An attempt to personalize almost getting run over.

[Spaghetti Legs]

So yesterday JRA on a 2 lane road in the country, going about 20 mph. I have my Blinky light Fly 12 on. A car exiting a long driveway gets to the road, stops a couple of seconds and then casually pulls out and if I hadn't braked pretty aggressively, would have run me over. I was a bout 2-3 feet off his bumper before he pulled away. It was a young guy, late teens, early 20's I guess, unlikely to be the owner of the 1-2 mill estate I was riding by but maybe the kid.

Anyway I rode back and double checked the address and confirmed it reviewing the video and double-checking Google maps. I printed up some pictures, including a clear shot of the license plate and I plan on mailing them to that address so that there's a chance the driver will get a chance to revisit the event rather than just something that happens outside the cocoon of the car interior.

[fijichf]

I’d send a copy of the photo to your local police as well.

[spoonrobot]

Were you invisible in the A-pillar?

Not seeking to assign blame, but to clarify how you should present your message. A-pillar blindspot is one of the most common issues I note while riding and driving, modern cars aren't designed well in that area. Couple this with ubiquitous cell phone use and it's a serious issue.

[Wattvagen]

I think it's a reasonably good idea, yes.

give the driver a chance to see what a close call they had on their own turf, and without confrontation.

chances are that if you engaged this driver in person, their defense mechanism would have went up and you would have been stonewalled. giving him the opportunity to reflect in his own home without someone in his face stands a much better chance of getting the message through.

it cant hurt.

glad you're OK!

[Spaghetti Legs]

@spoonrobot - No, I don't think so, although I'm familiar with that issue. We were perpendicular starting out. I wondered if maybe the sun washed me and my light out but when I rode back to the spot a minute later, on the video, I could easily see another car with it's DRL's coming toward me. I could also easily see the driver's face in the moment's before the pic in the OP. My sense is he didn't give a ****e and didn't want to get stuck behind me for 5-10 seconds until he could pass. I thought about notifying police but since, ultimately no harm done, I don't want to deal with that process and figure this method might achieve something worthwhile.

[cmg]

he would have seen you the moment he made the left and been in shade. He couldn't go around you because of the on coming car. from your point of view it was dangerous, from his point of view he didn't want to get behind you and then pull and pass after the on coming car. he'd have to wait and waiting isn't a trait that's developed in a late teen, early 20 year old person. In his mind it was safe and you didn't die. Next time, slow down and and let them pass first, give the car the first choice. Don't expect drivers to offer the same. At that close i expect them to pull out.

[weisan]

Drivers sometimes have a hard time computing how fast a cyclist might be moving. Our speed surprised them.

[Waldo62]

I ride with a headlight on 24/7; in daylight, my light is in the steady+flashing mode. Bright, visible jersey, and two rear blinkies on at all times. No way those f----rs can't see me.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by weisan

Drivers sometimes have a hard time computing how fast a cyclist might be moving. Our speed surprised them.

I think that's true. I also think that in many cases, drivers aren't looking for or expecting cyclists, so their brains just doesn't register them (aka, selective attention). Much like the infamous invisible gorilla:

http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/g...xperiment.html

[hoonjr]

Is that Dick woods road?

[Spaghetti Legs]

Originally Posted by cmg

he would have seen you the moment he made the left and been in shade. He couldn't go around you because of the on coming car. from your point of view it was dangerous, from his point of view he didn't want to get behind you and then pull and pass after the on coming car. he'd have to wait and waiting isn't a trait that's developed in a late teen, early 20 year old person. In his mind it was safe and you didn't die. Next time, slow down and and let them pass first, give the car the first choice. Don't expect drivers to offer the same. At that close i expect them to pull out.

That was the beginning of a slight uphill after a slight downhill so I was on the hoods and slowing after going 25+. In fact I had just put my bottle away. I tend to ride defensively and saw the guy, expecting him to pull out but it was past the point where I thought where a typical careless driver would. I’m not going to slow down dramatically without looking behind me and I’m not going to do that with a car in front of me like that. If I was a less skilled rider I would have been on the pavement. I like to ride in a share the road fashion; give up a few seconds of my ride for cars all the time as I expect them to do for me. This road is unusual around here in that it is long and straight, so easy to get around another car or bike without much delay.

BTW that car ahead is in my lane, not oncoming. Passed me (safely) about 10-15 seconds before.

Originally Posted by hoonjr

Is that Dick woods road?

Yes

[OtayBW]

That looks kike a nice area to ride, but if the rest of the ride had ZERO shoulder and limited bail-out options like this spot, I'd be inclined to look elsewhere....

[Spaghetti Legs]

Originally Posted by OtayBW

That looks kike a nice area to ride, but if the rest of the ride had ZERO shoulder and limited bail-out options like this spot, I'd be inclined to look elsewhere....

Ha, yes, and though there are a lot of areas I won’t ride around here (Garth Road for the locals - insane!) this is about a 2 mile stretch and I’ve never felt particularly unsafe here. I took this as a shortcut, since the legs were tired, to skip out on a 5 mile loop that involves a very stiff climb.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by Spaghetti Legs

Ha, yes, and though there are a lot of areas I won’t ride around here (Garth Road for the locals - insane!) this is about a 2 mile stretch and I’ve never felt particularly unsafe here. I took this as a shortcut, since the legs were tired, to skip out on a 5 mile loop that involves a very stiff climb.

I hear ya. I'm just putting myself in that same (hypothetical) position and wondering out loud. GL with your reckoning!

[gbcoupe]

I couldn't say how many times I've had drivers look right through me. Yes, we are often invisible.

On a plus/minus note, I've been in multiple situations where a motorist will go well out of their way to avoid a pedestrian not realizing they've placed themselves on a collision course with me on a bike.

So, the driver could very well have seen you and didn't give a crap or misjudged speed. I'm guessing you weren't seen at all.