Sorry to go off topic, but it is somewhat related. I ride where the OP rode in his posted video, (i.e., about a foot or 18 inches from the fog line). Primary reason is debris closer to the edge of the road. Highways like this are rarely swept for debris. Maybe once a year??? Of course, if the tarmac is clean, then I'll ride as far to the right as practical.

Since I started riding with the biggest, baddest, and brightest blinky available, motorized vehicles give me lots of room. I've posted this previously...before riding with strobes, (front and rear), only about one out of ten cars would pass me with enough room that I felt safe. After using strobes, the ratio has flipped and now only one out of ten pass me to the point that I think "Whew, that was a bit close." I'm a believer and now only ride without strobes if I'm in a group or on a MUP. When out and about, I've seen more and more cyclist using strobes in the past two years. Their use has really "exploded".

^ What are you using?

I thought it was strange that a town that size (pop 2600) even has a police chief but evidently they have a quite large police force Police Department

I Googled some news about the Bullard Police department and it's not pretty. I won't go into it but I wouldn't deal with them at all except through an attorney.

I've seen a few people use strobes during the day, and wasn't sure why. If you don't mind, what light do you use?

I use a mirror, and the main reason is to check on cars. There have been a couple of times when I saw something iffy and just pulled over and stopped.

NiteRider MiNewt 600 on the front, in strobe mode. That model has been replaced by the MiNewt 650, (and just checking, now a model 700). Just saw that Performance has the 600 for eighty bucks, (that's almost half price from what I paid). It is self-contained, recharges via USB, mounts on the bars, and in strobe mode, will last long enough for a century.

On the rear, I use a DiNotte 300R. It is also self contained, USB chargable, and I have it mounted on the seat post on most of my bikes. The Kestrel has an aero seat post, so I have to mount it on the lower seatstay on that bike. I had though about getting the 400R, but that model requires an external battery. The manufacturer lit says that the 400R cannot be used at night because it is too bright.

I've had complaints from drivers and pedestrians about the brightness, (and annoyance) of the lights. GOOD! That means they are working and I'm being seen. Be seen...be safe.

One motorcycle "ran me down", (coming toward me, passed me, turned around, and caught up with me), to ask about the MiNewt. He said he saw it from a half a mile away and wanted one for his motorcycle to increase his visibility.

p.s. Above is just what I use. There are many, many good lights out there from various manufactures. These are just what I use, and I am happy with them. The most important thing is that they need to be bright! At least 500-600 lumens for the front strobe. Anything less is just not visible. The strobe is what gets attention. Solid lights just don't have the same effect. And on the back, you can either purchase very, very bright strobes/lights, or fairly dim ones. Doesn't seem to be much in the middle. The dim ones are practically useless. The bright ones are incredibly stupid expensive. Again, the strobe mode is what gets people's attention.

However, since I noticed the profound difference in vehicular behavior with the bright ones, I am a true believer and would never consider riding solo without one. I consider it as part of the expense of our equipment for the sport we so much love. Love to the point where we place our very lives in the hands of the mostly uninformed general public.

p.p.s. More than several times, local sheriff and police cruisers have passed me, coming or going, and not a single one has said one word about riding with strobes in the daytime. I think they understand the danger we face.

I use a mirror also, but mostly to see if the traffic lane is clear so that I can get into the left-turn lane, or go into the traffic lane to avoid debris in the "bike lane".

I check mine constantly. And I've seen drivers nosing over into the shoulder, staring at their cellphone. :eek: I haven't had to bail out yet, but one of these days ...

It's no panacea, tho ... I occasionally get surprised by an approaching auto, particularly on windy days or busy roads.

I think I'm getting one of those superbright rear lights. I don't see any negatives to it.

Video has gone viral. I just saw it on Facebook. Can't wait to see what idiotic responses it draws from all sides.

Trust me ... you can wait.

The best so far is the "this is why we need more bike lanes" strain of idiotic comments. As if painting the words "BIKE LANE" to the right of the fog line would have magically held the truck at bay.

There is a whole lot of misinformation floating around. Unless you want your ulcer to flare up, better to pass on the comments from the Texas news web site posted above about the accident. Stupid, stupid, ignorant comments. There is the usual, and expected, "bicycles don't belong on the road" to "why do people ride bicycles anyway" to "are not bicycles supposed to ride facing traffic". Heaven help us! Are there really that many stupid people out there?

Unrelated, but to illustrate the amount of misinformation out there, the other year I was riding my Vespa on the interstate and white-lining through the awful Friday afternoon traffic. ("White-lining" is legal in California and entails motorcycles riding on the white lane markers between the rows of stopped or slowly moving cars.) As I passed one soccer mom in a SUV, she said to me, "Hey! You are not allowed to be here." (meaning, on the freeway with a scooter). Didn't matter to her that I can most that little bugger at 80 miles per hour, (depending on the wind and the road gradient). She said it in a nice, friendly way; but it shows that most people just don't have a clue.

You would think the big yellow "share the road" signs would help, but no. I was on a narrow country road and a car slowed next to me. The passenger wanted to ask for directions. I realized if I turned to look at him, I would probably lose control or go off the road. I just shook my head, and they went away.

This is just an observation, which I've made long ago and independent of this incident; but has anyone else noted that a disturbingly high percentage of hit-from-behind encounters involves a cyclist who is either on the shoulder, in the grass, or even on a sidewalk? It seems like there's just no excuse for those and it's infuriating to know that the drivers rarely get so much as a ticket for failure to stay in their lane -- unless they're DUI of course.

IMHO, there is a definite increase. Also IMHO, it is attributable to increased driver distraction, from:
It probably won't happen in our lifetimes, but at some point, someone is going to successfully sue an automobile manufacturer for #4 . Fixing #1 and #2 will likely require legislation, and I'm not holding my breath.

Wow, that's quite a light! Thanks for the info.

This was my thinking.

The 8.5' limit is for the BODY of the vehicle. People forget that mirrors extend out another 6" to 2'. The mirror very often causes the impact.

The mirror and light exception is limited at 2" over this each side so even if the vehicle body is 102" add 4" and you still have 4' or more of room and the vehicle is still in their lane of travel.

You're welcome. Looks like the price has come down since I purchased my copy. Two things to note for anyone gets one. 1.) On several of my bikes, I have the seat post mount "upside down", due to the interference of clipping it onto the bracket with the saddlebags I use. Even though it "clips up", it has never fallen off. Just make sure you hear the audible "click". A little tug down will verify a positive snapping in.

And second, the thing is waterproof and depending on where you live, it is shipped partially via air freight. The lesser pressure of the atmosphere at altitude will cause the creation a small vacuum inside the unit and when the temps are cold, the on/off button won't function very well. The simple fix is to unscrew the lens, lift up the rubber bladder, (of which the on/off switch is a part of), and screw it all back together again. That little five-minute task, (most of which is spent hunting down the appropriate screw driver), will remove the vacuum and equalize the pressure. Haven't had a problem since, riding at altitudes from sea level up to about 7,500 feet.

Wow, I couldn't watch it all! I just can't stand to see this type of video. It just brings back the reality that we are always in harm's way. Glad you are still with us and hope for a full and fast recovery.

I had to disable the YouTube comments...it was only about one in ten that were morons and the cycling community really jumped them, but it really retracted from what this is about.

Just an FYI, I ride with a Plant Bike 3 LED flashing red light on the saddle bag and a Road ID red flasher attached to the helmet along with a NiteRider 700 on strobe for the front. None of which did much good...but I will still continue to ride with them...maybe even more.

My wife worries enough about my riding. I'm not showing her the video.

You should have seen my wife as she watched over my shoulder for the first time. :eek::eek::eek:

My wife and others have never seen any of my videos, or even know that I video my commutes at all. The only part of your video that bothered me was when you weren't breathing for some time.

I've been thinking about adding a rear camera since readings about these fly6.com on dcrainmaker.com.

Meanwhile, hope your healing is fast and uneventful!

Our 2009 motorhome is 8' 6" with mirrors 10" out beyond each side, so**********??

According to the CalTrans site, California does have the 102" limit on width as the 'general rule' but then allows lots of exceptions. E.g. trucks carrying loose agricultural products can have the load be 120" wide, cotton module movers can be up to 130" wide, lights, mirrors, and some other devices can extend up to 10" on each side beyond the 102" limit, and various types of farm equipment are exempt from the width restrictions.

Yes.

fly6 is pretty nice, I got one during the kickstarted campaign, its only 720p but clear enough to get plates from footage... as for front I have an old contour and also ordered the Rideye (another kickstarter) but the rideye is not here yet. Been thinking about the Garmin virb elite as well because I like the overlays without using dashware. I like gadgets.