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I'm not going to say definitively whose "fault" it was, but the car behind you is not the biggest risk. The biggest risks are almost always in front of you-- c
by Goladus 13y ago
I'm not going to say definitively whose "fault" it was, but the car behind you is not the biggest risk. The biggest risks are almost always in front of you-- cars pulling out of intersections, opening doors, and cars making sudden right-hand turns into your lane without seeing you. This has been my experience and the statistics bear this out (http://bicyclesafe.com/ http://bicyclesafe.com/).
If you're going to get hit from behind, it's probably because you swerved or a driver (going much faster than you) didn't see you and extra speed is not going to save you. Surviving the initial hit because you were riding fast doesn't mean much when your body slams into a guardrail or some other stationary object at 45 miles per hour.
- mrampton 13y agoI don't deny the risks you list, particularly when it comes to urban riding -- but on this particular stretch of road it is most certainly the cars behind you that pose the greatest risk. The cars at intersections are obviously a large risk as well, but it's offset by the fact you can see them, and thus react.
- Goladus 13y agoMakes sense, I missed the part where you'd specified that one stretch of road. But still, although you can see cars at intersections, whether you see them in time to react is the important question and speed is a critical factor there.