Reminder: Always Look On a Green Light
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Reminder: Always Look On a Green Light
I am glad that I developed the habit that as soon as the light turns green, I look at the cross traffic before I go. Had I just gone without looking, I might not have made it home.
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Thanks for the reminder!
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Running reds is so common here that I always wait a few seconds before proceeding, whether on a bike or in a car.
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Seriously ?? You started a whole new thread, just to "remind" cyclists to always be on the lookout for vehicle traffic? What a lifesaver.
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I am glad that I developed the habit that as soon as the light turns green, I look at the cross traffic before I go. Had I just gone without looking, I might not have made it home.
https://youtu.be/iVSlLNp7GyE
https://youtu.be/iVSlLNp7GyE
So yeah. Agreed. Good reminder.
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Red light runners? I've got a helmet-cam full of 'em myself! It's too bad you can't easily "drop a dime" on them online. Although, I heard on a podcast that in NYC they have a crowdsourced database on one of the social media platforms.
As far as red light runners being an obvious caveat...maybe they're not so obvious. We all ride in different situations and locations, and are all at different "skill" levels. There is always a new crop of new riders who haven't been "seasoned" yet. Traffic density is growing in many cities (and falling in others).
All of us can get lulled into complacency and a sense of false security from time to time. And distractions from our immediate surroundings abound as well as things on our minds and on our phones.
A Youtube reminder is much preferable to the risks or results of a real red light runner.
And as I have stated many times before, a post like this should be a catalyst to reflect on and examine your own riding habits and strategies for keeping safe.
Thanks for posting @SactoDoug
As far as red light runners being an obvious caveat...maybe they're not so obvious. We all ride in different situations and locations, and are all at different "skill" levels. There is always a new crop of new riders who haven't been "seasoned" yet. Traffic density is growing in many cities (and falling in others).
All of us can get lulled into complacency and a sense of false security from time to time. And distractions from our immediate surroundings abound as well as things on our minds and on our phones.
A Youtube reminder is much preferable to the risks or results of a real red light runner.
And as I have stated many times before, a post like this should be a catalyst to reflect on and examine your own riding habits and strategies for keeping safe.
Thanks for posting @SactoDoug
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Nice catch and nice video clip
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"Look left ... then right ... then left again." Was popular as a PSA back in the 1970s regarding surviving day-to-day driving on the roads. Applies today even moreso than it did back then, IMO.
If I've got a clear view of the entire intersection, I always strive to know whether anyone else is at the other "corners" ... waiting, or approaching.
If I don't have a clear view, whether due to another vehicle or other reason, I try to not be the first into the intersection. (Safer that way.)
Either way, with a clear view or not, I always wait a second or two, given the L/R/La glance, then go.
I figure the folks who introduced me to "defensive" driving tactics are long since sitting on their porch chairs in the big ranch in the sky, smiling as all of their former students attempt to daily put into practice all those little tricks and techniques they suggested. Time and again, I've found they've saved my bacon from bad injuries, or worse.
Lots of red-light runners around my area. Probably see a handful each week; occasionally, daily.
If I've got a clear view of the entire intersection, I always strive to know whether anyone else is at the other "corners" ... waiting, or approaching.
If I don't have a clear view, whether due to another vehicle or other reason, I try to not be the first into the intersection. (Safer that way.)
Either way, with a clear view or not, I always wait a second or two, given the L/R/La glance, then go.
I figure the folks who introduced me to "defensive" driving tactics are long since sitting on their porch chairs in the big ranch in the sky, smiling as all of their former students attempt to daily put into practice all those little tricks and techniques they suggested. Time and again, I've found they've saved my bacon from bad injuries, or worse.
Lots of red-light runners around my area. Probably see a handful each week; occasionally, daily.
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Wow, the driver was going fast! Yeah, you're right; it's a good thing you weren't already attempting to cross the intersection at that moment.
Also, got to be aware of drivers making turns down the wrong lane, in the wrong direction. I was waiting at a stop sign to make a right turn, on the far right of the lane (like I usually do, to let drivers behind me know that I'm attempting to turn right, not left), yesterday, when a driver decided to make a left turn and squeeze by me, into the one-way lane (that has a narrow divider, with sign polls, where only one vehicle can fit through it).
They signaled and were going slowly, but it was still strange and confusing; I thought they were just going to make a U-turn in front of me, so I waited for them. I've ridden to that intersection several times, over the years, and hadn't experienced a driver doing that, with me still actually in the lane. I don't know why they still decided to pull in; I would've thought them seeing someone stopped, going the other direction, would've given them a clue that it's not the correct place to turn into.
I don't know if they still would've decided to hit me, if I'd been in the middle of the lane, instead.
Also, got to be aware of drivers making turns down the wrong lane, in the wrong direction. I was waiting at a stop sign to make a right turn, on the far right of the lane (like I usually do, to let drivers behind me know that I'm attempting to turn right, not left), yesterday, when a driver decided to make a left turn and squeeze by me, into the one-way lane (that has a narrow divider, with sign polls, where only one vehicle can fit through it).
They signaled and were going slowly, but it was still strange and confusing; I thought they were just going to make a U-turn in front of me, so I waited for them. I've ridden to that intersection several times, over the years, and hadn't experienced a driver doing that, with me still actually in the lane. I don't know why they still decided to pull in; I would've thought them seeing someone stopped, going the other direction, would've given them a clue that it's not the correct place to turn into.
I don't know if they still would've decided to hit me, if I'd been in the middle of the lane, instead.
Last edited by anon06; 09-01-19 at 05:36 PM.
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Good message SD. Just because a light is green doesn't mean it's safe to enter the intersection.
Having said that, always waiting a few seconds after getting a green is unnecessary. I watch traffic the entire time I'm waiting at or approaching an intersection. Once it's apparent that all cross traffic is stopped, or safely on their way to stopping, I'm gone.
Having said that, always waiting a few seconds after getting a green is unnecessary. I watch traffic the entire time I'm waiting at or approaching an intersection. Once it's apparent that all cross traffic is stopped, or safely on their way to stopping, I'm gone.
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There's also the close call database: https://closecalldatabase.com/
I think you need to be able to see a license plate, but not necessarily if the vehicle can be identified. I've only submitted a couple of video clips to them. Most will never amount to anything, but word's starting to get out, and they have helped lead to some increased fines/jail time for people who claimed they were in an accident, but it turns out they had a habit of buzzing cyclists.
As an aside, that's a nice looking bent. What model is it?
I think you need to be able to see a license plate, but not necessarily if the vehicle can be identified. I've only submitted a couple of video clips to them. Most will never amount to anything, but word's starting to get out, and they have helped lead to some increased fines/jail time for people who claimed they were in an accident, but it turns out they had a habit of buzzing cyclists.
As an aside, that's a nice looking bent. What model is it?
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Walnut and Fair Oaks?
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Reminder: Always Look On a Green Light
Apropos of this thread my aphorism is:
I am glad that I developed the habit that as soon as the light turns green, I look at the cross traffic before I go. Had I just gone without looking, I might not have made it home.
https://youtu.be/iVSlLNp7GyE
https://youtu.be/iVSlLNp7GyE
Thanks for the reminder!
Good message SD. Just because a light is green doesn't mean it's safe to enter the intersection.
Having said that, always waiting a few seconds after getting a green is unnecessary. I watch traffic the entire time I'm waiting at or approaching an intersection. Once it's apparent that all cross traffic is stopped, or safely on their way to stopping, I'm gone.
Having said that, always waiting a few seconds after getting a green is unnecessary. I watch traffic the entire time I'm waiting at or approaching an intersection. Once it's apparent that all cross traffic is stopped, or safely on their way to stopping, I'm gone.
So often on these threads about calamities or near misses, I post about my mindset that I believe gives me that extra edge. .
In all fairness, I don't think there's anyone who's been riding for a long time, who hasn't at some time (or many times) ridden in that zone where the only thing separating us from disaster is favorable alignment of the stars. (Note the "us" rather than "him")
We all take chances and make mistakes, but fortunately life is"organized" with plenty of forgiveness. In my experience the difference between disaster and "whew, that was close" is millimeters and microseconds, and not anything we can take credit for.
We all take chances and make mistakes, but fortunately life is"organized" with plenty of forgiveness. In my experience the difference between disaster and "whew, that was close" is millimeters and microseconds, and not anything we can take credit for.
I try to keep safe with certain aphorisms in my head that come to mind to alert me when I encounter a situation where unseen dangers may lurk, such as “Like a weapon, assume every stopped car is loaded, with an occupant ready to exit from either side.” or“Don’t ride over an area (such as puddles or leaves) when you can’t see the road surface"
Over the past few months I have come to realize that my safety aphorisms (link), collected over the years by personal or vicarious experience, are my way of actively aligning the stars in my favor, to anticipate those unseen and otherwise unanticipated dangers.
FWIW, for my own information at least, my other aphorisms beside those above [see the link: Total of nine (9)]
Over the past few months I have come to realize that my safety aphorisms (link), collected over the years by personal or vicarious experience, are my way of actively aligning the stars in my favor, to anticipate those unseen and otherwise unanticipated dangers.
FWIW, for my own information at least, my other aphorisms beside those above [see the link: Total of nine (9)]
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 09-04-19 at 10:30 AM. Reason: added quote by flangehead
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There's also the close call database: https://closecalldatabase.com/
I think you need to be able to see a license plate, but not necessarily if the vehicle can be identified. I've only submitted a couple of video clips to them. Most will never amount to anything, but word's starting to get out, and they have helped lead to some increased fines/jail time for people who claimed they were in an accident, but it turns out they had a habit of buzzing cyclists.
I think you need to be able to see a license plate, but not necessarily if the vehicle can be identified. I've only submitted a couple of video clips to them. Most will never amount to anything, but word's starting to get out, and they have helped lead to some increased fines/jail time for people who claimed they were in an accident, but it turns out they had a habit of buzzing cyclists.
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