dengidog

I was heading back home after a pleasant afternoon visiting with a friend when I came up to a local intersection that's a horror for traffic and a nightmare when I cross it on my bike.

It was bad. At the intersection, there were 3 or 4 paramedics frantically giving CPR on a man who was lying on the tarmac. A bike lay on its side, broken in half, between the wheels of a semi. A man, who appeared cuffed (I couldn't really see) had a cell phone held to his ear by a cop while he sat in the back of a police truck.

I later heard that the biker died.

Yes, I know that many places are used to bikers, etc, etc, but please, please do whatever it takes to make yourself more visible to drivers. When it comes to metal vs flesh, we're going to lose everytime. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference in this particular accident, but why gamble with your life for the sake of being fashionable?

So many of you have given me great advice and help, I hope you'll think about mine.

Lamabb

And that is why I take the lane at busy intersections. You're safer in the center of the road since the likely hood of getting hit is more similar to that of a car rear-ending another. If you stick to the gutter in a crowded intersection, you're inviting close calls or....a more tragic incident.

dengidog

I absolutely agree.

Cyclebum

Never pull along side a semi and expect to be seen. Been there and done that. I survived. Lesson learned.

Traffic lane at intersections usually safest place to be. With your high visibility markings.

AbueloLoco

Yep, be visible and in a place where they will see you and can't try and "just squeeze by". I like the slow moving triangle thing too. It reinforces the driver's perception that I have a right to be there.

xizangstan

Did they save the bike?

Rowan

It really is difficult to make an assessment as to the cause of the accident. You don't mention what the rider himself was wearing. But it could have been a simple error of judgment on his behalf (yes, I know, the cuffs on the other guy does make things incriminating).

Anyway, I agree to a large extent about making yourself visible. But also, be aware of some other factors:

!. Low light caused by heavy cloud cover, or heavy rain or fog that requires the use of lights (and the need to actually stop and put them on!).

2. Sunrise and sunset. Drivers can literally be blinded by intense light from the sun, especially if their windscreen is even a little smeared by bugs on the outside, or condensed water vapour on the inside. Choose your route wisely to avoid riding into intense sunrises/sunsets.

3. Be very attentive riding along avenues of tree when strong sunlight is shining through them. The strobe effect can play up with drivers' eyes and they might not adjust enough to the shaded areas. It's remarkable how a cyclist, even with bright clothing, can become almost invisible.

4. Of course, have a front and rear light on board so that if you are caught out at night, you are at least legal and can be seen (and the lights should be good enough for you to see, as well, believe it or not). Relfective tape on panniers can be helpful, too, but the most effective piece of equipment as shown during randonnees are reflective vests with broad bands of red or yellow 3M reflective material.

5. Be aware that some colour that you expect to be bright and easily seen might not be. My test is my rear vision mirror and whether I can see Machka at a moderate distance behind me (up to 300 metres). Light blues and reds can be difficult to see, along with obvious dark colours. Dayglo yellow/green cannot be missed!

Just some advice based on observations as a cyclist and a driver on country roads where touring cyclists are most likely to be.

Rowan

A comment verging on poor taste.

The bike was broken in half.

dengidog

I should have mentioned...this was at approximately 4 in the afternoon, no clouds, visibility good, etc. Rowan made some excellent points. There's an area here on one of the main streets where there are huge trees that shade both sides of the road...great in the summer, but a walker/cyclist is invisible.

Even though it's always daylight when I cycle, I still have a blinky light going. Maybe it won't be seen in the sun, but I'd rather have overkill than be killed.

And that comment about the bike WAS in bad taste. It's one thing to joke about a mishap, but someone's death? I love my daily rides and won't stop them because of yesterday, but I WILL be that much more alert.

Please spare a thought/prayer for the man's family.

indyfabz

Targets are meant to be hit. Just sayin'.

surfrider

If I'm crossing a busy intersection where safety is in doubt (it exceeds my personal risk-tolerance), I'll turn into a pedestrian for the few minutes it takes to get across. Even if I have lights and bright colored clothing. Its just not worth the risk of getting hit.

Also see this happened in Mexico; you've definately got to be more cautious of the whacky traffic in Mexican towns and cities whether you're a bicyclist or a pedestrian. And being in Mexico explains the arrest - the legal system there is more of a 'guilty-until-proven-innocent' rather than the 'presumption-of-innocense' doctrine here in the USA.

Machka 

+1

And I try not to get in the way of vehicles. On occasion, I'll pull off to the side and stop to let vehicles go by, and then I'll go again when it's all clear. If I'm riding (and especially touring with a slower moving bicycle and wide panniers) through a busy town with narrow roads tight traffic, I'll stop and walk several blocks, pushing the bicycle on the sidewalk, until I'm in an area where I feel like I can ride again. Walking, in those cases, is often faster and I feel safer. Plus it gives me a chance to look around at the shops rather than focusing on the traffic situation.

Bander

Hey, somebody has to ask the important questions.

AdamDZ

Yeah, a lot of bad cycling accidents happen when a cyclist is trying to ride along a truck or bus.

Not funny

wahoonc

With the number of distracted drivers, as well as generally poor drivers on the roads today, even bright colours are no guarantee. You have to ride like you are invisible and always have an out. Unfortunately in the US most drivers have minimal training and are not taught to watch for other road users.

Aaron

AdamDZ

"I didn't even see that!"

FlatSix911

Thread Title: Fail of the year ...

simplygib

+1, with the exception that US drivers ARE taught to watch for other road users. I do agree with the minimal training comment, however there are bad drivers all over the world. The US doesn't have a corner on that market.

Bright clothing and lights are no guarantee. They no doubt improve one's chances but there are situations where being invisible would be better. I'm thinking of Object Fixation, the phenomenon where people inadvertently go right toward the thing they want to avoid. That's why we have all these new "move over" laws. Police and emergency vehicles on the side of the road with lights flashing away, and some people still can't seem to avoid them. Personally, I try to be as visible as possible but I never leave home without my mirror.

Rowan

I am sure there is science on this... but one of the reasons why there is this object fixation (which also is a reason why people hit lone power poles in car accidents) is the unusualness of the situation. They are looking at the rash of flashing lights in the knowledge that something untoward is going on. The tendency is to drag the wheel towards where they are looking.

As to bicycles, if there is a level of consistency in how a bicycle is presented on the road, the driver will identify the object as a bicycle, register it, then look onwards to the next thing. The worst thing as far as cyclists are concerned, in my book, is that rider's unpredictability of movement. That includes being "hidden" in shadows like I alluded to in my first post. One of the things that, to me, would attact a driver's attention and cause issues for a rider is a strong strobelight... it is something unusual on the road, and at night, a driver would be keen to know what it is and concentrate on it far more than warranted.

Cyclists also suffer from object fixation. When I designed and delivered training courses for adults to learn cycling, one of the key points was "look to where you want to go, not at what you think you will hit". It's the same as drivers hitting power poles... they drive into them almost deliberately. Once cyclists get away from looking at the obstacles, and rather finding a route through them, they become much better riders.

I am not sure about using mirrors to avoid drivers who might crash into a rider. I have mirrors on several of my bikes. On the singles it's because I like to keep track of what Machka is doing when we ride together. And it is handy to keep an eye on heavy vehicles in my area. On the tandem, it's more for checking before making movements across the road. It's used very much as I would use a mirror in my motor vehicle.

The thing is... how do you judge that a driver is going to hit you from behind? And what sort of escape action would you take in the split second between realising there is an issue and the hit.

For mine, I would rather keep a check on what is happening ahead of me with vehicles turning, deep lurking potholes, kids rushing off the footpath, and myriad other action.

It's a shame the smartarses have to have their digs at the minor detail in threads like this. If they read a bit deeper, they might actually learn something, although I suspect arrogance be their very own object fixation.

Machka 

And don't be afraid to use it. There is a bit of a "stand your ground" element in parts of the cycling community, but sometimes it is better to get out of the way of the traffic ... to do what we can to avoid confrontation with traffic. Because we can't count on drivers always seeing us (even if we are as bright as the sun), and because we can't count on drivers behaving the way we think they should behave (avoiding us) ... it's up to us to pay attention to everything going on around us, and taking evasive action if necessary.

gitarzan

In motorcycling there is a saying, "Ride as if you were invisible." I still do that on bicycles. I have two taillights and one or two headlights. But still, I assume the driver has not a clue that I am even there.

kh6idf

We were driving last night after dark through a semi-lit area. Saw (barely) several "ninja" cyclists crossing the road in front of us. Apparently black bikes, black clothing, no lights or reflectors of any kind. The worst one just barely registered in my conscious visual field to the left, a mere ghost of an image. I noticed it only because it was moving. I pointed it out to my wife, initially she still did not see it. Then when the bike was directly in front of us she finally saw it but even then it was difficult. Lucky for the ninja cyclist our headlights were not turned off/burned out so at least he/she could see us coming.

kh6idf

Yes. I ride with a helmet mirror but unless I look in the mirror 100% of the time I can't prevent a driver from running into me from behind. Even when you hear a vehicle approaching from the rear, the assumption is they are going to pass you to the left. There would be nothing you could do if a driver were to drift off to the right and plow into you because they were inattentive. One thing I've noticed lately is the addition of rumble strips separating the bike lane from the traffic lane. If a car starts to drift over at least there is a 1-2 second time during which the sound MAY alert the driver enough to look up and get back in the lane. Riding across those rumble strips on a bike is quite challenging. I feel like my eyeballs are going to shake out of their sockets!

Nigeyy

I have to say I really agree..... While I'm sure there might be a time where it is easier to recognize someone is about to hit you from behind, I do have serious doubts about using a mirror to identify this.

FWIW, I love using a mirror -almost exclusively for seeing if there is something definitely behind me. I can't say I think it's going to be of much use in realizing when someone is going to hit me from behind -unfortunately I think it's more likely that I'll only know once I'm in the air or waking up in the hospital bed.

10 Wheels

The proper way to use a mirror is to glance in every 3-6 seconds.