Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
+10 to the use of mirrors. …
Of course one usually has to more continuously monitor the forward line of travel, intermittently the rear.
Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
The exception of course is when a bicyclist is riding on a high speed road with few intersections, driveways, or exits/entrances where traffic can enter or leave the road; for example - the road location where the cyclist involved in this accident was riding. In those cases, the high risk to the cyclist is to his rear, not to his front.
This bicyclist was struck from behind by a vehicle that probably would have been clearly seen approaching if the cyclist was even occasionally monitoring traffic to his rear.
And as is obvious, recording video to the rear is useless for monitoring anything in real time.
Originally Posted by
AlmostTrick
…
All the studies I’ve seen over the years have shown other types of crashes to be more common than hit from behind.
Crashes at intersections and crossings are the leaders.
Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
Counting crash type totals without evaluating the resulting severity of injuries of the various crash types is close to being useless (except for those who manipulate accident stats to promote a personal agenda) unless you consider crash types that are more to likely result in road rash and skinned knees as the equivalent to the type of crashes that are likely to result in death or catastrophic injuries to the bicyclist.
As I see it, the
nearly only hazard from the rear is a (usually noisy) upcoming vehicle…a car, truck, motorcycle; maybe a cyclist; less likely something falling, e. g a tree branch. IMO
forward hazards are more frequent and varied, and often unexpected or obscure, e.g potholes, especially those covered by leaves,
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
(c) The Boston Globe Nov 15, 2009
At 71 years old, retired Newton educator Robert Zeeb wasn't slowing down.
Zeeb was training to ride his bicycle across the country.…But on Monday, during a ride to Arlington, Robert Zeeb crashed his bicycle along Route 2. He died from his injuries the following day…
A witness told police that it appeared as if Zeeb's bicycle struck a hole for an electrical box in the ground and that no other vehicles were involved in the accident.
Zeeb's family is upset the hole wasn't covered and is looking for answers….One witness told State Police the hole was filled with leaves and its cover was several feet away…
Noel Zeeb said his father was very careful on his bicycle and always wore a helmet. But Noel Zeeb said he doesn't think his father saw any danger ahead on his ride Monday.
trash, clueless pedestrians crossing in front, sticky tar seams,
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
...I was riding about 5 mph on the main street, and on that road surface were these strips of tar, the policeman called “tar seams,” apparently a cheap fix for cracks. In the 90 degree heat they became soft and sticky and grabbed my tire, and since I was going slowly, one pulled me down….
I was immediately assisted by some bystanders who claimed I was KO’ed for a bit, and the ambulance and police soon arrived.
The upshot was spending from about 4:00 to 8:30 PM in the Emergency Room, with abrasions on my arms, knees, and a couple ugly ones on my face; and a gash about 1 inch long requiring 18 stitches to close.
turning vehicles
.
Originally Posted by
Maelochs
…
A perfect example is the video I think @jim_@
from_Boston posted of a female university professor getting right-hooked by a semi. I, and many other experienced traffic riders, posted that they felt sick when they saw the cyclist in the right lane pulling up to and trying to pass the truck in the left lane.
Too many of us have seen trucks make wide turns, and too many of us have seen that trucks cannot see everything in their mirrors all the time, and that a bike can sneak into a blind spot…
parked cars (where applicable) etc. Hence,
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
…My main argument for a mirror, particularly in the urban environment is summarized by Jim’s Law of the Road: “No matter how well paved or lightly-traveled the Road, a vehicle is likely to pass you on the left as you encounter an obstacle on the right.”…
and
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I try to keep safe with certain aphorisms in my head that come to mind to alert me when I encounter a situation where unseen dangers may lurk, such as “Like a weapon, assume every stopped car is loaded, with an occupant ready to exit from either side.” or “Don’t ride over an area (such as puddles or leaves) when you can’t see the road surface"
Over the past few months I have come to realize that my safety aphorisms (link), collected over the years by personal or vicarious experience, are my way of actively aligning the stars in my favor, to anticipate those unseen and otherwise unanticipated dangers.
FWIW, for my own information at least, my other aphorisms beside those above [include];see the link: Total of nine (9).]
Those are all I remember for now, and they all pop-up in my mind as I encounter the situation.