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Cyclists and Motorcycle riders are most often killed by the oncoming left turn. It's one of the most dangerous scenarios for a rider as you cannot react until

by parfe 16y ago

Cyclists and Motorcycle riders are most often killed by the oncoming left turn. It's one of the most dangerous scenarios for a rider as you cannot react until it's nearly too late. If you see a driver doing something stupid (like speed past you with the right turn blinker on) you can slow down and allow them to make a right turn and avoid a collision. A car slowing to make a left on the other hand looks like a driver acting properly. Slowly to a stop... waiting for cars to pass.... waiting for yo... and then the driver jerks the wheel and speeds across attempting to beat the next oncoming car. Turns out you're trapped halfway across the intersection with a 3000 lb vehicle crossing your T. Or worse yet they just assume you're going to yield to them because you're on a bike. In that case, no amount of visibility will change the fact the other driver hasn't ridden a bicycle in 30 years and has forgotten the rules of the road. Riding a motorcycle creates another issue in that drivers have trouble immediately identifying something small oncoming at twice the speed limit (relative). You end up with a dead rider and a driver confused because they saw the motorcycle, but their subconscious driving habits were not trained to deal with it properly. I think that is called beta reaction? e.g. absentmindedly braking when you see a red light without consciously connecting the red light with stopping. 6. In the multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those accidents. 7. The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision. 8. Deliberate hostile action by a motorist against a motorcycle rider is a rare accident cause. The most frequent accident configuration is the motorcycle proceeding straight then the automobile makes a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle. source: http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html http://www.motorcycle-accidents.com/pages/stats.html PDF of Study: http://isddc.dot.gov/OLPFiles/NHTSA/013695.pdf http://isddc.dot.gov/OLPFiles/NHTSA/013695.pdf

pavel_lishin 16y ago
Honestly, this is why I do not ride my bike like I would drive my car. When I'm biking, I'm assuming there's a bounty on my head, so I stay on sidewalks, I wait to cross intersections until there's no cars that can hit me, etc. Playing by the same rules as everyone else works fine if everyone plays by the same rules - but a lot of drivers don't.
- BrandonM 16y ago
  I was riding on the sidewalk in San Francisco along a pretty busy road once. If I was around anyone, I was slowing to a crawl. One guy -- a total stranger (no one else was around) -- stepped right in front of me, stopping me to tell me that riding on the sidewalk is illegal and then giving me an impromptu lecture, something about a woman being killed or seriously injured by a cyclist while crossing the Golden Gate bridge. (I later crossed the Golden Gate bridge... one side was clearly for pedestrians with the other side clearly for cyclists, so that left me somewhat confused.) When I got home, I confirmed that biking on the sidewalk in San Francisco is in fact illegal. While I highly doubt it would be enforced for someone who was riding as I was (at a pretty slow-to-normal pace, and slowing to a crawl when around pedestrians), it's still frustrating to see how bicycle-unfriendly even the decent biking cities in the US are.
  - ryanelkins 16y ago
    Maybe it's not so much bicycle unfriendly as pedestrian friendly, although other people in this thread have noted that sidewalks are more dangerous than roads for cyclists. It is hard for cyclists - treading that line between pedestrians and automobiles without a truly dedicated place to operate usually.
  - ahi 16y ago
    It's enforced in DC, although I suspect it's partly because of the absurd numbers of bike messengers who would use sidewalks as obstacle courses. On the other hand, I think riding in the road in DC is relatively safe because there are so many bike messengers. Most drivers learn to drive cautiously when sharing the road with cyclists who are fast, aggressive, and potentially dangerous if cut off.
    - kevindication 16y ago
      In DC it's only illegal to ride on the sidewalks in a very specific, downtown business district that's marked by a lot of pedestrian traffic. I wouldn't say it's all that safe on the street in DC. I've very nearly been run over by cars (especially cabs) that want to turn right out of a circle (which even has a bike lane).
burningion 16y ago
I've never been hit in my 2,000+ miles in saddle, and I attribute this to my refusal to follow the established crosswalk pattern. The left hand turn especially is most dangerous from my own personal observations. On an side note, what about technology to better defend cyclists? I've seen motorists in the US try to intimidate cyclists off the road. I think some sort of bicycle defense system may very well be appropriate here, and there's room for innovation. If anyone's interested in working together on making cycling safer, PM me.
- MartinCron 16y ago
  Personally, I'm yearning for a sort of "black box" recorder that would just always record video and GPS as well as any information from the vehicle (signals, brakes, etc.) I guess you could make one in software and have it run on a smartphone in a special mounting bracket somewhere. You could even have it interface with a bluetooth headset/helmet for any audio annotation you want to make (e.g. "that guy in the Mustang is driving really aggressively") I have had two (thankfully minor) accidents on my Vespa, neither of which were my fault. Having video of the guy making an illegal left turn in front of me could have made the ordeal with the insurance companies less painful. Maybe.
  - sophacles 16y ago
    I've always wanted a device to strap to my handlebars that takes a short video loop. It also has a rear camera, so i get "all around" view. If I press a button, it saves the video. This can be coupled with a bluetooth or usb connection to phone/laptop/whatever, and automatically uploads the video, along with gps coords, to a website. This site can be community based, where sharing the videos is encouraged. Since the license plates of the cars involved are also then visible, perhaps a lookup of name and other info can be automated, and a complaint filed to the appropriate authorities. Other embarrassment could be arranged too -- but the line to harrassment here is narrow...
    - mhb 16y ago
      Might as well add an accelerometer to automatically save if it exceeds a threshold.
cubix 16y ago
Motorcyclists refer to these kinds of accidents as SMIDSYs -- "Sorry man/mate, I didn't see you". This article recommends disrupting the "motion camouflage" effect by weaving from side to side in your lane. http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.twhhyjzpxapzkouq&pageId=146841 http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.... I'm sure it would work for bicycles as well if you have a headlight installed.

by parfe 16y ago

pavel_lishin 16y ago

Honestly, this is why I do not ride my bike like I would drive my car. When I'm biking, I'm assuming there's a bounty on my head, so I stay on sidewalks, I wait to cross intersections until there's no cars that can hit me, etc. Playing by the same rules as everyone else works fine if everyone plays by the same rules - but a lot of drivers don't.

BrandonM 16y ago
I was riding on the sidewalk in San Francisco along a pretty busy road once. If I was around anyone, I was slowing to a crawl. One guy -- a total stranger (no one else was around) -- stepped right in front of me, stopping me to tell me that riding on the sidewalk is illegal and then giving me an impromptu lecture, something about a woman being killed or seriously injured by a cyclist while crossing the Golden Gate bridge. (I later crossed the Golden Gate bridge... one side was clearly for pedestrians with the other side clearly for cyclists, so that left me somewhat confused.) When I got home, I confirmed that biking on the sidewalk in San Francisco is in fact illegal. While I highly doubt it would be enforced for someone who was riding as I was (at a pretty slow-to-normal pace, and slowing to a crawl when around pedestrians), it's still frustrating to see how bicycle-unfriendly even the decent biking cities in the US are.
- ryanelkins 16y ago
  Maybe it's not so much bicycle unfriendly as pedestrian friendly, although other people in this thread have noted that sidewalks are more dangerous than roads for cyclists. It is hard for cyclists - treading that line between pedestrians and automobiles without a truly dedicated place to operate usually.
- ahi 16y ago
  It's enforced in DC, although I suspect it's partly because of the absurd numbers of bike messengers who would use sidewalks as obstacle courses. On the other hand, I think riding in the road in DC is relatively safe because there are so many bike messengers. Most drivers learn to drive cautiously when sharing the road with cyclists who are fast, aggressive, and potentially dangerous if cut off.
  - kevindication 16y ago
    In DC it's only illegal to ride on the sidewalks in a very specific, downtown business district that's marked by a lot of pedestrian traffic. I wouldn't say it's all that safe on the street in DC. I've very nearly been run over by cars (especially cabs) that want to turn right out of a circle (which even has a bike lane).

burningion 16y ago

I've never been hit in my 2,000+ miles in saddle, and I attribute this to my refusal to follow the established crosswalk pattern. The left hand turn especially is most dangerous from my own personal observations. On an side note, what about technology to better defend cyclists? I've seen motorists in the US try to intimidate cyclists off the road. I think some sort of bicycle defense system may very well be appropriate here, and there's room for innovation. If anyone's interested in working together on making cycling safer, PM me.

MartinCron 16y ago
Personally, I'm yearning for a sort of "black box" recorder that would just always record video and GPS as well as any information from the vehicle (signals, brakes, etc.) I guess you could make one in software and have it run on a smartphone in a special mounting bracket somewhere. You could even have it interface with a bluetooth headset/helmet for any audio annotation you want to make (e.g. "that guy in the Mustang is driving really aggressively") I have had two (thankfully minor) accidents on my Vespa, neither of which were my fault. Having video of the guy making an illegal left turn in front of me could have made the ordeal with the insurance companies less painful. Maybe.
- sophacles 16y ago
  I've always wanted a device to strap to my handlebars that takes a short video loop. It also has a rear camera, so i get "all around" view. If I press a button, it saves the video. This can be coupled with a bluetooth or usb connection to phone/laptop/whatever, and automatically uploads the video, along with gps coords, to a website. This site can be community based, where sharing the videos is encouraged. Since the license plates of the cars involved are also then visible, perhaps a lookup of name and other info can be automated, and a complaint filed to the appropriate authorities. Other embarrassment could be arranged too -- but the line to harrassment here is narrow...
  - mhb 16y ago
    Might as well add an accelerometer to automatically save if it exceeds a threshold.

cubix 16y ago

Motorcyclists refer to these kinds of accidents as SMIDSYs -- "Sorry man/mate, I didn't see you". This article recommends disrupting the "motion camouflage" effect by weaving from side to side in your lane. http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.twhhyjzpxapzkouq&pageId=146841 http://www.motorcycleinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.... I'm sure it would work for bicycles as well if you have a headlight installed.