Chris516

Well, Lets' put it in the context of just ticking off a motorist for a moment. If I am 'taking lane', I am at a red light with traffic behind me, and I do not notice the light turn green, then get honked at. I don't care about having ticked them off, not in the sense of 'taking the lane', but in the sense of not having paid attention to the traffic signal. So I will give them a 'thumbs up' admitting to my momentary mistake.

Now to blending harmoniously with the traffic. That is also one of my objectives.

Chris516

Will it "protect" me from bad drivers, no. But on a curve like the one in the picture, I will certainly be noticed sooner.

noisebeam

Huh? By riding up a hill in TX?

hagen2456

But bad drivers don't notice obstacles untill it's too late. Or never.

hagen2456

Do you really, REALLY think that's what I meant?

She was killed taking the lane uphill. By a driver who overtook another car coming over the hill from the other side. Had she hugged the roadside, she would have lived.

Drivers do that often enough to have me fear it on country roads. You know, I've actually twice been in the back seat of cars doing it. Very unpleasant.

noisebeam

The metal trailers pulled by most landscaping trucks are 8.5' wide.
A suburban is 6.5' without mirrors, an extra 1' with.

From this it is easy to estimate within a ft. the width of a lane.

For example

Chris516

So say you. I do everything I can to grab their attention. If I have to ride the yellow line, I will do it, all in an effort to grab the motorists' attention.

Chris516

Not special power. But if I didn't make an effort to grab their attention, I wouldn't be riding on the road.

Chris516

True, At first. So I aim to be the PITA obstacle that gets noticed. Rather than one that doesn't get noticed.

noisebeam

You won't get the attention of a driver who passed out at the wheel.

noisebeam

I strive to get noticed as early as possible. But I always verify if there are signs that I have been noticed. If no signs I have to assume I am not noticed. If those signs indicate I am, I still monitor until it is clear the driver is responding to me and only me.

Chris516

Of course not. But I will constantly be checking to see what they are doing.

Chris516

+1

RobertHurst

Or one who is brushing sandwich parts off their trousers.

ianstew

or texting.....
or talking on the cel phone...........
or the parent turning around to yell at their kids...........

Chris516

Don't you guys ever look to see, if the motorist behind you is paying attention, or not. Then once it becomes obvious that they aren't, react accordingly. Otherwise, Why bother even riding on the road, if you don't make the effort to be seen.

Sure there are driver distractions. But since a bike(and for that matter a motor vehicle) cannot blow a horn at the vehicle behind them to grab the attention of the ignorant driver, they have to do something else.

Digitalfiend

She might also have lived had she been ten seconds slower reaching the hill or decided not to ride that day. Would your view still be the same if she had been killed riding a motorcycle instead of a bicycle? I hope you see that it's reckless driving that causes these deaths/accidents and not the cyclist's choice to use the lane?

I'm not one to ride in the middle of the road and I probably put myself at risk more than I should but I won't fault a cyclist that wants to take the lane, even if it "inconveniences" me as a motorist. Unlike some motorists though, I refuse to endanger myself, the cyclist(s) or other motorists just to save a few seconds.

Unless a cyclist swerves infront of a car unexpectedly there is zero excuse for a motorist hitting one (given clear conditions/visibility, etc.) There is also no reason to make an illegal pass either. I believe that stupid motorists will do stupid things regardless of the obstacle infront of them. Replace the cyclist with a tractor or frightened elderly motorist doing 20-under and you'll still get angry motorists making dangerous passes. But for some reason cyclists incite more ire, likely because they are more vulnerable to being treated poorly than an 8000lbs+ tractor.

hagen2456

As cyclist we've got the privilege to be able to stay close to the roadside. So that we can be out of the way of reckless, drugged and distracted drivers.

Paul Barnard

Do you have a mirror that gives you the kind of detail where you can tell whether Betty is paying more attention to a phone than the road? And that with Betty closing in on you at 40MPH. Do you linger in the middle of the lane while you are gathering this information? I do what you are talking about when I am motoring at close to the same speed as the people behind me, but I can't do it in my cage if the people behind me are closing at a 10 MPH differential or greater. Every now and then I'll get some information in a snapshot rearview glance that concerns me, but I certainly don't have the luxury of studying my 6 to see if someone is paying attention...whatever that looks like.

Chris516

I don't use a mirror at all. I don't 'linger' in the middle of the lane, I 'take the lane'. When I glance back, I quickly note their head position along with the position and speed of the car.

A couple days ago, I went straight through a green light. But a driver making a left turn almost broadsided me. Because they weren't paying attention to the road. The were lucky that they didn't broadsided by another vehicle as a result of their own stupidity.

Paul Barnard

Ah, the dreaded left turner. Left turners are the collisions that kill the most motorcyclists. They don't scare me as badly on the bicycle because of my slower speed, but they demand attention nonetheless.

Chris516

As he was making his left turn, I saw him coming. But he never took his foot off the gas. I kept thinking that I was going to get hit in the back tire again but that this jerk was not going to damage my bike, but total it. He noticed me at almost the last minute then applied his brakes. I stared at the guy with a DEATH STARE, shaking my head and verbally beratimg him and then continued towards my destination.

Paul Barnard

Those are the bad ones. If they slow at all, it's imperceptible, they aren't turning from a dedicated turning lane and they don't give a turn signal. It's also a common cause of car on car collisions. I approach all intersections on high alert and at often reduced speed.

chipcom 

You just contradicted yourself. Without confirmation, the only way you can be sure you are visible is via super-duper spidey senses. So the point is, always assume you are not visible unless you have confirmation from a specific party in question that they see you.

chipcom 

You can keep sputtering this nonsense all day, but you are still incorrect. The law does not define what is reasonable...no matter how many times you click your heels and wish you were a lawyer back in Kansas.