GamblerGORD53

Wear a tin-foil hat. They will think you are nuts. LOL

Daniel4

My only concern when a driver passes me is that I have enough clearance. Otherwise, my second concern is to be a witness in a head on collision and me testifying to the driver's carelessness.

However if the blind pass is coming at me from the opposite direction, there's nothing I can do no matter how far right I ride.

KraneXL

He's not blocking traffic. He's proceeding according to the laws and maintaining his safety.

79pmooney

This is 2019. We honestly don't know the gender of that mirror, so the plural pronoun is appropriate. (Though I am far from used to it.)

Ben

CliffordK

I try not to worry about cars passing, although I do know there is increased risk to themselves and innocent oncomming traffic when they pass on blind corners.

By riding to the right, the cars can potentially safely pass within the driving lane (especially if there is a good shoulder). Or, at least not move too far out of the lane. At least regular cars. Trucks, buses, and pickups towing trailers need to give more space, but don't always think that way.

If there are two cyclists, then a car can "lane split", and pass between the two cyclists. Hopefully a cyclist coming around a blind corner isn't insisting on "taking the lane".

However, my last trip to Crater Lake was scary. Rough road surface. Descents at 40+ MPH. Narrow road and no shoulders. Drop-off without guard rails to my right. I had to be in the middle of the lane. Reasonable visibility, but uphill traffic still chose to pass other cyclists taking up half of my lane. Apparently the drivers couldn't understand that I couldn't ride 2 or 3 inches from oblivion.

For my normal commutes, in places like a narrow bridge, I'll give a stop signal (left hand out and down at 45°, open palm), if I see a potential conflict, and the cars seem to respect that. When it is clear, I'll wave them on.

A few times a year, I'll have cars pass another car, taking up my full lane. I wave to try to indicate "I'M HERE", but the drivers don't seem to care.

I think some of it is just poor driver training. 90% of the drivers are OK, so additional enforcement probably won't do anything, although perhaps I should start streaming video, and convince the police to send 1 warning followed by a ticked for repeat offenses.

Leisesturm

I think it was @FBinNY who mentioned taking a road position that appears, at first, to prevent a pass, but once the overtaking traffic has slowed (as they must) down, allowing them to pass by moving further right. This is a very good compromise, I think, and I suspect a lot of cyclists ride this way instinctively. I do. The speed of the pass is much more dangerous than the distance of the pass. Anything you can do to avoid cars blasting past at the posted speed limit is safer for you. Anything you can do to avoid cars having to cross the centerline is good for them, and you. It really is unreasonable to believe that cars must wait for who knows how long before conditions become safe enough for a given cyclist to cede the travel lane. The driver doesn't know you. They don't know whether you know safe if it jumped up and bit you you know where, or not.

JoeyBike

All of the good and questionable advice aside, if a car/truck is in the process of passing you while straddling the center line, or completely in the other lane (in the scenario described by the OP), and another vehicle suddenly pops around the corner in the opposite lane (likely speeding), 100% of motorists, no matter their training, will "happily" run over a cyclist to avoid a head-on collision with a UPS truck.

No one so far has "solved" this problem for the OP. Because there isn't a cycling solution.

CliffordK

There was a video posted a while ago of the aftermath of such a "bump" when a police officer bumped a cyclist in that situation. Police arguing the cyclist should be riding further right, and the cyclist arguing that the officer didn't have room to pass safely. Fortunately, in that video more yelling than apparent injuries.

Of course, if there is a shoulder, and the cyclist is riding on the shoulder (or moves onto the shoulder as vehicles approach), then if the car or truck or tractor-trailer cuts back in, then they won't hit the cyclist unless they over-shoot onto the shoulder. Even riding on the fog line is a foot or so further right than most drivers actually drive.

KraneXL

The only thing worst than getting hit by a car, is to get hit then find you're at fault for the accident...and damages. We don't get to go on the road and make up your own rules and policies. Follow the law or walk.

Leisesturm

If anyone else posted this I'd have some idea of what they were talking about. What exactly is your point?
*worse

JoeyBike

I have found success with making my own rules for going on 45 years now. So far, so good.

People on foot are the most common offenders to The Law. Next would be motorists exceeding the posted speed limit and likely tied with motorists rolling stop signs. Why should I be the only road user who can't make up their own rules on the fly?

KraneXL

The most dangerous environment for cyclist (or any motorist for that matter) is when they are unpredictable. Laws give us the uniformity and commonality we need to keep us safe. Don't ignore them. That way there's little doubt about how we will behave, and what we're going to do.

Ever get frustrated by a motorist that drives down the road with their turn signal on but never make a turn? Their actions are unpredictable, and therefore, dangerous.

JoeyBike

What if the whole world is unpredictable and I am the only one obeying all the laws? The uniformity of which you speak would then make me the odd man out.

On the contrary, I know for sure that THAT particular motorist knows his vehicle is equipped with turn signals and at least uses them occasionally. I am not assuming anything about his/her future behavior of course, but I would be happy to see any other road user signaling their intentions even if once in a while they forget their signal is activated. This will correct itself the very next time they try to signal.

Leisesturm

I still don't know what your point is. The LAW in just about every state I am aware of says a bicycle operating on public roads should keep as Far Right As Practicable. That is the LAW. "This shoulder isn't wide enough, that shoulder has debris, that bike lane is in the door zone, that bike lane ends in 100 ft. so I have no choice I have to ... Take The Lane ... " where is your LAW now? Maybe the driver in the Escalade behind you read the relevant sub-part and paragraph in his Operators Manual and maybe not. It doesn't matter. Chances are you aren't going to be killed if you avoid a bad section of bike lane by moving left around it. Sometimes the lead car has noticed your bike lane has an obstruction and has anticipated that you will be merging in. Sometimes. However, if you habitually scorn bike lanes and never use them on principle ... I don't know, from some of your posts I don't think you would have a problem with that. So I remain unclear as to your motives in this particular posting. Until driverless vehicles come along people are going to be people. Yes, it is annoying when someone does not cancel their turn signals, but it is almost hardly worth mentioning in a post. Someone really should do some research on just who is the majority getting hit out there. Is it the 'gutter huggers' or is it the "take the laners"? I'm biased of course but I have my ideas as to who it might be.

Paul Barnard

One of the confounding factors in developing the best strategies as bicyclists is that there is just about ZERO training and education motorists get relative to bicycle specific laws and how to negotiate them on the roads.

mr_bill

Until you get an FIA license, there is ZERO training about defending against passing vehicles, for ANY vehicle operator.

Notice here how I take FULL advantage of my lane position to "defend" against an illegally passing vehicle. Not.



-mr. bill

Leisesturm

Mr. Bill, you are priceless ...

SHBR

No rear view camera?

I probably would have scooted to the right a bit if I saw someone coming up fast like that.

Leisesturm

If MIRRORS are good enough for multi-billion dollar NASA spacecraft they are good enough for me ... and you too. Cameras are for recording stuff. To see in real time mirrors are far less expensive and FAR more reliable. And already there. And, no, I would not "scoot to the right" if I were driving a car in a no passing zone. Why? Why would you do that? To make it easier for the cretin? Too late. If he smacks the oncoming traffic you won't be able to get away from being involved unless you can leave the road completely. This fails on all kinds of levels. The main one being: on a road like that the GREAT majority of your attention needs to be on the road AHEAD. That is where %@#%*! is likely to happen. Some awareness of what is happening all around your vehicle could never be a bad thing, but the only time you really NEED to look in your rear or side mirrors is when you plan to deviate from your current road position and impact traffic flow in a different lane from the one you presently occupy. If you presently drive with the nagging itch that someone could roll up on your rear bumper with enough delta vee to bring you both off the road in a fiery ball of car (and human) parts ... be at peace. Not going to happen. If you are stopped that is something else. But at road speed. Unlikiely. So focus on what is important.

Maelochs

On the other hand, Good drivers check their mirrors quickly and frequently unless they are the only car on the road for miles, just because it makes sense and takes fractions of a second.

Yeah, if I am proceeding forward, the vast majority of my attention should be in the forward maybe 90-100-degree ac---cars ahead in my lanes, cars oncoming, cars on side streets or on the side of the road which may pull out. But is always good to know what's around me, and it takes barely a second to glance in the rear-view .... ten seconds later, glance in the side view ... then the other ....

Not sure if I would have reacted if I saw a a car coming up really fast behind me (unless it had flashing blue lights (and for the sticklers who have no lives beyond pointing out niggling errors, any sighs that it was an emergency vehicle)) because I would have no idea if it would try to pass or slow down or whatever. I might just keep an eye on it ... and int he video, it looks like the car came up fast and blow right by. Th recording driver had little time and no need to respond or maneuver.

If I had been riding a bike, I would have heard the car coming, heard the rate of the change in engine noise volume and listened to how hard the engine was working, and realized this was a guy more intent on driving fast than safely. So--- Take the Lane and assert my right to be there, right?

Maelochs

Well ... this Is the root of the problem, but it goes a bit beyond the scope of cycling, I think.

I wholly agree, though. We keep making laws and rules and systems, but we never look to improving the quality of the people in the system, governed by the laws. It is actually a lot worse than a lot of people seem to think it is, IMO.

Change might take a few generations--or a global disaster. I am not willing to wait 100 years for it to be "safe" to ride. In about 20 minutes, I am going out into this evil world ---guess I will have take my chances.

SHBR

Bill looks like he is quite aware of his surroundings, and is probably a decent driver.

Mirrors were used to full effect, its clearly shown in the video.

Years ago, I was in a rental car and had someone roll up on me like that on a dark rural road, I thought I was going was going too slowly, (5 over the limit) and made the mistake of speeding up only to get the flashing lights of a state trooper.

That sucked, mostly because I usually know better.

mr_bill

Small wetland on the right.

Eight mirror checks in twenty seconds.

-mr. bill

Leisesturm

Well, no and yes ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics

greatscott

They shouldn't be driving at all if they're blind, not alone passing...