indyfabz

Pure speculation on your part.

livedarklions

True, I haven't actually seen your couch.

Elvis_Presley

I was in a serious accident caused by a road defect--fortunately no head trauma. But so much pain for so long....
When I was on a kid, a dog caused my dad to go over the bars and he suffered a serious TBI--which changed him for the worse. Then, 25 years later he was found by the side of the road in a coma. It could've been a dog--there was a big one on the loose in the area. It could've been a car. Or it could've been something else. He died three months later. In all cases, helmets were worn.
So be careful! I try to stick to paths and always wear a helmet. But still, sometimes there's nothing you can do.

VinceCam

This is an interesting thread. Biking for over 45 yrs and have been hit 5 times. I've had acquaintances die by car, a competitor in a road race I was competing die in a head-on collision with a truck, a friend get hit and 15 yrs on, still needing round the clock nursing care. Been hit on a tandem with a girlfriend, commuting, and during training. The last time was 5 yrs ago when sideswiped by a woman in an SUV who couldn't judge overtaking me. She never stopped. Luckily, it was 30 yds. from my home and my neighbor dragged me out of the road, before someone else could hit me. It resulted in a torn up knee, lots of road rash, a broken arm , bruise to the jaw and a concussion. I write this because after healing, I went through a time with thoughts similar to the OP. It was hard to get on the roads again with out that dreaded anxiety response.


So how did I get over it. Using a mirror, flashing tail light, never riding at night or in the rain, planning routes with the maximum number of bike lanes, incorporating off-road riding and Zwift (indoor training) into my workouts. I will pick up a Varia Radar as a poster above suggested and lastly, just riding defensively and communicating your intentions. Most car drivers don't WANT to hit you (yeah a few do), but letting everyone know what you are going to do allows everyone to react appropriately. Good luck and hope you get out there.

Marci

Use common sense, follow the laws, be safe, be seen and if it still happens and you get hit it was probably something that is meant to happen to teach you something. Many times things happen beyond our control, and you just have to live with it.
There are so many ways that one can be hurt or killed, or nearly killed and wish you were dead hurt it is impossible to list. Some of them doing things we do everyday and take for granted as safe. But sometimes **** happens.
But I am here to tell you, living to a ripe old age in a nursing home is not all its cut out to be. That last 20 years of life kinda sucks.
So suck up the fear, and the pain and get on with living. Enjoy life a little.

gshastings

Your fears are justified. It's called WISDOM. If you are on a bicycle, and you are involved with ANY collision with a motor vehicle, YOU will lose! Period!
It's amazing how many of the responses on this thread say something like..."In X number of years, I've only been hit, Y number of times, and I'm not dead yet!"
Drivers make mistakes. Some drivers are under the influence of substances that impair their judgement or abilities. You are small, and not easily seen.
The facts, and odds, are not in your favor. Accidents happen, and if you are on a bicycle, your odds of injury are SIGNIFICANTLY greater.
If you have the ability to ride where motorized traffic is not involved, that is optimum. If you are riding on streets with motorized vehicles, you odds of injury (or worse) are OBVIOUSLY significantly greater.

Daniel4

I guess bad driving has become the acceptable norm that it's easier to convince all cyclists to stop than to improve driving behaviour and attitude.

gshastings

Odds of dying on your couch from flesh-eating bacteria...VERY close to zero.
Odds of dying while riding your bike on streets with motor vehicle traffic MUCH greater than zero.

wphamilton

I am more concerned about a serious injury on the road than I am about dying because it's so much more likely. But that's probably less likely on calm streets than it is on trails and off-road.

VARider54

"My biggest fear isn't crashing this bike at 85 miles per hour and losing my skin...it's sitting in a chair at 90 and thinking 'I wish I'd done more'".
-Graeme Obree, professional cyclist "The Flying Scotsman"

Jim from Boston

These posts bring up a concern for even the most comfortable cyclists:

birds01

Agree. I’ve had some close calls, i admit, but if you are an aware rider and always assume the car will not stop or follow his/her blinker you should be fine. It’s when we believe cars are on our side that problems occur.

Lemond1985

"Pride cometh, just before a tragic hit and run incident."

Great advice. Be confident on the roads, but not overconfident. Trust that they're not out to deliberately run you over, but be sure look behind as they're passing and verify that assumption.

stephanlinn

I live in Miami - nuf said. Had two accidents: one was caused by another cyclist and the other caused by a pedestrian.

mstateglfr 

You quoted me, but I cant figure out why. All that text in your post and you only typed 1 sentence?
What concern does my post bring up?

vintage1987

Yes i have. After 40 years of riding i caught it. a very young driver turned into me and put me 10 feet into the air. we were traveling in the same direction. im devastated and dont even remember what happened but i was not out of control or out of the " bike lane." Yep i too have seen many who ignore rules of the road and NO they do NOT deserve to be hit as a poster offered up here. good god man! Will i ride again,, i dont know. I was on my way to the bike path when it happened but didnt make it there. its usually NOT the bikers its usually the drivers who create these death traps but remember. You are riding a 15 to 20 lb bike and they are driving a 3000 lb car. you have no reason to be aggressive or overconfident but plenty of reason to be remarkably careful.

yukiinu

Most important is that drivers see you from as far away and as soon as possible. Wear bright reflective Safety vests and clothes that stand out and don't blend in with city or country back ground. Flashing lights front, back and side, day and night. Ride like you are invisible to the cars, expect them to do stupid unexpected things. Don't think you are safe because you are in a bike lane. Watch for doors opening on parked cars. Walk your bike when traffic conditions are out of the ordinary. In today's head up the ass texting while driving environment I would consider having a loud constant honking/beeping sound to get the attention of drivers approaching your bike. Watch out for morons speeding down sidewalks and across intersections on electric scooters. Keep your head on a swivel keep checking front, sides and mirrors. 2 years as bike messenger in major city and 9000 miles touring and living on a bike for years experience speaking.

philbob57

I've found that a wide variety of clothes that are normally highly visible are very hard to see under sunny conditions with some tree cover. The patterns of light and dark make almost everything else disappear.

There's no way to ensure visibilty.

Be careful out there.

Jim from Boston

Thanks for reading my post, and it’s good to know that quoting a subscriber elicits a response. By nesting quote boxes, I indicate to the quoted subscriber(s) that I have read the post(s), reflected on the content, and extracted meaningful point(s), that I worked into a quote chain.

The quote chain allows me to quote a few subscribers on one topic in one post. As my signature line reads: "I use nested, sequential quotes (to be read in that order) to improvise an imaginary conversation. Anything outside a quote box is my contribution to the current 'conversation. "

The title of this thread is “Tell me why I shouldn't be scared of dying on the road...” and while I quotedyou pointed out,. i.e. there are consequences to other victims besides the Rider.Anyways, about half my post is written by me, mainly as quotes.

BoBodyJones

This. Although I've heard that drunk drivers are actually MORE likely to be attracted to flashing lights than normal!

I actually just heard about a new bike light that lights up the rider's own body. Every darn bike light now is the same and you only look like a tiny dot no matter how bright it is.

I'll try to find their webpage when I get a second.

edit: Here is it ShineOnBikes.com - 250 times more visible than before! Hah!

movelo

Which in turn beats dying on the couch without a bowl of pork rinds.

GlennR

Not if you keep kosher.

einstruzende

Those are the very roads I've ridden on for thousands of miles over the last 16 years or so. In fact if your brother ever participated in group rides from about 2003 to 2010, then I have assuredly ridden with him.

I should have clarified that the fear is only there until I'm on bike. Once I'm on, no big deal.

bbbean 

There’s your answer.

BigJonny

Hey All,

Some of these replies are serious and some not so much; so our recommendation is to use due diligence - ride when dry, clear and during daylight hours. Use caution when crossing intersections, especially at Stop signs. Use bicycle paths if available or become part of the traffic riding at a reasonable speed [I do 15 - 20 mph].

I don't ascribe to - "He[She] died doing something He[She] enjoyed doing." I do believe that a cautious bike rider who is aware of their immediate environment will never get hurt on the road or mountain. On streets and roadways be aware that many drivers are easily distracted so try to be seen by them using clothes and helmets with very bright yellows or reds; although black spandex looks very sexy. . . it is a lack of color that makes you "disappear" into the background.

Ride safe, enjoy the scenery, use caution and ride long.