1989Pre 

A thorough description of a collision that could have been a lot worse:

CheGiantForLife

No one is going to sit thru 22 mins of a dude talking

1989Pre 

Thanks for your patience, curiosity and consideration.

koala logs

Whenever you stray into the >15 mph territory, you really need to start riding "defensively". Assume every driver is a distracted idiot.

Most drivers will assume every cyclist is slow and could stop on a dime and if you couldn't stop on a dime and collision occurs, they'll assume it's your fault.

Whenever you're approaching an intersection even if you have no stop sign, it might be prudent to slow down if there's a car on the intersection because as you have guessed, they could be one of the idiots who assume cyclists can stop on a dime and turn right into you.

Chuckles1

Well said. When I reach about 15mph, hands go to the drops, poised on brakes if there are cars close by. You have to be right 100% of the time to avoid accidents. An ounce of prevention...

Steve B.

Very true statement. I've long ago discovered that at around 18 or so, the danger increases greatly as motorists simply do not expect you to be moving that fast and are terrible at timing where you will be as they turn across your path. I'm lucky in older age to rarely be moving much beyond 15-16 anymore, so have fewer incidents.

kingston 

Riding bikes is dangerous. I got left-crossed by a dump truck at the beginning of June and needed reconstructive surgery in both wrists. Probably won't be able to ride a bike outside until next spring. I personally know three other experienced cyclists who ended up in the hospital after getting hit by a car this season. I blame it on phones. Seriously considering looking for a different hobby.

streetsurfer

Happened to me, and oddly enough, ten days ago. A car turned into their driveway in front of me as I was sprinting home. I saw her to my left approaching, and I had assumed passing me, going by her speed and absence of a signal.

Happily, I was alert enough to catch some small detail…my eyes left her for a split second, as I scanned the road ahead for obstacles, and instinctually to leave myself an out (retired truck driver). I have no clear recall of what caused me to brake. I don’t think it was a visual cue or I think I’d see it in my minds eye. I only remember thinking “the slower your going when hit, the slower you’ll be going when you land”, then stuffing the brakes. I have some broken ribs and I sure don’t need another. It had to be hearing the scrub of her tires and/or the engine volume increasing as she closed the gap. I only remember the bike’s brakes growling and the rear coming up a little.

The front wheel did not taco like the last time this happened, thanks to steel rims. The bars twisted about 75° in the fork, wheel at 90° to the direction of travel as I briefly teetered on it. I came to a stop at the far edge of her drive, and she stopped her vehicle with her front left corner at my left knee. So close, I could not dismount my bike to the left, until I moved it and myself to the right. This all made for a very shaky walk home, past the remaining few houses, and a grueling week of replaying it over and over in my mind, and giving thanks.

Daniel4

Everything you have described had to do with bad drivers and nothing that the cyclists did. And you conclude that cycling? is dangerous?

No, bad driving is dangerous. But why is bad driving more acceptable than road cycling?

kingston 

Yes. That's my conclusion. The driver was 100% at fault. There was nothing I could have done to avoid that collision, and I rode away from that crash in the back of an ambulance. My wrists and hands will never be the same, and I have no idea when I'll be able to ride a bike again. Nothing happened to the guys in the truck. I'm sure they went back to work as soon as they were done talking to the police.

I'm not the decider of what is and is not acceptable. The driver pled guilty to failure to yield. $50 fine and $200 court costs. He was carrying the minimum insurance which won't even cover the emergency room visit. Me whining about safe driving doesn't change the fact that a dump truck crushes a bike in a head-on collision.

koala logs

This is yet another reason why rear view (mirror) is important. I scan my rear when approaching intersections to help me decide whether to slow down or move to the centerline of the road to avoid a potential collision.

It's always a safer bet to just slow down with or without using a mirror.

What makes cycling dangerous / risky are motorists (sadly), wildlife, and the bike's handling characteristics. You may think your bike handles incredibly well but compare its handling to a motorcycle and a car, it sucks. Emergency braking distance is longer and turning / braking stability close to the limit of traction is very poor. In other words, a car or a motorcycle despite being bigger and much heavier is actually far more agile than a bicycle. Sure a bicycle can turn tighter circles but at the limits of traction, cars and motorcycles can pull more G's, change direction, and stop faster too. If a driver decides to do something real stupid, we are likely to loose simply because of the bicycle's poor braking or maneuvering capability and the fact, we get damaged in a collision far more severely.

You may choose to ride as fast as you can but when you see intersections, gas stations, even driveways and cars moving nearby, it helps to slow down. I know exactly the reason why cyclists are too timid to slow down, it takes a bit of effort to get up to speed again and can wear you down if you do it so often during a long ride. Just don't bet your life on it.

Daniel4

If you suddenly stop cycling on roads but instead in trails, would you still consider cycling to be dangerous if those bad drivers continue to smash into each other as well as into pedestrians and structures?


You don't get a lot of drivers quitting driving and complaining that driving is dangerous after being in collisions themselves.

You also don't get a lot of drivers advocating for safer streets. But there are lots of cyclists and pedestrians who are doing that.

rsbob 

Gravel?

koala logs

Because drivers are a lot less likely to get injured in a crash / collision even with other vehicles. And insurance usually takes care of everything. Medical expenses will be a lot lower too due to less injuries save for the worst crashes.

And on top of much greater convenience dealing with crashes as a driver, you are far less likely to crash as well driving a car than riding a bike.

I've been driving for over 20 years, many of them as a utility truck driver without a single incident with another road user. The worst incident I ever did is scratching the paint in a very tight parking space. I have absolutely no complaints as a driver.

On the other hand, I've crashed a couple of times riding a bicycle for far less less mileage than I have with cars and trucks. You can't stop as quickly in a bike due to risk of "endo". Vehicle dynamics-wise, a bicycle's high CoG against a short wheelbase gives poor handling at the limits of traction and makes it prone to oscillations leading to complete loss of control in certain conditions. And among other factors already discussed in this thread, you are far more likely to crash in a bicycle. Worse still, even minor accidents can totally wreck your bike and overall cost of lifetime repairs of your bikes vs your cars can be a lot higher.

Something definitely needs to change in our road laws. But given the poor odds of a cyclist, it pays to slow down when risks presents itself on the road. You can still ride as fast as you can on stretches of the road with no intersections, no driveways and then just slow down when approaching intersections.

Rick

[QUOTE][No one is going to sit thru 22 mins of a dude talking/QUOTE]

I watched a few minutes then looked at the damage to the bicycle.

Bicycling can be dangerous or fun. The fun has outweighed the dangerous so far. I hope the OP heals up fast so he can have more fun.

Troul 

It's either enjoying life on a bicycle or be dead. I'll eventually get to the later with either option.