bburrito

I got hit by a car last night while doing my nightly commute home. He basically caught my handlebars with his mirror causing my wheel to turn straight into the curb and I went right over the handlebars luckily into a bush. I am all right save for some road rash on both arms and legs and sore right quad. The guy even stopped. My bike even survived with nothing but a gouge down to the tube out of my tire. I was even able to ride home.

The point of my post is, what else can I do to prevent this from happening?

I was riding with reflectors on both wheels, a flashing tailight, and a headlight. This was also down a major street with decent lighting. If any of you are are familiar with it, I was literally right in front of the San Diego airport. Right now I am riding roughly 80 miles a week and I am slowly going to be amping that up hopefully double over the next few months. At the same time, I don't like getting hit by cars. Any ideas?

Cody Broken

You got a reflective vest?

bburrito

Nope, are you thinking like the ones construction people wear>?

Pepper Grinder

Yeah, that's the one. Install a 2 foot rod on the left side of your bicycle with a spinning reflective wand and a banner that says THREE FEET FOR SAFETY

Scaryspice

+1

I love my vest.

Bekologist

what lights? and how fresh are the batteries?

LEDs get quite dim before completely wimping out, you need to keep fresh(ish) batteries in the lights.

Cody Broken

Check this thread:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=362218

bburrito

Thanks for the link cody it really hit the point home that wearing a reflective vest is probably a good idea. I am going to look more into this. I wonder if they make one with breathable materials.

I know I got lucky in that all I have is some road rash and some sore muscles and the only thing wrong with my bike, that I can tell, is a tire that needs to be replaced. Not bad for 300lbs against 3000 lbs.

jcwitte

I think the sort of reflective vests being talked about here are made out of mesh, so you'd have a hard time finding one that isn't breathable.

RonH

Glad you're ok.

Sounds like you were riding too far to the right on a "narrow" road, meaning the lane was too narrow to share with cars. I'd say you should take the lane to avoid this type of situation in the future.

why2not

+1, I'm not the hugest "Vehicular Cycling" fan, but in some situations it is appropiate.

gear

Did the driver mention why he hit you? I ask because knowing that MIGHT lead to a better way to head off another accident from the same cause. For instance if the driver didn't see you, that would lead me to suggest a brighter tail light than the one you are using. Of course I am not suggesting that the accident was in any way your fault, he hit you, you didn't hit him. I'm just trying to head off a second encounter if possible.

smilingbiker

A book called The Art of Cycling by Robert Hurst has lots of great tips on how to stay safe in traffic. I found it at the public library & liked it so much I bought it.
I agree that reflective vest is helpful. Also reflective tape on jacket & backpack/panniers, really bright flashing lights on back of bike and back of helmet might help.
Glad you weren't hurt worse.

noisebeam

This would be good to know. It is not clear to me if the driver was aware of you or not before passing. It is possible they saw you but failed to give adequate clearance.

In additional to the reflective material and better lights advice, which is always helpful and hard to overdo and the good advice about lane position, also consider using a mirror. That will let you get a sense of how soon to be passing drivers are reacting to you.

Al

Brian T

Try one of these.

https://www.branfordbike.com/reflect/reflect1.html

ItsJustMe

It seems like EVERY driver will say they "didn't see you". Even if they did. It's the easy cop-out. You could be towing a Christmas tree and they'd "not see you". The real question is, what was he doing? Was he really tired? Was he on his phone/fooling with the radio/unwrapping a taco? Or just plain old spacing out?

Or it's entirely possible that you really aren't visible enough.

here's a fact for you; unless you're really going to go nuts on lighting (like, buying a Nova Bull or something), reflective materials are THE BEST visibility aid you can get. Add to that the fact that they're also by far the cheapest, and you SHOULD be riding with reflective stuff. At minimum a largish reflector on the back (I put a 1.5 x 4" DOT truck reflector on my rack with a bit of aluminum angle iron). Also, a reflective vest is about $10, and is INCREDIBLY visible. It bugs the heck out of me to see runners without ANY reflective material; THOSE people are the real death-wish types on the road, IMHO.

reiffert

Check your state laws about bicycles and roads - My bet is bikes are treated as a vehicle with all rights that a car has. So, basically, the cager was passing unsafely, and should have a ticket issued.

Washington has a specific law, giving riders a 3 ft. cusion, drivers can be ticketed for giving less than three feet clearance while passing. Riders don't specificaly have to force the issue by hanging way out to the left.

But, that saying, take, always take, as much width as you need to be safe; coming up to blind intersection, take a move left to be easily seen and to avoid being passed in the intersection and squeezed right; blind corner, move left and make the car realize that to pass they need to cross that double yellow line or move into the next lane, not squeeze past and forcing you past the fogline. And don't accept that the fogline is a bike lane.

And, just like a car, make sure all your safety equipment is working. And that you follow rules (stop, signal, 'as far to the right as is safe') When you have a flashing red light and an approved rear reflector, how can a cager really say 'I didn't see the biker'? Won't wash with the policeman. Especially if you and your bike more than meet the legal requirements. So, past the red taillight requirement; safety vest, rearview mirror, maybe some reflective tape all indicate that you are being responsible.

tate65

Try one of these as bright and big as a cars light. I love mine

https://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/s...fetylights.htm

Paramemetic

If you don't want to plunk down $10+ on a reflective vest, you can make a DIY one at Walmart for 3 dollars. Go to hunting, grab an orange blaze plastic vest. These cost about a dollar, a little less. Then head on over to automotive and find trailer reflectors that stick on. These cost about two bucks for two of them. Stick these on the shoulders, etc., and there you go. DIY reflective vest for three bucks. A slightly more expensive route is to add 3M reflective tape, but I doubt the vests themselves will hold up that long, I've only had mine for a while. Might still end up going with a mesh vest at some point, but for now, this works fine.

cyccommute 

I agree with Berkologist. I'll also add that you need to add 1 or 2 or even 3 lights to the back of the bike. A single flashing light is hardly enough and is difficult for drivers to gauge the distance to you. Set at least one...a powerful one at that...on steady.

You've also fallen into the common fallacy, bburrito, that if the road is well lit, you don't need that much in the way of lights. This is incorrect. The more brightly lit the road is, the more light you need to be seen. You may be able to see the ground just fine but a motorist is looking at the road through glass with an instrument panel throwing light at them and with headlights illuminating the road. Your small light has to compete with all that. Light 'em up!

Also, make sure you have all the reflectors that your state requires. If you are hit and injured, you don't want a lawyer saying "He's responsible because he didn't have proper equipment." Here's what you need. Your state law (like most others) requires a rear reflector but not a light. Anyone who rides with just a rear reflector is an idiot but you should have one anyway.

Finally, you need to consider your lane position. Looking at Google Maps, that road is a 3 lane highway. No one should have had a need or even a chance to clip your handlebar. They should have gone around you. Get more lights and ride further from the curb. Don't give the cars a chance to squeeze you. It's difficult to get over the 'hug the curb' mentality but next time you might not be so lucky. Go with the attitude that they have to run you over! Running someone over with a car involves a lot of paper work...trust me, I've been on both sides...and most people will go out of their way to avoid paper work

Good luck!

pinkrobe

Obligatory +1, especially on the lane position. The only times I ever get buzzed are when I'm too close to the curb. I stay at least 1m out from the curb pretty much all the time. If I filter, it's almost never along the curb, as that's asking for a right hook.

Cody Broken

I didn't mean to seem terse or rude.

I wanted to help, and I get way too goofy the more I type.

You are obviously riding in riskier conditions than some of us, and that is serious business.

I'm glad you're okay and smart enough to look for help.

Pinyon

I lost my vest, and have not replaced it, but should. I agree with what others have said. Reflective tape rules, and bright and flashing lights are a must.

I ride with reflective strips built into the sides and back of my trunk-bag, reflective tape squares on the back of my helmet, reflective ankle straps (movement while pedalling is more visible than more stationary reflectors for some), a second pair of reflective ankle straps that I wear on my forearms, my PI shell with reflective piping on all sides, one red and flashing 5 led tail light on the back of the trunk bag, another single and red flashing led light on the left side of my helmet (one of those little strappy-things), reflective strips built into the sides and back of my bike shoes, illumilite tights for when it is cooler (made with reflective material from Performance), and a fairly bright and broad-beam led head light. I also carry a spare, red, 5-led tail-light that I attach to the middle of my back in my rain-gear or jersey sag pockets if it is raining, snowing, or a little foggy. I go for a combination of the easily recognizable, and the "WTF is that?" effects.

hairlessbill

$4.00 for a vest. $16.00 for a jacket. There was another thread on the jacket somewhere. I got the jacket yesterday and yeah, it's bright.

idcruiserman

It happens even when you're lit up like a Christmas tree. Do what you can to be more visible and predictable, and get some life insurance.