dw231

So, I was riding the other day on a two-lane highway with no shoulder, over as far to the right as possible without rumbling, and a pickup truck came up behind me and went to pass. But there was an oncoming car, which had to take the ditch to avoid a collision, and the truck passed anyway and blew its horn.

All this was quite dramatic enough, but a mile or so down the road, the driver of the pickup was waiting at the end of his driveway and said to me, "You're gonna kill somebody on that bike! Why don't you ride down [another] road?" I didn't really respond to his complaint and kept riding, as did a state trooper who was passing the house at the same time.

I know I have a legal right to use whatever public road I choose (with a few exceptions), and I was holding up my responsibility to ride as far to the right as practicable. If anyone would have been culpable for killing someone, wouldn't it have been the driver who passed into oncoming traffic? I just figure he was mad for having narrowly escaped a horrific crash, and was looking for a scapegoat.

Opinions? Recommendations? I felt I had to share.

B. Carfree

No, you weren't riding appropriately. Most states note that cyclists need not ride to the right of a lane when the lane is not wide enough for a motor vehicle to safely pass a bike while remaining completely within the lane. When that is the case, as it clearly was in your example, you are supposed to ride far enough out into the lane that any overtaking motorist can see that s/he will have to change lanes to pass you.

There's also the notion that practicable implies safe. As you saw, hugging the edge of a narrow lane is not safe and is therefore not practicable. The motorist was wrong to pass when the oncoming lane wasn't clear, but you did issue him an invitation by riding too far to the right.

HTupolev

The motorist was absolutely in the wrong to attempt a dangerous pass, but on narrow two-lane roads without a shoulder it's advisable to ride more center and take the lane. This forces motorists to wait until they can safely make a proper wide pass, rather than trying to squeeze by when there's oncoming traffic, as happened to you. This is good for everyone's safety, since you won't deal with extremely close passes as often, and more ambitious motorists are less likely to put themselves (and oncoming traffic) in danger.

On a semi-related note, I just ran into the flip-side scenario. Today I was in an extremely wide lane which usually has cars parked on the right side, and I unthinkingly took my usual (center) riding line even though the right side was open*. A truck was trying to turn right into my lane from a side road, and he took my position as an invitation to do so even while I rode by, making a sort of scary close undertake.

Generally it seems advisable to hang right if the lane is wide and there's a safe shoulder/side/whatever, and take the lane if it's too skinny to safely and comfortably share with a motor vehicle.

*It's a short stretch and I can see the whole thing, so there was no danger of having to weave out from parked cars farther up the road.

FBinNY 

Laws re: lane placement vary by state, but all states give cyclists the right to the road, and place responsibility for passing safely squarely on the passing vehicle, nor the vehicle being passed, nor on the one coming in the opposite direction.

There was a simple remedy whereby the pickup driver could have passed safely and that was to wait for an opportunity to do so when the oncoming lane was clear for a sufficient distance.

There's a certain irony here because it takes much less distance to pass a bicycle (typically) than a slow moving truck for example.

Of course some drivers flip out if presented with a choice between passing with an oncoming car ahead, and dropping down to a bicycle's speed for a few hundred yards.

In your shoes, I'd just tune it out and continue to enjoy my day.

dw231

Thanks for all this input, especially at this odd hour. I hadn't considered that riding to the right was an implied invitation to blow me off the road. Of course, I always take the shoulder if there is one or where it's required, and 75% of traffic fully take the left lane when passing me anyway. I wasn't aware that I could be entitled to the entire lane if there is no shoulder. I am aware that traffic has to give me three feet, though. I'm going to have to recheck my state's laws.

EDIT: I've checked the laws, and although it does say I should ride as close as practicable to the right curb or edge, one of the exceptions is a condition in which the lane is of "substandard width," meaning too narrow for a vehicle and a bicycle to pass side-by-side within the lane. Considering that a typical car or truck is around six feet wide and my bike is almost two, there is clearly not enough room in a ten-foot lane for a pickup truck to pass me and give me the required three feet. A twelve-foot lane may be a different story.

FBinNY 

Your lane placement is a different issue, and it can be contentious, but it had little to do with what happened here.

Based on your account, the other driver did move over into the oncoming lane, as evidenced by the oncoming driver having to move over to avoid a collision. Had you been farther to the left, the pickup would have moved over even more possibly to the point where a head-on collision would have been unavoidable.

No matter how you slice it, what made this a dangerous situation was the pickup drivers decision to pass with inadequate distance to clear and return to his lane. IMO, he's lucky you were on a bike, because if he pulled the same stunt passing a semi he'd be dead now.

02Giant 

Why would you even question yourself?
The size of your vehicle (bike in this case) does not put any of the responsibility of an overtaking driver on you. They are completely responsible for their actions.

CliffordK

Did the pickup actually run a car off the road? Was the car wrecked? I could imagine some liability debate there, but only between the car and pickup.

But, as others have mentioned, the pickup did an unsafe pass. But, I also see many people that pass where I would not deem there being enough forward visibility. However, I'm unable to avoid certain roads I ride on as there are no alternatives.

I actually like to ride as far right as possible for several reasons.

• 99% of the traffic are driving in a place on the road where they would not hit me even if they didn't move over an inch, or didn't see me in time to react.
• If for some reason they don't see me early enough to react, there is less they have to do to avoid colliding with me.
• If they do choose to give me the 4' or 5' clearance they are legally required to give, they can get out, and back into the lane quicker.
• It is polite and perceived to be "sharing the road" rather than "hogging the road"
• A competent driver should be able to determine when they think it is safe to pass any vehicle, car, truck, tractor, or bicycle regardless of lane striping.

Keep in mind that if a pickup can't see an oncoming car around a blind corner in time to do a safe pass, they may not be able to see a bicycle in the middle of the lane in time to react. And, I don't want to count on milliseconds of reaction time.

CliffordK

Liability... NO.
But, I would still feel bad if someone was injured because of unsafe passes.

JoeyBike

Riding a bicycle on the highway is inherently dangerous. Stuff like this is gonna happen from time to time. Learn to live with it, or find another means of transportation/recreation.

Chris516

The driver of the pickup truck made me laugh. When he said you would get someone killed. It is the motorist's choice to make a dangerous pass. The cyclist is not responsible for that.

indyfabz

PA has a four-foot law. (Yes. Four feet, not three.) The legislation also provides that a motorist may cross a double yellow line to give a cyclist 4' but only if oncoming traffic is far enough away.

When I did my first tour across PA I was worried about Pennsyltucky pickup truck drivers blowing me off the road. Overall, they turned out to be the most courteous. That was also the case during my second tour across PA the following year. In fact, some of them (and other motorists) gave me incredibly wide berths. It's mostly the urban and suburban drivers who need educations.

dw231

For anyone wondering, no, the oncoming vehicle was not damaged and was able to pull back up onto the road and continue, though I'm sure the occupants were thoroughly shaken. I never really questioned the extent of my liability for what did or could have happened; I've only questioned what sort of logic the driver of the pickup was using to blame me. And finally, yes, I accept the nature of riding on a highway. Things happen. All I can do is to make sure I'm as prepared as I can be and that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Again, thanks to everyone who has commented. I figured this kind of thing could happen; this is just the first (and likely not last) time it's happened to me.

Chief

Let me get this straight.... you were buzzed by an impaired driver, and later when you were lucky enough to identify him and inform 911, you gave this road menace a pass?
Dangerous drivers should be reported to the law.

And like others have said.... Take the lane on narrow roads.

LGHT

reminds me of the story of a few cyclist who happen to do the right thing and take the lane, but it was a cop who tried to pass on the opposite side of the road. Unfortunately it was a blind turn and when a car was seen coming up the road instead of the cop slowing down he basically mowed over the cyclist he was trying to pass..

You're dammed if you do...

Chris516

100%!!!!!!!!

choteau

I'll take the lane if needed, but most of the time I'm with Clifford as to where in the lane to ride. Also keep in mind most states have a "slow moving vehicle" law, in which the slow vehicle is required to pull over/off the road at the first SAFE place to allow faster traffic to pass. In Oregon bicycles are vehicles when on the road.

kickstart

It's not a "cycling issue", its a people issue, I encounter the same issue driving a semi in an urban environment. Some feel that anything impeding their goals or desires is a menace that gives them the right to circumvent it as they choose, and if it doesn't work as planned its the other guys fault.
Its an issue without a solution other than not inviting it by unintended accommodation, or over reacting in a way that creates further conflict that could otherwise be avoided in the first place.

PatrickGSR94

In TN there is no law requiring a cyclist to use the shoulder of a roadway. You can if you want to, but are never required to. Also the impeding vehicle law applies to motor vehicles only. Of course it's courteous to pull over *when safe* (not necessarily at the first sign of one or more vehicles behind you) if there are a few cars behind you and clearly no opportunity to safely pass within view ahead. I do that at one spot on my commute and use it to take a break at the same time.

My commute is on 2-lane no shoulder roads for about 20 of the 31 miles round trip. This is my default road position, and 99.9% of motorists change lanes to pass. I have MAYBE 1 or 2 close passes in a month, riding 300-400 miles a month.

Also in MS (can't remember for TN) it is explicitly LEGAL for a motorist to pass a cyclist on a double yellow when it's clearly safe to do so. Unfortunately a few still pass when it's not safe, but for the most part people wait until it's safe, sometimes even too long. However, even the idiots that pass in the face of oncoming traffic STILL give me a full lane change to pass.

genec

Frankly it IS a driving issue... and one that comes up because drivers are not properly trained... our "flow over safety" mentality is the problem. Drivers are being given instructions that make them think the speed limit is the speed to drive, and that giving way to anything in front of them is wrong.

kickstart

Sort of, but I've seen many a cyclist and pedestrian act like that too.

Clyde1820

I was nearly shoved off the road the other day, as well. Same basic situation. A car behind attempted a pass with ~10in of my hand, while an oncoming car was approaching (not dozens of yards distant). And this was one a relatively narrow two-lane country road. Never said a word to me, never slowed to apologize for the threat and the risk. Lives near me, but hasn't said a thing.

Got to love reckless drivers who refuse to consider the value of lives, when their schedule needs to be kept.

baron von trail 

Sounds like you were doing the right thing, and this guy is an idiot.

B. Carfree

This comment reminds me of a story the company safety officer told me 'way back when' I first started to drive commercial trucks. He had responded to the scene of an overturned tomato truck with thirty tons of tomatoes on the road. Three CHP were on the scene with all their lights flashing (at dusk). Out of the blue, there's this loud swishing sound and then one of the troopers dove into the ditch just in time to avoid being hit by a spinning pick-up. The pick-up overturned in the ditch a bit further on and everyone ran to it. The driver, upside down and still holding his beer, yelled at the cops, "You should get off the road before you get someone killed."

The other officers restrained the one who had dove for the ditch in order to save themselves a paperwork nightmare.

Chris516

Three words, TTL 'Take The Lane'