4 ms·

I agree that car accidents still happen. But honestly most my near misses with cars were outright insane. One in particular gives me chills. I was driving alon

I agree that car accidents still happen. But honestly most my near misses with cars were outright insane. One in particular gives me chills. I was driving along an empty road and a car wanted to make a right-hand turn onto the road. The car driver came to a stop at the side road, we were close and it was clear enough that I made eye contact with the middle-aged woman driver. I swear she looked me right in the eyes, then she proceeded to drive right out in front of me. I swerved, slammed on the brakes and slid up next to her car (luckily there was room on a single lane road). She just waved at me apologetically. I wore a bright red and white (with reflective strips) jacket, bright green and white pants, black and white reflective helmet and my motorcycle was bright green, it was the middle of the day (but not glary) and I had my headlights on regardless. I'm absolutely convinced she saw me, we looked right at each other, she was just in a bit of a daze and a motorbike didn't register as a car, so she just pulled out. Now, it's true she could have done the same with a car. Obviously, I can't know for sure, but I absolutely believe if bikes were more common that situation just wouldn't have happened - at least, not like it did. EDIT: To clarify, I'm actually in Australia. So for you US folk it was a left-hand turn she was making ;)

stock_toaster 9y ago
I think many people are incredibly bad at judging the speed of unfamiliar moving objects. They get lots of training judging car (large object) speed, but their brains just cant properly guesstimate bike speed or something (little practice) -- like a non-baseball-player person trying to hit a fastball or something.
aptwebapps 9y ago
A bit like this? https://imgur.com/r/wtf/w7TLaja https://imgur.com/r/wtf/w7TLaja
- Benjamin_Dobell 9y ago
  Ah, no. Not like that at all. That cyclist is in a right turning lane and rode right over a painted traffic island. Not at all suggesting that gives the car the right to drive into them. However, being stupid is something motorcyclists (and I'd assume cyclists) generally try to avoid!
  - ScottBurson 9y ago
    The cyclist should have been on the right side of the left lane rather than the left side of the right lane, that's true. But watching this, I'm not left with the impression that that would have made the slightest difference in this accident. The cyclist was clearly moving too fast to make the right turn; if the motorist had registered him at all, they would surely have waited. The strangest thing about this video is that there's a considerable gap in traffic before the cyclist arrives at the intersection; the motorist had plenty of time to turn in front of him. I think the motorist had to have been drunk or texting or something; it almost looks like they intentionally waited to hit him. I try to ride my e-bike very defensively -- and indeed I've never been hit by a car, though I've had a couple of close calls -- but I'm not at all sure I would have avoided this one.
- nikofeyn 9y ago
  as a motorcyclist, i see that situation as a complete death trap and would absolutely slow down approaching it. you have someone turning left and someone looking to turn right to eventually merge, two of the most dangerous situations on the road. and here you have this bicyclist just blasting through do not cross lines, not letting anyone be aware of what he's about to do, and seemingly without self-awareness. i personally see bicyclists as the most unpredictable things on the road. i feel for them, but i personally don't think they take the same precautions as motorcyclists. of course i'm generalizing, but i interact with them on a daily basis. they just scare me in whatever way i'm getting around: car driver, motorcyclist, pedestrian.
  - ScottBurson 9y ago
    The car on the right is actually waiting to turn left onto the main road. I agree the cyclist should have been in the left lane, though as a cyclist I also understand why he wasn't, but seems to me it should never surprise anyone when another vehicle continues in a straight line at a constant speed, notwithstanding the road markings. He was clearly not going to make the right turn; he was going much too fast, and made no movement in that direction. I think if the motorist had seen him at all they would waited for him to go by.

stock_toaster 9y ago

I think many people are incredibly bad at judging the speed of unfamiliar moving objects. They get lots of training judging car (large object) speed, but their brains just cant properly guesstimate bike speed or something (little practice) -- like a non-baseball-player person trying to hit a fastball or something.

aptwebapps 9y ago

A bit like this? https://imgur.com/r/wtf/w7TLaja https://imgur.com/r/wtf/w7TLaja

Benjamin_Dobell 9y ago
Ah, no. Not like that at all. That cyclist is in a right turning lane and rode right over a painted traffic island. Not at all suggesting that gives the car the right to drive into them. However, being stupid is something motorcyclists (and I'd assume cyclists) generally try to avoid!
- ScottBurson 9y ago
  The cyclist should have been on the right side of the left lane rather than the left side of the right lane, that's true. But watching this, I'm not left with the impression that that would have made the slightest difference in this accident. The cyclist was clearly moving too fast to make the right turn; if the motorist had registered him at all, they would surely have waited. The strangest thing about this video is that there's a considerable gap in traffic before the cyclist arrives at the intersection; the motorist had plenty of time to turn in front of him. I think the motorist had to have been drunk or texting or something; it almost looks like they intentionally waited to hit him. I try to ride my e-bike very defensively -- and indeed I've never been hit by a car, though I've had a couple of close calls -- but I'm not at all sure I would have avoided this one.
nikofeyn 9y ago
as a motorcyclist, i see that situation as a complete death trap and would absolutely slow down approaching it. you have someone turning left and someone looking to turn right to eventually merge, two of the most dangerous situations on the road. and here you have this bicyclist just blasting through do not cross lines, not letting anyone be aware of what he's about to do, and seemingly without self-awareness. i personally see bicyclists as the most unpredictable things on the road. i feel for them, but i personally don't think they take the same precautions as motorcyclists. of course i'm generalizing, but i interact with them on a daily basis. they just scare me in whatever way i'm getting around: car driver, motorcyclist, pedestrian.
- ScottBurson 9y ago
  The car on the right is actually waiting to turn left onto the main road. I agree the cyclist should have been in the left lane, though as a cyclist I also understand why he wasn't, but seems to me it should never surprise anyone when another vehicle continues in a straight line at a constant speed, notwithstanding the road markings. He was clearly not going to make the right turn; he was going much too fast, and made no movement in that direction. I think if the motorist had seen him at all they would waited for him to go by.