The luck of the cyclist
 

So how lucky are we? I am of course talking about how we manage to share roads with multi-ton vehicles and come home alive each day. I know I've had my fair share of close calls, many of which could have gone very bad but were somehow prevented by the smallest of margins. Situations that seem too good to be true that had they gone any other way would have resulted in an imediate trip to the hospital, or worse yet... I've been riding for a little over two years and have had many opportunities to see my maker but so far so good. I guess I'm just waiting for the day that my time runs out and something bad happens, it has to happen eventually right? Maybe we just wise up over the years and become more careful with what we do but it still seems like the odds are there for misfortune to prevail. There are some roads I used to ride on everyday that I will not even touch now. So I assume we do get better at this "staying in one piece." Anyone ever wonder how we manage to pull this off?

If you ride in traffic like I do, the only piece of advice I have is to keep your eyes open and show patience, a LOT of patience.

In my life I've probably ridden about 10,000 miles (which pales in comparison to some on this board). I have never been hit by a car. I was almost "right-hooked" a few times but anticipated and avoided the accident. Most of my riding has been in the suburbs of major cities.

It can be done.

-mark

G'day,

granted there is a lot of 'luck' involved in being a cyclist, but I prefer to help 'lady luck' along a bit.....it's called good management. I assume that every motorist either hasn't seen me, should be incarcerated in a mental home, or actually is trying to kill me!......If you keep that in mind, you can make your own luck.....stay safe out there guys,

Hitchy

Consider how many miles you put on your car. Now consider how much faster you're going, how many more cars you're involved with, and how distracted you sometimes are. It's amazing we have ANY population. I dunno how it's become OVER populated.

Cole

All of the above PLUS attack the ride like a maniac. What I mean is make yourself outrageously visible so that other road users know all about you and your space on the road. Actions speak louder than little blinky lights. And post-accident arguments mean nothing ;)