Python

I think if we were to worry about things that might happen, we'd never get out of our beds in the morning

crtreedude 

Python, a snake could end up eating you while you lie in bed - you never know!

mtmann

You'll be fine. I commute 20 miles every day and have for years now. My only accident was this year and didn't involve a car but a railroad track I just hit wrong. Bike emerged unscathed since I threw my body under it . A couple bruises but I rode the next day. I love it, I love not belonging to an athletic club (I ride by one every day and wave at the poor saps in the spinning class ), and I love how in touch with the weather I am. Go for it!

mtnwalker

You will be fine as long as you follow (most of) the laws and not lose focus and be not be complacent about your rides, especially in traffic. I've only had two close calls in the past three months and its both because I let my guard down.

The first one occured when I was hugging the shoulder while approaching an intersection. A motorcycle taught it was a good idea to pass and cut me off on the bike lane. Solution, I now mostly ride the left most side of the lanes. If you are going to pass me again it will be to my right.

The second one was my first ever right hook turn. Again I became complacent, drinking water while approaching another intersection at a very slow speed. I did not notice the SUV behind me and she turned 4 feet in front of me.

Here is a couple of websites that has to do with cycling and dealing with traffic. I found both very helpful when I was a newbie commuter and so far most, if not all of their tips have worked. Good luck!

https://www.bikesense.bc.ca/ch4.htm
https://bicyclesafe.com/

SwollenYak

There are so many little dyings that it doesn't matter which of them is death. Sometimes people are so caught up in dying, they forget how to live.

I wouldn't worry too much about your commute...

aMull

Ride carefully is about all you can do. Rest is luck.

East Hill

Probably not wild ones in the UK, although if I remember correctly, Python does indeed have a couple of those large creatures in her abode . So, you're correct--you never know!

Back to the OP: you will probably die of something else before you die whilst commuting on a bike.

East Hill

kemmer

Good man. Flesh heals, Campy doesn't.

I'd rather die riding my bike than sitting in an armchair. Chances of dying on a bike are slim when compared with dying of a heart attack. People die in cars all the time.

robmcl

Here is a thread from last year with some statistics in it.

crtreedude 

For the snake lovers - a 2.5 meter boa on our property - this picture was not zoomed - I didn't see it until I was 2 feet away. Occasionally, the mother wanders into the property - 6 meters long (like 20 feet!)

adamtki

I've ridden 3000 miles and have had 2 close calls, 2 intentional buzzes and no hits. When I mean close calls, I just mean they made my heart flutter for a bit but they weren't anywhere near an accident. If you find that you can't ride for a week without a close call, I'd say you need to brush up on riding safely. My goal is to have 0 close calls. That way, I know I'm prepared for everything.

My best advice, use a mirror and get comfortable with it.

Michael H

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I'm aware that I'll die eventually. I just wanted to see if the doom and gloom that I read on the commuting boards is the exception or the rule. I'm not the type to perpetually worry about what could or might happen, I just wanted to hear from some people who commute all the time without incident! (I get my motorcycle license in two weeks. That should be interesting.)

To clear up some confusion, the heaviest part of my traffic is a four lane road (124th between North and Capitol, for those from the Milwaukee area) that has a large shoulder area that sometimes allows parking and and other parts doesn't. Cars blow by me at about 40-45 mph, but the only time that they share my lane is when they're making a right turn. The rest of my ride is sleepy suburban residential streets. I don't have to make any left turns using a turn lane, so my commute would probably be ridiculously easy for some of you...

CigTech

You are more likely to get killed in a car than you by a car. I commute on 45 mph and up roads all the time. Yes I have had a few close calls and have been bump by cars before. But if you just watch out for the Cagers you'll be fine. I been riding for 35 years, And I did a lot of stupid stuff growing up on bikes. So no you well not get killed if you just pay attention to the traffic.

Buglady

LOL, I thought I was the only one who did that! Hee. They always look so confused...

I'm a total klutz and was afraid of dying when I started biking to work last year, but I survived the initial wobblies and my bicycle's attempts to kill me (its favourite trick is to fall over onto me when I dismount at work - with an audience of interested middle schoolers, of course). However, I figure if I'm not dead, it must be pretty safe, so the original poster can probably stop worrying

ax0n

For what it's worth, when I die, you probably won't see me posting about it.

Also, ACCIDENTS in general are a "when" not "if". Getting hit or run off the road by a car is definitely an "if" kind of thing. The "When" aspect is all encompassing, and is likely to be stuff such as not getting out of your pedals in time after you stop, hitting a pot-hole and bending a rim, taking a spill on a slick or unstable surface, or some other incident that really hurts your ego more than your flesh.

Schwinnrider

I always thought I wouldn't get hit. Then I got hit. Luckily I bounced off with no major injuries. All you can do is make yourself as visible as possible, and hope for the best. You can die in your car, you know.

fevans

I think I'd be more concerned about the motorcycle than the bicycle. Now that's dangerous!

Python

Gorgeous Boa. We've got three Boas. Two of them are approx 5 1/2 ft long and the other is just a baby (no relation to the other two). All together we have 15 snakes ranging from Boas to Cornsnakes. We keep them well fed We handle them a lot so they are all very tame and friendly.

I've just come back from a quick run with my son. I got him a new set of lights for his bike and he wanted to try them out so, here we are at gone 11pm (UK) when it's nice and dark, wearing high viz jackets, whizzing round our estate. Must be stark, staring bonkers

My son has renal failure (he's been on dialysis since he was 15 - 5 years ago and is now waiting for a transplant) and him taking up cycling again seems to have given him a new lease of life even though we don't go very far as he tires easily. Because he hasn't ridden a bike for a long time (about 6 years) he's a bit nervous of the road. The road was very quiet tonight so I'm hoping to gradually boost his confidence and increase the distance we go. His consultant says it is good for him as it will increase his appetite and help to build him up in preparation for his transplant hopefully later this summer.

Come to think of it, taking up cycling again has given us both a new lease of life. I've rediscovered the joys of cycling I had as a child, not to mention the money I save by commuting by bike to work

chephy

No. Crashes in general (e.g. falls) are a matter of a "when". Flats are a matter of a "when". But being hit by a car though is definitely an "if". Being hit by a car and actually seriously injured is a very big "IF". Being killed or permanently disabled in a bike-car accident is a GIGANTIC "IF". Especially if you're sensible about your riding, which you seem to be.

Exactly. A commute that goes fine usually doesn't even merit an entry in the "How was the commute today" thread. But a serious crash is something people will open a separate thread about.

You sound like you should be totally fine. It may help to study resources such as Street Smarts or read books (Hurst's books get good reviews but I've never read them, so can't speak for them myself). Make sure you know what the dangers actually are: most cyclists are very afraid to be hit from behind and ignore other, much likelier, dangers. Cyclists who do not ride much in traffic are in less of a danger due to limited exposure to traffic, but that may be partially offset by their inexperience in traffic situation. Also, many people don't realize that sidewalks and certain MUPs can be more dangerous than the road. When I just started out urban cycling, I rode on sidewalks and plowed right into a car that was coming out of a driveway. (I flew over the hood, jumped up and spent a few minutes comforting the driver who was much more shaken up by the accident than I was. No physical damage to me, the bike or the car.)

Here is one such person. Other than that collision described above (due to ignorance on my part, completely preventable), I've not being in a car-bike crash, and for that matter, in any serious crash - and I ride a lot, almost all of it in traffic... lots of it in pretty intense traffic, actually. (Of course now that I said this, I'll go out and will be flattened by a bus for such are the Murphy's laws. )

chephy

Statistically, it is one of the most dangerous ways to get around. Something like 28 times more dangerous than driving a car. Of course this is partially due to the fact that people who drive motorcyclists are more likely to live dangerously and ride recklessly than your average person.

Elusor

i fell off my bike

went right over the handlebars

it wasn't too bad

i had massive bruises over my knees and wrists

i now wear knee pads and wrist guards most of the time, not to freak you out or nothing

just changed my feelings a little bit after that...it hurt so much for awhile, even walking and sitting and biking as well

but i am okay

one other time a driver came at me like at 50km/h, then screeched to a halt when he saw me narrowly missed me

East Hill

crtreedude--beautiful photo of that boa!

Python--that's a lovely mixte you got for your son, and I wish him the best for a speedy kidney transplant, and an uneventful recovery when it does occur.

Michael H--I hope we've got you convinced that your bike commute isn't at all bad, and yes, I would worry a lot more about the motorcycle than the bicycle. I've heard a lot more horror stories, and had more friends hurt on motorcycles than on bikes.

East Hill

chephy

Make sure you stay at least 3-4 feet away from the parked cars: cyclists tend to be more afraid of moving cars than of stationary ones, but the so-called dooring is one of the more common bike-car accidents which can result in very serious injuries.

So pay attention at intersections (some drivers underestimate your speed, pass you and turn right right in front of you), don't pass on the right and you should be totally fine. In fact, if the width of the shoulder allows it, stay closer to the left and leave space on your right for the right-turners. This way right-turning drivers are more likely to position themselves properly to your right rather than cut across your path.

It certainly sounds pretty safe. Check out noisebeam's commute for comparison, for example. Much of his commute is on a fast four-way arterial with narrow lanes and no shoulder, so he has to ride near the centre of the outside lane to discourage unsafe passing. He's been doing it for a while, as far as I know, and is still around, you know.

chephy

Not to offend you or anything, but usually this happens to people who aren't quite skilled at using the front brake.

This is something I don't understand: the wrist guards I know of don't allow your wrist to bend and basically encase your whole wrist and some of your palm in hard plastic, so how can you even grab the grips while wearing them?

What happened there? Did one of you run something (red light, stop sign)?

Python

I don't think motorbikes are any the less safe (apart from the boy/girl racer speed merchants). I rode a motorbike a few years back. I went everywhere on my motorbike, even in snow. Commuted to work every day, used it all the time. Even went on ride-outs on a Sunday with the motorycle club I belonged to. I sold my motorbike when I moved from Scotland to England. I never had a mishap with it yet. I think that could have been due to the way I was taught to drive as a teenager. I was taught to read the road and weather conditions and to anticipate what other road users were going to do. From day one of me learning to drive (I was 17 at the time) my instructor drummed into my head - THINK BIKE and that still stays with me over thirty years later regardless of what mode of transport I'm using. Whether I'm driving or on the bike I still have consideration for other road users. Accidents can and do happen but I think I'm a bit philosophical about things in-so-much that when your number's up, it's up and there's no point in worrying about it.