I always think about this when I go biking and it was my fault and REALLY stupid.

I was biking through a park on a curvy road which leads to an intersection. Being a park, there were many trees which made it difficult to see the traffic lights. If I time my riding I can go through the curvy road and intersection safely, but I guess this day there were some slow riders in front of me (which I passed). When I got near the intersection, the lights had turned red and in my part of town, the lights in both directions both turn red for a second or two, so I didn't know which direction the light would turn green on. I crossed the road thinking the light would turn green in my direction, nope. A car hit the back of my bike skidding my rear tire, but I didn't fall off. To make a long story short, me and the car owner assessed the damage, only a scratch on his paint and a rear derailleur which is questionably damaged (still shifts though all gears though), then I went home.

From that point on, I always looked at the lights looking for the pattern before crossing.

Today on my way to work, I pulled in behind a large 4x4 truck at a light. All of a sudden he/she puts the truck in reverse and starts backing up. I was trying to move backwards on my bike while straddling it. was able to mount my bike and ride up on the side walk. I was at first thinking that I should have aligned myself behind him where he could see my in his drivers mirror, but realized that would not have helped today, from all the dew on this side and back windows. He would have never seen me anyways. I assume he was trying to trip the light by moving around.

The closest I have come to getting hit was from drivers backing their cars out of their driveways on quiet residential streets. This has happened to me several times. Fortunately, I was riding defensively, saw their lights on and exhaust coming from their tailpipes, and switched to the opposite side of the street. If I hadn't taken defensive actions, I probably would have been hit as the drivers just pulled out into the street without stopping.

I also make it a habit to look both ways at intersections when traffic signals turn green. This has probably saved my life at least once, from idiot drivers who run red lights.

Finally, if a car ever pulls alongside you but doesn't pass, beware of the deadly right hook. This happened to me once and I was prepared. When they turned right, I turned with them into the parking lot and then started shouting at them. The driver finally realized what they had done, but at least I didn't get run over.

My philosophy is: Always assume that drivers don't see you.

This happened yesterday. Not dangerously close, just aggravatingly close.

I was headed north on a 4 lane. Two southbound cars were waiting to turn left into a mid-block shopping entrance. 1st car goes a safe distance ahead of me. I keep my full steam going. 1st car has to slow for the bump at the entrance. 2nd car looks at the slowing car, looks me and my strobe cygolite in the eyes, then makes the turn.....stopping in the middle of my lane. I then had to make a quick stop to keep from smashing into her side. I put my hands up in aggravation. 20'ish girl looks at me with half her gum in her mouth, half her gum wrapped around her finger (im not kidding) and mouths to me "whatever". The look of discontent in her eyes told me full well that she knew exactly what she was doing.

Some people honestly just don't care.

Had a close one today. Rural 45mph road, lightly traveled as it's adjacent to a more efficient one. Little to no shoulder. Two cars were coming towards me, and maybe when they're 100ft away the trailing car (which was pretty much tailgating the other) gets onto my lane for a pass. Buzzed me close enough that a sedan felt like a semi passing through. Had one of my Cygolites going on daylight flash, but apparently that did not get their attention. I wasn't hugging the shoulder (since they REALLY don't see you then), but wasn't riding in the center, either. Far Right as Practical pretty much saved my life in this case.

My rear brake cable has been fraying for a long time, and instead of replacing it I just tightened up the brakes to keep it in place. About a year ago I was riding to work on my bike and pulled up to a four way stop, hit the brakes like usual, and felt a snap. The brake cable had, of course, tore apart where it was frayed, and if it weren't for my front brake I might have found myself in the middle of the intersection.

I was zipping down a busy street on my recumbent, going faster than usual because I had gotten the light at the last corner. A motorist left hooked me to go for a Denny's Grand Slam breakfast. I jammed on my brakes, but that wasn't enough, so I slammed my tennies to the pavement and managed to stop with 6" to spare.

My feet hurt all day, more and more. By the end of the day, I could barely pedal home, and when I had to stop at Kinko's to FedEx a package, I had to kneel down while waiting, just to get off my feet. At home, I filled a large pot with my feet and ice and water. I was supposed to ride a century the next day, but that got cancelled. I did ride another century two weeks later.

most of us have had countless close calls as peds or motorists that we simply ignore. why is it that peds and motorists do not obsess about near misses on online fora?

Which reminds me i have to take my steel toes with me for all those near right-hooks when walking down the street. I give um a nice kick to the bumper

first 2 inidents are very similar, same road even:
on university ave, downtown palo alto
riding in the shoulder area to the right of the cars (not an official bike lane)
one time, had car suddenly pull into a parralel parking spot when I was riding beside it; i had to turn and ride into the parking spot with him
another, had car do similar move to turn right into a side street
distracted drivers prioritizing getting good parking spot are dangerous

Prevention;
Take the lane.
on that road i don't ride in the shoulder anymore; despite all the other bikes who do it, and despite the fact that it allows faster travel compared to the cars who are all rubbernecking for open parking spots
-really; they should just ban cars from that street, the percent who actually park vs the distracted ones competing for those few spaces is not worth it; and only presents a hazard to the larger number of bike and pedestrians (this is a downtown shopping area after all....)



Left Hook, various locations
be going straight through intersection, have car from opposite side make a left turn into my path
either they werent looking hard enough to see a bike vs the expected car traffic; or they assumed they had right of way....
Prevention;
while waiting for the signal to turn, I'll turn on my headlights(daytime) and wave my handelbars back and fourth a few times, flashing light at cars aross the intersection.
Seems to make them less likely to jup out in front of me.


Unsafe Pass: El camino real
travelling on el camino, have big rig trailer truck pass me within inches -wheels as tall as I am whizz by my handlebars, shadow of the cargo container blocking out the sky
?prevention?
the textbook answer is to take the lane, so traffic must pass safely with a complete lane change
but jeeez; this is el camino; its a 40-50mph de facto highway
I gave up and quit using the street
what other option is there?
-anyone else think its kinda stupid to have a street that runs through such heavily populated residential/commercial/my backyard get treated as a highway? why not enforce a speed limit?

I was on my way back from the doctor as I had a knee problem and felt a pull from foot. Looked down and my shoelace was well tangled up round my pedal. I was trying to free it and hopping around on my other foot when I fell over on my back onto a very busy main road.

Most of my body was out on the road and cars were approaching so I shifted damn fast to get back on the pavement while still trying to free my foot but it was wrapped so tight there was no way I could free it by unwrapping it or by taking my shoe off as it was pulled too tight by the laces.

Luckily two lads in a van stopped and came running over to ask if I was ok, I said I was but couldnt get my foot free and did they have scissors or a knife to cut my lace free. They did and at last I could get up minus one set of laces.

Lesson: make sure laces are tucked away and not dangling and dont hop about near a busy road!

Also riding back from a shopping trip when a car pulled left into a driveway crossing right in front of me and I missed him by inches. Luckily for him and me I had my brakes repaired not long before that as they had been truly mashed for a while.

Lesson: look out for dopey drivers hurrying home and dont trust them at all.

Maybe its because I've gotten older, and maybe its because I've gotten wiser (though I doubt it), but "close calls" occur far less often these days. I really think that most so-called "close calls" are the result of lapses in vigilance and/or overly aggressive or brazen riding habits, and I will be first in admitting that for most of my life I really believed that "I can get away with that" most often, even when I should have been more aware or cautious.

These days though I expect that every potential threat could be real, and I recognize that most people who's path I cross will be in more of a hurry, be paying far less attention, and care less about my safety than I. I'm glad I was fortunate enough to live long enough to actually appreciate being able to accept responsibility for myself, but I still keep an eye out for the crazies out there.

Ride (and walk) Safe!

I was cycling to work a few years ago down a wide avenue which had wide cycle paths either side.

There was a British Gas (Energy Provider) van across the path at a wide intersection with two major roads coming into it.

I stopped by the side of this van as the light was red and thought when it changes to green I wont just ride off just in case but justinch forward and poke my nose out as I couldnt see what was coming from the right side of the road.

Just as well as I was inching forward this car jammed to a stop right next to me with the driver saying wat are you doing!

Doh the light was green for me which means its red for you so what are you doing across the junction when you should be stopped at the lights?

He would have whacked me for sure if I had just moved off as normal.

Also, NEVER ride inside one of those stupid, European-style roundabouts. Be a man, be a pedestrian....and live to tell about it.

I second this. I few years ago I jumped on the sidewalk just for a block to get to an intersection with lights. I made eye contact with a guy stopped at a parking lot exit, and presumed it was safe to continue. I guess he felt the same way and knocked me right into traffic... Thankfully that lane was clear, but my light bounced off and got taken out by a car in the next lane over. Kind of shocking.

As if that hadn't taught me well enough, a few months later I decided to save a little time by going down the wrong sidewalk of a fairly large hill. It was in an industrial area and knew it would be free of pedestrians, so I got going pretty good (a little ways back I had 25mph indicated and kept accelerating, as stupid as that is ). The sidewalk has a slight curve to it and a rough-hewn rock wall bordering it. Low and behold, the rock wall had collapsed over the sidewalk. Due to the curve I didn't see it soon enough to totally stop, and I couldn't go into the road because of oncoming traffic. I figure I got down to about 15mph before I hit the small boulder pile and went down, sliding a good ways. I managed to put a hole through a surplus military jacket, sweater, shirt, and undershirt, but stopped in time to avoid any bad road rash. That incident also cost me a nice pair of jeans, a helmet and a new front tube, but amazingly the front rim was alright!

Now I only bike in the road... I feel much more comfortable there

BTW... don't try to hold on to cars.

Welcome to the forums, and thanks for the story! Amazing what some drivers do...

I recently began recording my commute and put together this short video from one day of riding (to and from work). Some days I can't win. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEhE3A929jA

Thanks for sharing this! Some people...

The last one who passed you on the right to turn left is a real bonehead. He would've gone faster if not for the oncoming car that forced him to brake a bit.

I was talking to a coworker today about the recordings I've made over the past 2 months. He asked me if I reported the bad drivers to the police. I told him if I did, I'd be doing 5 to 10 reports a day and the cops would get tired of me pretty quick. (I've only reported one so far.) I've learned over the years the local cops don't want to deal with complaints about oblivious and/or unskilled drivers who manage to not cause accidents. Drunks, road-ragers and racers they will deal with though.

Riding with a camera has made me a bit more patient and also more honest. I don't yell and swear as much. (But I'd be lying if I said I never yell, swear or make rude gestures.)

i'll make it short.

sitting at the stop sign at four lanes both ways intersection. look left. one car at 100 yds. look right, one car at 50 yds. no other cars in sight for quarter mile. i put my head down to catch my pedal and see (out of top of eyes) car from right pass in front, then car from left pass. assume intersection is clear...

wrong. there was a second car coming from left. it was visually blocked, when i first looked, by the first car from left. it was behind and in the center lane. it also happened to be the same color.

almost got me. lesson? no halfway measures at stop signs.

I felt like a target yesterday. One blind driver, two distracted and/or rushed taxis, and a putz salmon on a motorized scooter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGRLa8JGZWA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZouj4XM5S4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j-7trbM9f0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-StfbI0LPE

I was riding on a bycicle lane on a 2-lane 1-way street with cars standing still to my left for a traffic light 200 ft ahead. Right as I was passing a large truck a woman with two little kids by her hand appeared from behind that truck, running to cross the road without ever expecting other trafic could circulate on the bike lane. She was so close when she came from behind the truck that I only had time to scream really loud, that got her to stop and we just missed each other.

Another situation to add to the spider senses you need for survival as a cyclist in the US.

None of those look like anything I'd even blink at, except the scooter, though I wouldn't really think even that worthy of bothering to pull the video off.

Heading home a little while ago, I was nearly hit by a moron who wasn't satisfied of the near miss, but had the audacity to stop the car, get out and threaten me with a small baton or night-stick.

On my route home, I ride on a small one lane per direction avenue in a densely populated area. Coming up to a point where another moron had illegal parked, I maneuvered to the left side of the lane to avoid the door zone (up to now, I was taking the lane). The moron in the car behind me decided to overtake me by crossing the double line into oncoming traffic missing me by less than an inch.

After overtaking me in an extreme show of stupidity, he had his hand out the window waving and was shouting profanity, and when I sounded my air-horn he immediately broke to a stop and jumped out holding something like a baton or night stick while walking towards me. Fortunately a couple of the local shop owners had seen what happened and were already headed towards the moron who about-faced, jumped into the car and fled the scene.

I called the police explaining what had happened and gave a accurate description of the car, license plate and the moron, and was told that they couldn't really do anything since there were no injuries and that I can pass anytime within the next two days to file a report so I can formally sue the guy for dangerous driving... and that I shouldn't forget to have €100 on me for the fees need for processing the said report.

...go figure!

This happened to me yesterday. I got into a left turn pocket I usually take on my afternoon commute. I got in line, rather than filter, like a good boy. The light turned green then went yellow in seconds, something this particular light rarely did. I thought the lady in the honda ahead of me was going to rush it, and I could tell she was hesitatingly going for it, then slammed brakes. I nearly rear ended her, and wound up "filtering" up beside her.

She gave me a WTF look, My reply was sheepish.