many years. Thank God I survived my learning curve (so far).

Two scary accidents in 20 years, both partially or wholly my fault.

1) Following a car through an intersection on a wet day and I hadn't tightened my brake cables for a while. I was tailgaiting in his right rear blindspot, because the light was yellow and I wanted to get through. I thought we were through, then he suddenly turned right, into the gas station on the far side of the intersection. I couldn't stop in time with my wet, slack brakes, and had to turn right with him, but it was just before the driveway and my wheel couldn't climb the curb at at that narrow angle and I had to dive onto the sidewalk. Looked at my left hand and saw my pinky bent 90 degrees sideways at the second knuckle. Thought it was broken, but when I flexed it, it popped into line. It had been dislocated.

Lesson:
- beware the right hook - don't be cruising in the blind spot
- leave more room to brake on wet days
- maintain your equipment

2) I had to turn right onto a street with streetcar tracks, then immediately left. So for the first turn, I waited for a gap in traffic, then swung out into the middle lane where the rails were as I entered the road, merging into traffic, and crossing the first streetcar rail at a very oblique angle. My front wheel dropped in the slot and I went down. Traffic was close enough behind me that it had to brake. Lots of bruises but no other injuries.

Lesson
- cross streetcar tracks at right angle if possible.
- be alert crossing if you have to do it at a narrow angle - remember to hop or at least unweight the front wheel a bit to help it float over the gap
- be sure there's plenty of room when merging lanes

I've had a few others as well, but they were more embarrassing or predictable, than dangerous: Two falls when learning clipless riding, and one fall on ice. I don't ride on ice anymore.

The only time i have actually taken a fall is riding on a MUP at 10pm, it has been raining it was dark (duh) and i assumed there would be no one around .

Well i assumed wrong coming down a hill into a corner i am braking to take the corner safely and i see a couple walking towards me . I start to turn forgetting that both my beaks are in use and the bike lose traction and attempts to travel sideways across the path while my feet are still clipped in and my brain is trying to catch up with what is going on.

Result
- Cracked helmet and a concussion
-Bent derailleur
- Bent front large chain ring,
- some how crushed my bell
-lots of missing skin on my leg and arm


Lesson , don't assume anything oh and don't walk the next 2kms to the hospital before you contact you partner and tell her what happened .


As for road riding i ride how i drive, "Don't drive for your self, Drive for every other tosser out there who isn't paying attention"

I fell 4 times, 3 from animals and 1 when i started to clip in and forgot i was clipped in when i came to a stop and try to put my foot down. Almost fell after i hit a drunk person one time who was fighting in the woods with himself.