Tactical Analysis Thread: Cycling Related Fatalities/Serious Injury Incidents
This thread is to discuss Cyclist fatalities/injury incidents and possible solutions to the issues.
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Link to article
permalink to same article. Oregonlive search for all Aloha cyclist articles. Link to comments from rider who was there. Date: June 09, 2007 Time: "Just before noon" Location: southbound Northwest Cornelius-Schefflin Road north of Cornelius in Oregon Undisputed facts:
Whenever I ride with other cyclists, no matter how "experienced" they are, I am almost always alarmed at how lackadaisacal they seem to be with left turns, and, in particular, how late they wait before begining the left turn process. I'm often all the way over to the left before they even look behind for the first time. Having said that, there is nothing necessarily wrong with waiting until the last few seconds/50 feet to initate the process, as long as you take a good look back and are willing to stop and wait for a gap if you don't have one. But it's also important to be able to look back to check things out without drifting in the process, which is also something many cyclists don't seem able to do. This tragic incident seems to be an example of all of that. Edits: 6/16: stripe is yellow solid/dashed, not double yellow. 6/16: Added justification for why neither was defensive (analysis #1) |
Uh, HH there is one little flaw in the analysis concerning the decision making process by the driver... I believe that the lead cyclist had started to execute a left turn... so therefore was already moving out and in the path of the motorist. Why would she then chose to move around the cyclists because as a group they were now spreading out?
Is it possible that she made a hasty decision and underestimated the speed of the cyclists and accelerated to try to "make the gap" before the next cycist moved out, at which time that cyclist also decided to move out. Perhaps she was motivated by the notion that she had to get ahead of the cyclists... A situation like this is similar to two motorists trying to occupy the same lane and moving over at the same time from either side of an empty lane space... suddenly meeting in the middle... but the cyclist in this case does not have the speed to quickly react and pull away as motorists might do... |
Originally Posted by genec
Uh, HH there is one little flaw in the analysis concerning the decision making process by the driver... I believe that the lead cyclist had started to execute a left turn... so therefore was already moving out and in the path of the motorist. Why would she then chose to move around the cyclists because as a group they were now spreading out?
Is it possible that she made a hasty decision and underestimated the speed of the cyclists and accelerated to try to "make the gap" before the next cycist moved out, at which time that cyclist also decided to move out. Perhaps she was motivated by the notion that she had to get ahead of the cyclists... A situation like this is similar to two motorists trying to occupy the same lane and moving over at the same time from either side of an empty lane space... suddenly meeting in the middle... but the cyclist in this case does not have the speed to quickly react and pull away as motorists might do... In any case, if she did gun it, they were turning, she was going straight. If there was no double yellow legal technicality in play here, the onus on yielding the ROW would be clearly on the cyclists. The fact that she was illegally passing muddies the legal waters, but in terms of general principles and best practices, the left turners should have looked back and made sure it was clear and safe to turn before proceeding. Given the likely speeds involved, I'm fairly certain (speculation alert!) that she must have initiated and was committed to passing several seconds before they provided any clue as to their intention to turn left, and no sudden acceleration was required. I continue to believe that the 3rd cyclist's admission of a total lack of awareness of her even being behind them until she hit the cyclist in front of him speaks volumes about the level of attention (and lack thereof) these left-turners were placing to the situation behind them. It's also entirely conceivable that the 2nd cyclist, who was the one who was hit, was several seconds behind the first cyclist, that the first cyclist made it safely across, and the driver assumed the other cyclists would yield to her until she passed them. How could she be held responsible to foresee or be blamed for the 2nd cyclist drifting into her path while he was looking back? |
honestly serge, haven't we beaten this particular incident to death yet (no pun intended)?. No one agrees with you. Stop browbeating us.
Everyone else: please don't feed the troll! |
Originally Posted by randya
honestly serge, haven't we beaten this particular incident to death yet (no pun intended)?. No one agrees with you. Stop browbeating us.
Everyone else: please don't feed the troll! |
Speculation verses reality
HH has duely labeled his work as speculation, and left out an important, perhaps overriding fact. The fact was the rainy weather, with low-hanging clouds. One other fact is that what he sees in two-dimensional in Google Maps. This area is not level.
Today, I drove this area, and was surprised at how little Long Road is. While I could not stop the car due to Friday evening traffic, I did not see any identifying wreckage at the area. I did see some skid marks just before the intersection (driving north to south), but could not relate them necessarily to the accident, as there were other skid marks on the roadway just beyond the intersection. For those of you who are following HH's speculation, remember it is just that. He does not have all the fact (although he has more than he had two days ago, and still forgot about the weather). These two statements, presented as fact, are from a newspaper. While the reporter may have done his best, no statement from a newspaper is considered completely reliable: Cyclist drifted left into path of passing motorist as he was looking back. Oregonian story: "[The cyclist], riding second in the single-file line, signaled for a left turn, drifting left as he prepared to turn. " Rider Michael comment: " I was looking at his face and bike as the car hit him. " It is generally considered acceptable to cross over double yellows in order to pass cyclists when there is no oncoming traffic even though in most states it is technically illegal. In some states, though not in Oregon, it is explicitly legal to do so.
Originally Posted by Helmet Head
Neither the motorist nor the cyclists were operating according to defensive driving principles.
Originally Posted by Helmet Head
The motorist was in technical violation of driving with a suspended license and crossing a double yellow, but this could just as easily have happened in a slightly different scenario where these factors did not apply. In particular, if her license was not suspended and they were planning on turning left into a driveway or roadside stand on the other side along a section of this road without a double yellow, but everything else happened exactly the same, it would be difficult to find fault with anything she did, but the crash would still have been the result. Furthermore, her behavior was arguably normal and certainly should not have been unexpected for a road like that.
By the way, the line is not double solid. It is solid on the south-bound side, and dashed on the center, for about two-hundred yards in front of that intersection. Again, when I said it looked like a solid double, that was speculation and noted as such from the aerial shot from Google. Being on the ground today, I was able to see what it did look like.
Originally Posted by Helmet Head
Since another rider at the scene admitted to not even being aware of the passing vehicle until it hit the rider in front of him, it is reasonable to assume that the rider who was hit also was unaware of its presence, at least not until it was too late. This indicates a lack of paying attention to what was going on behind them considering they were preparing to turn left.
I hope to look more thoroughly at that intersection on Sunday, and may be able to provide some photos. John |
Reports these supposedly *rare* hit-from-behind accidents just keep coming. Of the 4 fatal accidents I have heard of in Ontario this year, 3 have been of this type.
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Originally Posted by ghettocruiser
Reports these supposedly *rare* hit-from-behind accidents just keep coming. Of the 4 fatal accidents I have heard of in Ontario this year, 3 have been of this type.
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Originally Posted by joejack951
I keep seeing reports of cyclists getting hit from behind while riding completely out of the way of motorists' normal paths. Seems the hit from behind when actually in a motorist's intended path is still very rare.
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Originally Posted by genec
So you are suggesting that on a 55MPH road, we should remain right in the motorists' path for complete safety.
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Originally Posted by joejack951
I don't think we really need to get into this any more than has already been discussed but... I believe it's useful to be in the motorist's path to get their attention just in case you happen to need it, although that's a more minor reason in comparison to the other benefits of riding in the traffic lane. Once you have their attention, if there's room to make passing you easier, it would be the courteous thing to use that space.
That implies that I may only rarely need a motorists' attention... yet you earlier implied that if I don't have a motorists' attention, I am at risk of an overtaking accident. I am confused, do I need a motorists attention or are there alternatives such as riding completely out of the way of motorists' normal paths? |
Originally Posted by genec
I am sorry, I don't understand "in case you happen to need it."
That implies that I may only rarely need a motorists' attention... yet you earlier implied that if I don't have a motorists' attention, I am at risk of an overtaking accident. I am confused, do I need a motorists attention or are there alternatives such as riding completely out of the way of motorists' normal paths? My statement "in case you happen to need it" is referring to cycling on a stretch of road with no intersections where the vast majority of the time you could be perfectly safe just staying out of the way and not worrying at all about having a motorist's attention as nothing they would normally do would affect you. Where there are intersections, there are so many more reasons to want a motorist's attention that drifting isn't even worth discussing. |
Originally Posted by joejack951
I keep seeing reports of cyclists getting hit from behind while riding completely out of the way of motorists' normal paths. Seems the hit from behind when actually in a motorist's intended path is still very rare.
Suffice to say it does not seem that way to me. |
Originally Posted by ghettocruiser
I think we've all heard this song before.
Suffice to say it does not seem that way to me. |
Thanks John, I made a couple of minor updates in my post above.
I don't know why you think I'm any more clear about what is fact and what is speculation now than I was in the deleted thread. I thought it was quite clear there too. Oh well, that's behind us now.
Originally Posted by John C. Ratliff
It is not "reasonable" to assume anything until all the facts are known of the situation.
My purpose, as it always is on this forum with respect to these incidents, is to speculate about what is likely to have happened, to assume that IS what happened, and discuss what, if anything, the cyclist could or should have done to avoid the crash, assuming those speculations are facts. I don't know why this is so hard for you to understand.
Originally Posted by John C. Ratliff
The motorist was in actual, real violation of Oregon statute, and was cited for it. Her behavior is not normal, unless it is open season on bicyclists. They were signaling a turn, for Pete's sake! She had the responsibility to operate her vehicle in a safe manner according to the rules of the road. Actually, her responsibility was to not be driving at all, as her license was suspended. To excuse her in any way is not reasonable.
By the way, when I say her behavior is normal, I mean "usual, typical, expected". Whether you like it or not, all of the following is usual, typical and expected (or at least it should be by the experienced cyclist):
That list of behavior is usual, typical and most certainly should be expected. Illegal though it is, it is normal. If you don't expect it, and ride accordingly, then you should not be riding your bike on roads. |
Originally Posted by ghettocruiser
Reports these supposedly *rare* hit-from-behind accidents just keep coming. Of the 4 fatal accidents I have heard of in Ontario this year, 3 have been of this type.
In the over-all universe of cycling accidents, these rear-enders are a small percentage of the overall total. As we are now seeing, that doesn't mean that they "never happen." |
Blue Order, did anyone ever say any particular type of crash never happens? Who? Where?
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I don't think this thread will work if it is used as an a forum to air old arguments. It would probably be beneficial if we simply post analysis and counter analysis here and move to another topic to argue the merits of the analysis.
Failing to do this will make the thread useless as an opportunity to learn from the previous accidents. |
Originally Posted by JumboRider
I don't think this thread will work if it is used as an a forum to air old arguments. It would probably be beneficial if we simply post analysis and counter analysis here and move to another topic to argue the merits of the analysis.
Failing to do this will make the thread useless as an opportunity to learn from the previous accidents. I'd suggest the format of Argument/Counterargument and conclusions. If you revisit the analysis later, please include the original post number or something so we all have something to easily reference back to, or link to the individual post you are referring to. This thread, to work is going to really require debate techniques and clear presentation to achieve the desired result. |
Originally Posted by joejack951
Can you link to the accident reports from Ontario? I'm assuming these support your claim.
So we can re-enact this inane discussion? In case you don't want to bother re-reading it I will recap: I post examples from media outlets of bikes hit from behind, I state examples of accidents I've personally seen where cars were hit from behind, I give times I was nearly hit from behind on my bike and list the times I've been actually hit from behind in my car. You say there is not enough information in the media reports to conclude anything and discard all my personal experience as exaggerated and anecdotal, whereas you regard media pieces that support your claim as reliable journalism and all your own observations as irrefutable. Hence, you stick to a claim that goes well beyond counterintuitive and into the realm of, IMO, delusional. Either way it reaffirms that the way you currently ride is safest and every other method is riskier. Rinse and repeat. |
Originally Posted by Helmet Head
Thanks John, I made a couple of minor updates in my post above.
I don't know why you think I'm any more clear about what is fact and what is speculation now than I was in the deleted thread. I thought it was quite clear there too. Oh well, that's behind us now. I'm not an accident investigator and my purpose here is not to determine what actually happened. That would be entirely inappropriate (not to mention impossible). My purpose, as it always is on this forum with respect to these incidents, is to speculate about what is likely to have happened, to assume that IS what happened, and discuss what, if anything, the cyclist could or should have done to avoid the crash, assuming those speculations are facts. I don't know why this is so hard for you to understand. Just because her behavior was in actual, real violation of Oregon statute, and she was cited for it, does not mean that behavior was not normal. Nor does accepting that that behavior is normal mean it is open season on bicyclists. That's ridiculous. By the way, when I say her behavior is normal, I mean "usual, typical, expected". Whether you like it or not, all of the following is usual, typical and expected (or at least it should be by the experienced cyclist):
That list of behavior is usual, typical and most certainly should be expected. Illegal though it is, it is normal. If you don't expect it, and ride accordingly, then you should not be riding your bike on roads. It is apparent that you are interested in only the things that a cyclist can do, and not what effect the cyclist might have on the system to change behaviors of drivers. Your working theory says that all accidents are preventable by the cyclist, and mine says that is not true. This is the major disagreement that we have. Today, I rode that road, and stopped to take some photos (they are film, so they still need to be developed). I did note that the drivers were driving at around 35-45 mph, and not faster today. If this woman was driving as fast as the eyewitnesses say, then what I'm going to say next is not relavant. At 35-45 mph, looking back traffic could be seen about 22-25 seconds out (~500 yards). After that, the road jogs left (looking north) and disappears as it descends a slight hill. The roadway was 11 feet wide from centerline to fog line. There was evidence of the car being in the ditch beyond the intersection. There was no evidence of where exactly the accident occurred, or whether the skid marks I saw had any relavance to the accident (they were not long). Weather conditions today were overcast clouds, with a ceiling greater than 1000 feet. The weather conditions at the time of the accident may have been worse. John |
To Tom, Donna and the rest of the moderators:
this topic should so NOT be a 'sticky'. |
Originally Posted by Bekologist
To Tom, Donna and the rest of the moderators:
this topic should so NOT be a 'sticky'. Think about it....there have been several times where a family member has found the threads about their family member through a Google search, just here on BF. This way, since it's a foregone conclusion that there WILL be analysis, it's a normal human tendency, it can be done without traumatizing someone..... hopefully. |
Originally Posted by John C. Ratliff
Maybe it is so hard to understand because, as a trained accident investigator, we never specucate about anything. We also do not assume anything, for the reason (the breakout of that word) stated above. Once you do that, you start going down a road that may be leading in the wrong direction.
It is apparent that you are interested in only the things that a cyclist can do, and not what effect the cyclist might have on the system to change behaviors of drivers. Your working theory says that all accidents are preventable by the cyclist, and mine says that is not true. This is the major disagreement that we have. Your statement is akin to accusing MADD of have a working theory "that all accidents are preventable if all drivers are sober", or Planned Parenthood of having a working theory "that all pregnancies are preventable with rubbers". It's disingenuous strawman creation. Never have I claimed that all accidents are preventable by the cyclist. So that most certainly is not the major disagreement that we have. In fact, we don't disagree about that at all, since we both recognize that some crashes like (Name deleted, HH, no names mentioned in this thread please, due to the previously mentioned concern for family members finding the analysis thread via Google-T.S) death, or the woman pulling the kid trailer) are certainly not preventable by the cyclist. |
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