What I learned today: Don't assume you know what the driver is thinking
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What I learned today: Don't assume you know what the driver is thinking
I'm new enough to bike commuting that I sometimes still make the mistake of assuming that I know what a driver is thinking or how s/he will react in a given situation. It happened twice today. The first time I was approaching an intersection with a light. There's a sign that clearly marks it a "no turn on red" light. I could hear a car coming up behind me, but we were pretty close to the intersection, and since it's a no turn light, I figured there was no risk of a right hook. Wrong. The driver whipped around me, slammed on the brakes when she got to the light, and then quickly turned right. Fortunately, I was already slowing down for the light, so I stopped in plenty of time to avoid hitting her.
The second time was with a driver who really confused me. He was ahead of me in the lane and wanted to turn right. No problem, right? He should just turn. I was behind him in traffic. Instead he stopped, turned around in his seat, and waved for me to go ahead of him on the right before he turned. Weird.
Drivers can be unpredictable. Be safe.
The second time was with a driver who really confused me. He was ahead of me in the lane and wanted to turn right. No problem, right? He should just turn. I was behind him in traffic. Instead he stopped, turned around in his seat, and waved for me to go ahead of him on the right before he turned. Weird.
Drivers can be unpredictable. Be safe.
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Indeed. Only time I hit a car in the last couple of years commuting was when the driver I was thoughtlessly tailgating started turning into the entrance of a parking lot and just flat stopped for no apparent reason. *Wump*
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Your first mistake was assuming that the driver was thinking at all. Self-driving cars will be so much safer.
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#4
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The 2nd driver OP mentioned may have been just too nice
I've seen cars' turn signal indicating they were going to turn left but they instead made a right turn, or vice versa.
I've seen cars' turn signal indicating they were going to turn left but they instead made a right turn, or vice versa.
#5
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I always assume I know what the driver is thinking. They are thinking about every way possible to kill me. Always.
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From my many years of experience in being a driver, I think the best assumption is to figure that the driver is NOT thinking!
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Giant Doofus, I've got to say your username fits well for how I feel when I assume drivers are going to do something.
Josh
Josh
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I think that was probably the case. I was glad that he noticed my presence and wanted me to be safe, but it would have been better if he had just completed his turn. I was fine to stop behind him just like all of the other cars had to.
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I was definitely feeling that username today! BTW my username is actually a combination of what I call my bike, "doofus" (a term of affection in my family), and the manufacturer of the bike.
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I'm hopeful that you didn't just learn this today. I rather hope you were "reminded" of it today. Drivers may or may not be more or less unpredictable than cyclists, but the damage they can do is significantly greater.
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The longer I do this, the better I get at reading cars' "body language." There's usually a tell.
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The second time was with a driver who really confused me. He was ahead of me in the lane and wanted to turn right. No problem, right? He should just turn. I was behind him in traffic. Instead he stopped, turned around in his seat, and waved for me to go ahead of him on the right before he turned.
#14
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The second time was with a driver who really confused me. He was ahead of me in the lane and wanted to turn right. No problem, right? He should just turn. I was behind him in traffic. Instead he stopped, turned around in his seat, and waved for me to go ahead of him on the right before he turned. Weird.
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I would have passed on the left, but he had moved all the way over to the left (before making a right!), so I couldn't go around without crossing into oncoming traffic. When he first waved me on, I shook my head and waved for him to go, but he was insistent. I didn't want to hold up traffic, so I went ahead on his right. I'm still not entirely clear about how I could have handled it better, but you've given me something to think about.
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Don't assume that you know THAT a driver is thinking.
FIFY.
FIFY.
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Exactly what I was thinking....
I've done a lot of driving/riding in DC, TX, and CA and neither drivers nor cyclists or bikers are predictable and take A LOT for granted. I say always have a high situational awareness when you're on the road, regardless of what you are driving/riding.
I've done a lot of driving/riding in DC, TX, and CA and neither drivers nor cyclists or bikers are predictable and take A LOT for granted. I say always have a high situational awareness when you're on the road, regardless of what you are driving/riding.
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Pedestrians can also be very unpredictable. Once when a pedestrian pushing a stroller was crossing the bike path and saw me (I was going slow), she promptly stopped right in front of me!
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I once had a guy push his stroller off the curb onto the bike lane five feet in front of me. On the other side was a line of cars waiting for the light. I stopped in time, but barely. So you use your kid as a battering ram to bash your way into traffic, in the middle of the block, without looking, on a street you can't cross anyway cause there are cars in the way? Really?
Last edited by wilfried; 02-14-14 at 11:22 AM.
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Exactly what I was thinking....
I've done a lot of driving/riding in DC, TX, and CA and neither drivers nor cyclists or bikers are predictable and take A LOT for granted. I say always have a high situational awareness when you're on the road, regardless of what you are driving/riding.
I've done a lot of driving/riding in DC, TX, and CA and neither drivers nor cyclists or bikers are predictable and take A LOT for granted. I say always have a high situational awareness when you're on the road, regardless of what you are driving/riding.
#23
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So first instance, TAKE the lane. It makes it easier sometimes to behave like a car. Second instance , wave them off. Usually problems happen when the car yields their right of way, but the other cars do not. I have gone so far as to circle around, look at the ground or go on the sidewalk pretending to make a call. Do not put yourself in a known dangerous situation.
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So first instance, TAKE the lane. It makes it easier sometimes to behave like a car. Second instance , wave them off. Usually problems happen when the car yields their right of way, but the other cars do not. I have gone so far as to circle around, look at the ground or go on the sidewalk pretending to make a call. Do not put yourself in a known dangerous situation.