4 ms·

> The reason why I sometimes treat traffic lights as stop signs is because I'm worried the driver coming up to the light might be distracted by their phone and

> The reason why I sometimes treat traffic lights as stop signs is because I'm worried the driver coming up to the light might be distracted by their phone and run right into me. As has happened to two of my friends. This is something motorcyclists need to be hyper-aware of too. Same idea approaching yellow lights. Here’s a scenario that happens all the time: you’re coming up on a yellow. There’s a car in the intersection ahead waiting to make a left into your path. The car behind you isn’t slowing down, he either isn’t paying attention or wants to run the yellow. What do you do to stay alive? The right answer is to act earlier to avoid that situation in the first place, but there will be times when you find yourself in a bad spot.

corty 6y ago
> The car behind you isn’t slowing down, he either isn’t paying attention or wants to run the yellow. What do you do to stay alive? It is a yellow light, go through if it isn't safe to stop. I really don't understand the problem here.
- smogcutter 6y ago
  The problem is the guy who wants to turn left into your path. On a bike, you have no idea whether or not he sees you. Even eye contact isn’t a good indicator. It can seem like a non-issue, but it really isn’t. Drivers’ eyes are trained by experience to recognize other cars. From a driver’s point of view, an approaching bike (motor or otherwise) is a narrow vertical line that has very little apparent motion. Even if they see you, it’s really hard for an oncoming driver to gauge your speed. There are things you can do to make yourself more visible, like swerve a little in your lane. This gives you some lateral motion that makes you pop out of the background. The point is that on two wheels you face situations that four wheel drivers don’t think about or understand because they take their visibility for granted.

corty 6y ago

> The car behind you isn’t slowing down, he either isn’t paying attention or wants to run the yellow. What do you do to stay alive? It is a yellow light, go through if it isn't safe to stop. I really don't understand the problem here.

smogcutter 6y ago
The problem is the guy who wants to turn left into your path. On a bike, you have no idea whether or not he sees you. Even eye contact isn’t a good indicator. It can seem like a non-issue, but it really isn’t. Drivers’ eyes are trained by experience to recognize other cars. From a driver’s point of view, an approaching bike (motor or otherwise) is a narrow vertical line that has very little apparent motion. Even if they see you, it’s really hard for an oncoming driver to gauge your speed. There are things you can do to make yourself more visible, like swerve a little in your lane. This gives you some lateral motion that makes you pop out of the background. The point is that on two wheels you face situations that four wheel drivers don’t think about or understand because they take their visibility for granted.