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I've been hit by cyclists, pedestrians, and had any number of close calls on my bike with cars, but it wasn't until today that one finally hit me. I was going down a hill, about 25-30 mph, it was a major road and I was out in the open. Some car was stopped, waiting for passing traffic to get by so it could cross, and decided that I didn't count as a reason not to cross the street. I managed to speed up enough that it just ended up hitting my back wheel (the driver didn't seem terribly interested in slowing down to let me by either) and through some miracle managed to stay up-right.
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It took me until I was well into adulthood before I admitted to my mom that a car had hit me while I was on my bike when I was 16. Obviously, it didn't hurt me. In fact, the car took more damage than my bike as its light is what hit my back tire.
Posts: 3495 | Registered: Feb 2000
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I almost got hit by a car once, riding my bike on my way to school. I couldn't ride past that place without shaking for a few weeks.
Posts: 4816 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Andrew was hit by a bicyclist in our car - he was stopped at a light and the guy just turned into him at full speed.
Also, I once saw an ambulance hit a bicycle delivery guy. They stopped, got out, loaded him onto the ambulance bike and all, and continued on their way.
Posts: 3037 | Registered: Jan 2002
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I've never been hit riding anything or walking but I was hit by a car while driving when I was 17. The most horrible thing was it was my one day early off from work and on the way home I thought "Should I go straight home or stop at McDonalds?" of course I chose McDonalds and pulling out of it some idiot driving in a center no driving lane hit me. She got the ticket but it ruined my day. The whole time I kept thinking "I should be relaxing on my couch right now." Posts: 832 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Because of my experience in both riding bikes and walking, I learned not to really trust turn signals or lack thereof. So I wait much longer than most people to see what the driver actually intends.
This last December my nearly paranoid caution was reinforced doubly so. A driver had his signal to turn into the neighborhood street I was coming out of. He slowed down, he began to turn into the street. So I began to turn onto the main street he was still on. At the last minute, he changed his mind and very quickly sped up and swerved back onto the street I was now getting on. If I hadn't been extra paranoid, I probably would not have noticed soon enough and he would have hit me, because he sure wasn't paying attention to where my car was.
Posts: 3495 | Registered: Feb 2000
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I had a guy open the passenger door of a car as they passed me one time. I got his plate number and turned him in. It was the driver's father's car. I don't know what happened, but it was clear it was the driver got in trouble, even though it was the passenger who did it.
I got hit once. Or actually I hit him. I was riding straight down a road, and a car was making a left turn from the opposite direction. You could tell he saw me, because he started to pull forward, then stopped, then decided he probably shouldn't be hanging out facing the wrong way in the oncoming lane, so he pulled further forward (I still could have got in front of him) then he pulled further forward so that if he had kept going I would have gone behind him, but he stopped just long enough for me to hit behind the rear door and fly over his trunk. Then he sped off down the road about 100 yards, before someone in the car convinced him that a hit and run wasn't a good idea. So he got out, stumbled back and told me: "I had my blinker on!"
He blew a .24.
I got ticketed for riding without a light, even though it was a street with streetlights. I had my license confiscated until I could afford to pay the fine. And the police "lost" my bike. (They put it in the pile with lost bikes to be donated to poor kids, and had no record of it when I came back for it.)
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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When you say they took your license are we talking about a pedal bike because I didn't think the police could take your drivers license for a bike incident and if they can I for one think thats a stupid law. And if its not a drivers license what license did they take that relates to riding a bicicle?
Posts: 832 | Registered: Jan 2005
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I confess I almost hit a bike rider last week. I was pulling out of a parking lot, sitting at the exit, waiting for a break in traffic so I could turn right. My attention was entirely to my left, watching traffic coming from the right hand lane. There was no reason for me to look to my right. I started to pull out, and suddenly there was a bike rider right in front of me. He had been riding against traffic on the sidewalk. Both of which are illegal here, for good reason. I hope I scared some sense into him. I'm very glad I didn't hit him.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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It was a bicycle, not a motorcycle. But the judge took my driver's license when I didn't have enough money to pay for the ticket. He just refused to let me walk out of the courtroom when I said I didn't have the money to pay.
I don't know what the law says about that. He didn't suspend it or revoke it, he just took it. Essentially he took it as collateral or bail or something.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Technically, a bicycle ridden on the road is a vehicle and, though it gives you the same right-of-way as a vehicle, the penalties are similar.
The closest call I had was while I was riding down a perfectly straight stretch of road. I was crossing an intersection where people on either side had to stop, but a car coming towards me in the other lane decided to make a U-turn right there. Apparently they didn't see me, though I thought I was pretty visible, and almost mowed me over while coming up behind me after their turn. Then they had the gall to roll down the window and holler obscenities.
I think people who get in accidents with bikes should have to ride a bike for a few weeks.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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quote: Car stories eh? I think I've had my fill of getting hit by cars.
Eep! I should say so!
BTW, I am very relieved to know that Hobbes didn't get hurt, and I am sad to know that Little Doctor did. Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote: Technically, a bicycle ridden on the road is a vehicle and, though it gives you the same right-of-way as a vehicle, the penalties are similar.
This is true. I wish more people who rode bikes realized this. I always try to be careful and watch for bike riders, but I have so rarely seen bike riders following basic traffic laws (for example, stopping at stop signs!) that it drives me crazy!
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I find the hard core cyclists who ride in groups (yeah, I know there's a technical name for them... ) are the worst.
I almost hit one (in my car) going round a roundabout a few weeks ago. I had right of way, but slowed down as I always do just to check that nothing was speeding along and would suprise me. Lucky I did because a group of cyclists (probably doing about 60kmh in a 50 zone) barrelled straight through the roundabout without even pausing to check for other traffic.
If I had gone without being extra cautious they would have ridden straight into the side of my car. I would have been ok but I doubt they would have been.
Oh and Hobbes? Glad you're ok!
(I know you're not one of the silly cyclists. Just wanted to share my story.)
Posts: 4393 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Hobbes, Were you hurt? How is your bike? Is the rear wheel mangled or our of true? Did the car driver stop after they hit you? This sort of thing really pisses me off. Cars are deadly weapons. The people who drive them have both a legal and moral responsibility not to endanger the lives of others who share the road.
Megan, You are right. Far to many cyclists break traffic laws of all kinds. This is a pet peave of mine, cyclists who break the laws lower many drivers tolerance for all cyclists which endangers my life as a cyclists. It is not any more rational for car drivers to blame all cyclists when they see one cyclist run a stop sign than it would be to blame all red car drivers because they saw one red car run a stop sign. None the less, it is extremely common.
I would add, that the fact that many cyclists break traffic laws does not in anyway justify any car driver who fails to yield legal right of way to a bicyclists. Two rights never make a wrong. What's more, when a car driver breaks a law, they are likely endangering the lives, health and property of others on the road. A cyclist poses a serious danger only to themselves. That is why we require a license to operate a motor vehicle on the roads but not to ride a bicycle on the roads.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Rabbit, I know, and I do try to be very careful and watch out for cyclists. My issue is I see a lot of cyclists on the road, and far more of them seem to ignore the rules rather than follow them. I don't blame all cyclists, but I see so few that actually follow traffic laws. Now, I yield legal right of way to a cyclist whenever they have it, but zipping up in alongside my car in the lane (NOT in a bike lane, or ahead or behind me properly in the lane) to get through the light ahead of me doesn't give a cyclist the right of way. Yes, it's not me that's put in danger by these actions, but I would really rather not hit anyone!
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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quote: Now, I yield legal right of way to a cyclist whenever they have it, but zipping up in alongside my car in the lane (NOT in a bike lane, or ahead or behind me properly in the lane) to get through the light ahead of me doesn't give a cyclist the right of way.
I am not sure where right of way comes into this situation unless you were planning to make a right hand turn. This is a common problem situation. Even when there is not a bike lane, cyclists are asked to ride to the far right hand side of the road so that cars can pass them without changing lanes. In effect, the law creates a bike lane whenever the road is wide enough for a car and bicycle to pass in the same lane. Do you always move over into a separate lane to pass a cyclist? If you pass cyclists without moving into a separate lane, is it really fair for you complain when a cyclist passes you in the same fashion?
The behavior you are describing, is fool hardy on the part of the cyclist in many cases. The cyclist puts him/herself in danger of being hit by a car that is turning right -- but it is fully legal.
Cyclist would be far safer if they road down the middle of lane the way cars do. The law request that cyclists ride on the right hand side of the lane, not for their safety, but for the convenience of automobile drivers. Since cyclists are riding to the far right hand side of the lane as a courtesy to car drivers, it seems only reasonable to ask that car drivers look for and yield to cyclists that are on their right when they are making a turn or the road narrows.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
Yes, I move into a separate lane to pass a cyclist. If I can't, I don't pass them. I treat them as if they were cars, giving them as much clearance as if they were as large as cars. And yes, the situation I'm referring to is a right turn. I'm also referring to a situation in which we're both going straight and, instead of waiting in line in the middle lane (the lane that is set to go straight), the cyclist will zip up between the cars in the straight lane and the cars in the right-turn lane, in order to get through the light first. Can they fit there? Yes. Is it dangerous, and rude, to do so? Yes.
I am perfectly happy to yield when the cyclist has the legal right away. I get a little annoyed when they decide that, because they're smaller, they're going to go wherever the heck they want and ignore any and all relevant traffic laws.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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In most states bicycles are allowed to take a lane, but no more than two bicycles abreast.
This means that if you have to make a left turn, you signal left, move into the center of the lane (or left-most lane if it's multi-lane) and then make your left turn as if you were a car, which includes blocking the traffic behind you, just as if you were a car. This scares the willies out of people who aren't used to it, but it actually is the safest way to do it. Trying to sneak around on the shoulder just makes it hard for people to anticipate your behavior.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote: If you pass cyclists without moving into a separate lane, is it really fair for you complain when a cyclist passes you in the same fashion?
Then again, it's always fun to pass a car in the left lane, if you're actually going fast enough. Or just take a lane because you know you can keep up with traffic.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:I get a little annoyed when they decide that, because they're smaller, they're going to go wherever the heck they want and ignore any and all relevant traffic laws.
I don't know what the laws are in Indiana, but the behavior you describe is legal in the state of Utah. It is legal for a car and a bicycle to pass in the same lane if the lane is wide enough for a safe pass. As for whether or not its rude, I think it depends on the situation. If the lane is wide enough for a car and bicycle to pass each other safely, then the car is not "butting in line" by pulling past the line of cars. The cars can and will pass the bicyclist as soon as the light turns. I know that if were to pull into the center of the lane to wait at stop lights, I would infuriate even most drivers since they could not pass to procede through the intersection. If I wait with the cars in the order I arrived at the intersection, but at the right hand side, I have the same (or usually greater) danger of being hit by a right turning car as I would if a pull up to the stop light.
If the lane is wide enough for me to have 3 feet of clearance passing a line of stopped cars at an intersection, I will pass the cars. I do this because years of experience have taught me that I am safer is the cars are passing me after than intersection than if they are passing me as I ride through the intersection. I recognize that when I am passing a line of stopped cars on the right, I am in danger that one of them may suddenly decide to pull right and I watch carefully for any signals that this might happen. All in all, I would much rather be dealing with a stopped car that suddenly decides to move right than a fast moving car that cuts in front of me to turn right.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Well, to be honest, as I am not a cyclist, I'm not 100% sure of those laws. I know that by law a bike is to be treated like another vehicle, and I give bikes on the road the same berth I would give a vehicle. I do not know Indiana law regarding bikes and passing, but you can bet I'll look into it as soon as I get a chance.
I still maintain, though, that zipping up among cars sitting at a light is not at all safe, and, if there is truth in the whole "Same road, same rules" thing, then it would make sense for it not to be legal, either. Every cyclist I've seen doing this seems simply intent on getting as much ahead as they can, regardless of the activity of the vehicles around them--it's not that they're just "following the law". These cyclists end up placing the responsibility for their safety on the heads of drivers, rather than being responsible themselves.
Anyway, I'm headed to bed. I'll look up those laws as soon as I get a chance (or maybe fugu knows... )
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I got hit by a train a week or so ago. The State/Lake El platform is TINY; I always get nervous that I will lose my balance and fall on the tracks. Anyway, there was a guy with a bike on the platform, and I was trying to squeeze past him to get to my favorite spot. If I was thinking about it, I would have just waited for him to pass, but I had just ran up the stairs to try to catch my train (which I missed by mere seconds), so was out of breath and lightheaded and obviously not thinking. The train was already pulling it, and I turned my back to the tracks as I walked past the guy, and the train hit my backpack. I just felt this jolt--didn't even knock me off my balance at all, so obviously I was fine. I thought my pack was, too, but it wasn't. Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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quote:I still maintain, though, that zipping up among cars sitting at a light is not at all safe.
By and large, I agree. Zipping between cars is dangerous in any vehicle under any situation. I'm not sure if what I'm talking about would qualify as zipping between cars. I am talking about the situation where there is a wide right lane or a safe shoulder that allows the cyclist to pass the line of cars with at least three feet of clearance.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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I think that's fine, as long as you signal right, and don't go between cars.
On a related note, all my siblings and I were required by my mother to learn traffic law and hand signals before being allowed to ride a bike.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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There is very much not enough room to pass in most of the lanes here, so of course every car passes me in my lane. I will, occasionally, pull up alongside cars in the same lane at a stop light. My rule is: if I know the light well enough that I can time it so that I don't have to stop for it then I'll go past the cars (with extreme caution) or, any car that passes me in my lane, I pass back at the stop light. I admit it, rule 2 is pure revenge, but it does tend to work. To be honest, most of the time I just don't pass on the side of a lane, but sometimes I get fed up with the cars that speed by me inches away because they couldn't be bothered to move a few feet into the open lane next to them.
Most people here think that cyclists belong on the sidewalks, an informal poll reveals, that from a sample of about 15 people no one knows that it's both law, and a good safety practice, to not ride on the sidewalk. I constantly get people screaming at me from cars, honking at me, comments like "Get on the sidewalk!" [Expletive deleted]. Just last week some guy hung half way out of a car (literally) and in big exaggerated motions pointed to the sidewalk while hurling obscenities at me. I always figured if a car hit me it would be something like one of these idiots clipping me as they went past, but no, completely out in the open some car just straight away runs into me.
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There's a difference between not knowing the law and screaming at cyclists, or worse, activley attempting to make them ride on the sidewalk through what amounts to intimidation tactics with your car. Not that I would know anything about that.
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