Be Careful Out There
I was hit by a van today while riding. He was making right turn and either didn't have his turn signal on or I missed seeing it. Next thing you know I'm plastered against it. Nothing serious. Lost a little skin and ribs are quite sore. It'll be a while before I ride hard again, but hope to be back on it this weekend. Just a little more cautious at intersections now, however. That's twice this year I've been boinked at intersections when I made bad assumptions about drivers' intentions. I've gotten off easy both times. I think of myself as a safe rider until something like this happens. I could be safer. It's a dangerous world when you're on a bike surrounded by vehicles. Be careful.
posted by Joe Friel @ 6:37 PM
7 Comments
7 Comments:
Joe,
Sorry to hear about this. Glad you are ok though! Be safe, and heal up.
Jim
Sorry to hear of your accident. It is dangerous out there. While cagers are talking on their cells, straightening their hair in the rearview, or reading the paper, a cyclist has to be 100% alert to everything around them in order to anticipate possible evasive moves should anything be thrown at them. They also need to preempt dangerous situations by attacking/bombing first... no just kidding :-) by positioning their selves in the most conspicous/visible location.
Hope all heals quickly.
Wow - very glad to hear you're okay but obviously sorry to hear you got hit with the right hook
My personal strategy (maybe it will help?) is to never ever approach an intersection overlapped with a car. Same as doing a crit where you don't want to overlap wheels (since it has obvious consequences) I just won't ride with a car right next to me as I head to an intersection.
It just seems like too many car drivers don't really know how to use their blinkers, and we all know drivers don't see cyclists...
Of course, if you do all that right, something else may get you.
Stay safe!
Glad to hear you are alright. I know as a driver and rider, I really appreciate it when riders do it right or at least make the effort. That being said, there’s an additional factor I feel is often over looked by most riders I encounter, visibility. Many riders I’ve seen wear multi colored outfits that don’t stand out and easily blend into the background at a distance. As a driver the first thing you’re looking for is other vehicular traffic and other obstacles. Cyclists’ project such a small figure that they’re easy to miss at a distance, especially if there are other things occupying a driver’s attention, like vehicles, road obstacles, and cell phones. As a result, it’s easy not to see a rider until you are very close and if you’re traveling at highway speed; have only seconds to react. High visibility clothing, like fluorescent green, yellow and other bright colors draw the eye and can be spotted at a quarter to a half a mile. How many accident reports quote the driver as saying “I didn’t see the cyclists”? I know they may not look too aesthetically pleasing but there’s a good reason for that. That’s why I never hit the road on my bike without a high-vis vest or jersey in the day time and plenty of lights and reflective material and clothing at night.
Joe --
Get well - very good to hear you say things will be okay with a bit of time!
Cheers,
KP
Joe,
Glad to hear you're OK! Heal up soon!
Take care,
Brian
Being "right hooked" is all too common a situation. I'm so glad to hear you're OK and not a statistic. For what ever reason(s) this seems to be one of the most common reasons for bike/auto collisions. Not riding overlapped with a vehicle coming into an intersection is a good idea and sometimes this requires "taking the lane" or moving out into traffic so that you are more visible and can't be passed.
Recently in Portland:
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_102907_news_cycllist_jarolimek_memorial.1bbe50769.html
and in Seattle:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/330848_fatal08.html
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