Equinox

These are very dangerous. Once the driver is past, she eliminates you from the equation. I normally ride AFRAP, but I've resorted to being a bit more agressive at intersections and taking the lane to keep cars behind me. It is harder to predict a right hook into the many driveways that we pass. Some are really sudden and surprising. Last night, the driver seemed to recognize our group riding AFRAP, he actually appeared to slow down allowing us to continue. Then suddenly, he must have decided he could beat us and he accelerated and right hooked us. We were a small group, 8 or 9 riders. If he waited, we would have cleared is right turn in at most 5 seconds. That's the thing about these incidents. In the vast majority of these incidents, cyclists impede motorists a matter of SECONDS. Not minutes, not hours. Seconds. Literally, if a driver would wait a SECOND, they could go about their travel in complete safety.

Chris516

I take the lane for several reasons:

1. Avoiding the potential of a right hook.
2. Being able to react in time, should someone suddenly pull out of a driveway, or suddenly open the door of a parked vehicle.

johnnymoses

waiting, even for a millisecond, for auto drivers, is inconceivable.

spare_wheel

+1

My safety and health are more important than minor auto-centric traffic statutes. And despite my nefarious AFRAP law breaking I have never been ticketed, warned, or even frowned at by LEO.

Number400

Be careful out there. I narrowly avoided getting right hooked during a TT race. Car passed me and then turned into a driveway. I was on the aero bars with my head down and the extra time needed to get to a brake lever was nearly too much. I have quit that course as that was one of two close calls that morning. The other was a semi pulling out in front of me. I was foolish and passed him on the shoulder and then he passed me back when he got up to speed.

Equinox

I know. In my car, we often have vehicles pull the left turn in front of you. I really believe that somehow, for some reason, we've lost the ability to judge speed, space and time. Maybe it is our sedentary lifestyle. Maybe it's because we don't play sports like baseball and football for fun and recreation. Maybe it is the design of cars. But 99% of the time, when I get cut off by a car turning left in front of me, There is no one at all behind me when I look in my rear view mirror. That drives me CRAZY! Do they realize the potential devastation they could have caused because they could not wait a fraction of a second?

Dunbar

Just generally speaking if I'm in the right-most lane I don't put myself to the right of a car near an intersection. I'll either speed up, slow down or take the lane depending on conditions.

Rootman

I notice it too, I am not sure if it's school starting back up or what but I've been right hooked, passed on the left while making right turns, attempted to pass in the middle of intersections and you name it lately - and this is all in early evening. I had to wave a car back like 2 or 3 times one night that wanted to pass me on a hill and every time there was oncoming traffic popping up over the hill. People are in just such a rush. i take the lane, wear hi-viz and use a mirror and have had a lot of uncomfortable to damn-near-kilt calls in recent weeks. If I didn't know any better I'd say they were all out to get me

genec

the OP stated in one case the motorist was behind them and then suddenly passed and went right... how do you "not put yourself to the right of a car near an intersection," when it is the motorist suddenly moving to your left?

B. Carfree

Are you sure you're even breaking a law? Even in OR with its crappy mandatory use law we have the legal right to leave FRAP behind for safety reasons or to avoid debris. Since we have maybe ten miles of nonsubstandard width lanes in the state, FRAP is out the window due to the narrow lane exception. Same deal with door zone bike lanes.

Dunbar

Take the lane, if they speed up to go around you then slow down and remove yourself from the danger zone. Passing a car on the right that could turn right is what I call "the kill zone." I pretty much avoid doing it at all costs. In the rare instances that I do it I slow down to a crawl.

spare_wheel

The only time I ride on the right is during climbs where I cannot maintain 20+:

https://goo.gl/maps/LuorK
https://goo.gl/maps/B4pr1
https://goo.gl/maps/j1Hsg

In a city with high-speed arterials or when touring I often ride on the right. Here in PDX I don't need to and no one cares.

KBentley57

Come on, think about what you're typing before you post it. It's not true that even the majority of drivers are as bad as you imply. It's easy to hype up the bandwagon of car haters, but be realistic.

genec

While I know what you mean, bear in mind that a motorist can easily match your speed... fast or slow and then make their turn... does that still keep the onus on the cyclist to stay out of the way?

In the story of the OP, the cyclists did not pass on the right; the motorist passed on the left... there is a difference.

When a cyclist passes on the right, there is little chance that a driver knows you are there; but when a motorist passes you on the left, they know you are there and they, the driver, is making a calculated risk that either you are slower than they believe, or that they are faster than you. The driver KNOWS you are there... that is the key difference.

Equinox

In our case, you could almost sense the thought process of the motorist. He crept up alongside our group and I believe he initially was going to let us clear his right turn but then for some reason decided he wasn't going to wait. He then accelerated past our group, but he underestimated our speed, and he committed the right hook. It wasn't terrible. We are a good and alert group. We did have to brake and get reorganized and OUR actions avoided a crash. The thing about this one was that he lulled us into a false sense of security by approaching slowly and "sizing us up". he gave the impression that he was going to let us pass.

Leebo

Are you in Birmingham, Alabama? Come up to Boston and pedal a mile in my shoes before making blanket statements. Worst-Drivers-On-The-Planet. Passing on the right, on the median , on the grass, over the double yellow line with on coming traffic. Boston drivers are impatient, arrogant and a$$holes. I'm guessing AL is a little more laid back.

Chitown_Mike

I have been nearly right-hooked about 3 times this past week, all crashed avoided due to my due diligence but it is frustrating. One I had to cut harder right into the parking lot where the driver, she, insisted on continuing until I got in front of her. I told her to pay more attention, loudly but not rudely or cursing, she was visibly upset and when I reiterated to pay attention after she said she didn't see me she then told me to not be mad because she is sorry.

Wait, what?! I should be perfectly fine with your inability to pass me safely (she came up PAST me) and almost hit me? I think not.