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This one time a van cut me off turning right across a bike lane while I was cruising at approx. 25mph on 8th St. in SF, probably too fast, and probably poorly p

This one time a van cut me off turning right across a bike lane while I was cruising at approx. 25mph on 8th St. in SF, probably too fast, and probably poorly positioned in the van's blind spot. I caught the front right wheel of the van and flew across the hood, rolled over it, landed on my back on the street and skidded to a hault on the opposite side just short of the curb. I was not wearing a helmet, but also, I suffered zero injuries–my bike on the other hand had two completely destroyed wheels. The van driver paid to fix the wheels. I started wearing a helmet after that always while riding (before that I only did while on long distance or competitive rides). I haven't had a crash since, probably because I avoid blind spots and other dangerous positions on the street. In all the years that I rode and crashed my bike as a kid, I also never suffered any serious head injuries, even this time that I crashed my bike and broke my hand protecting my face when I fell (not wearing a helmet), but today I still wear my helmet and its annoyance. Yet I have zero evidence that it has ever been useful to me. If I lived in a place where I didn't have to worry about cars murdering me all the time, like Holland, I probably would ride like I did as a kid, and not wear a helmet. That being said, I do make my kids wear helmets...

MaxBarraclough 7y ago
> I have zero evidence that it has ever been useful to me. This strikes me as an odd statement. Some individuals may go their whole lives without taking antibiotics, but that tells us nothing of interest about antibiotics. There is a real question about whether it's better to wear a helmet, though. A bike helmet can of course save your brain in case of an impact (which studies have confirmed), but studies have found that drivers leave less distance when they see a cyclist wearing a helmet [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Risk_compensation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Risk_compensati...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- bad_user 7y ago
  > studies have found that drivers leave less distance when they see a cyclist wearing a helmet I don't think that's what those studies have found. First of all the results are disputed and also this can work both ways — as specified in the link you provided, it could be that cyclists wearing a helmet could take more risks than those without a helmet. And in England you might have motorists leaving more or less distance, depending on whether the cyclist wears a helmet, but I'm pretty sure this is a cultural thing. In my city car drivers don't give a shit about cyclists. So for example on a narrow street drivers will pass cyclists within only a few centimeters, no matter if you wear a helmet or not. So experimented cyclists actually ride their bike in the middle of the road, to prevent overtaking by cars. Decent road speed is required, or otherwise you get horns and swear words, but it's the safest way to go. But yes, this is an anecdote, I don't have a reference I could link to.
u801e 7y ago
> This one time a van cut me off turning right across a bike lane while I was cruising at approx. 25mph on 8th St. in SF When approaching an intersection, it's best to ride in the general traffic lane that corresponds to the direction you plan to go. Trying to overtake traffic that may turn right on the right will almost certainly result in what happened to you. CVC (California Vehicle Code) makes an exception to the requirement to ride in the bike lane where right turns are authorized in 21208 (4) [1]. [1] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&sectionNum=21208 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySectio....

MaxBarraclough 7y ago

> I have zero evidence that it has ever been useful to me. This strikes me as an odd statement. Some individuals may go their whole lives without taking antibiotics, but that tells us nothing of interest about antibiotics. There is a real question about whether it's better to wear a helmet, though. A bike helmet can of course save your brain in case of an impact (which studies have confirmed), but studies have found that drivers leave less distance when they see a cyclist wearing a helmet [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Risk_compensation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet#Risk_compensati...

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
bad_user 7y ago
> studies have found that drivers leave less distance when they see a cyclist wearing a helmet I don't think that's what those studies have found. First of all the results are disputed and also this can work both ways — as specified in the link you provided, it could be that cyclists wearing a helmet could take more risks than those without a helmet. And in England you might have motorists leaving more or less distance, depending on whether the cyclist wears a helmet, but I'm pretty sure this is a cultural thing. In my city car drivers don't give a shit about cyclists. So for example on a narrow street drivers will pass cyclists within only a few centimeters, no matter if you wear a helmet or not. So experimented cyclists actually ride their bike in the middle of the road, to prevent overtaking by cars. Decent road speed is required, or otherwise you get horns and swear words, but it's the safest way to go. But yes, this is an anecdote, I don't have a reference I could link to.

u801e 7y ago

> This one time a van cut me off turning right across a bike lane while I was cruising at approx. 25mph on 8th St. in SF When approaching an intersection, it's best to ride in the general traffic lane that corresponds to the direction you plan to go. Trying to overtake traffic that may turn right on the right will almost certainly result in what happened to you. CVC (California Vehicle Code) makes an exception to the requirement to ride in the bike lane where right turns are authorized in 21208 (4) [1]. [1] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&sectionNum=21208 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySectio....