Safety question for anyone interested

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Hello to anyone who reads/responds to this posting:

I got very serious just last year about road riding, and from reading some of the other posts, it is obvious that most of us face the same issue with regard to cars and other vehicles.

I live in Minnesota, and on my very last ride of last season before winter began, my wife and I were on the last leg of our daily road ride. We were only about a 1/2 mile from our house in a residential neighborhood, and I was riding on a very wide section of street. No traffic was coming from the oncoming direction at all, the street was wide open. I was only about 3 feet from the right curb when a "motorist" (I'm being poilte) close brushed me in a Chevy Suburban at a distance of not more than 1 foot, literally. Needless to say, I was not happy and the guy was a complete coward. He kept driving, flipped me off, and only after he took a left at the stop sign ahead did he say something derisive to me. Then when he could see that I was upset he keeps on driving and flips me off again from a distance of about 200 ft. away and moving.

The last thing I want to do is to have a bad encounter with anyone, like most of us, all I want to do is to ride and enjoy the experience.

I realize that mine is perhaps a rookie question, but this is where I am at. Can anyone share some tips/suggestions for dealing with motorists?

Unfortunately, many of these drivers do not stop to think about possible consequences when they are nasty with a bicyclist.

I welcome your input.

Ride somewhat aggressively. Move to take the centre of the lane if safe to do so when approaching intersections being prepared to swerve left or right combined with possible braking to move around a car that fails to yield by pulling out in front of you. Do not pass vehicles (or with caution) stopped at a red light, especially large vehicles like buses, trucks or 18 wheelers that could turn right and have a large blind spot. Use reflective equipment or bright coloured clothing and during the night a front facing white light, preferably flashing, and a rear facing red light, flashing is better. Do not pass cars within an open doors length if possible. Slow down if filtering through traffic, people can jaywalk through, cars can squeeze you or somebody might decide to get out.

Do not engage in a disagreement/altercation with aggressive drivers. Their behaviour already demonstrates that they are (maybe temporarily) mentally unstable, under the influence of drugs or possibly criminals. Report the license plate to police if you feel somebody is driving dangerously.

Oh yeah, I was once brushed by a car at two inches between my handlebar and his mirror. I guess he wanted to lose a mirror. I also managed to squeeze between a very long car door that was opened in front of me combined with a moron passing me at like 60 kph in a highly trafficked area where cars usually go 40 kph. I also hit a drunk and knocked him out, knocked over a motorcycle that pullled out in front of me and almost nailed a woman running across the street at full tilt while I was going down a hill at 50 kph. I missed her by inches and she screamed. That's in urban traffic, downtown Toronto, Canada. In retrospect maybe I shouldn't have been riding so fast, but it was too far away to get out into some country road.

-bikeguy

I realize that mine is perhaps a rookie question, but this is where I am at. Can anyone share some tips/suggestions for dealing with motorists?
Honestly, there's not much you can do. If they pass too close and you do something like kick the car or launch a waterbottle at them, you will likely bear any punishment for the conflict. Cops don't care if you felt unsafe when you've committed property damage.

When someone flips me off, I blow them a kiss. That actually pisses them off more than if I flip them off. But I always measure up the situation before doing it -- if that person is in a position to do me some harm, I'll just smile and wave instead, or even ignore them. It may sound wimpy, but you don't have much choice in some cases. Just let it go, and remind yourself how lucky you are that you aren't that stupid.:rolleyes:

I have started riding with cameras and if the incident is particularly bad, I report it to the authorities along with the video. So far about 10 reports, one ticket and a bunch of "warnings"
I've started a blog detailing my experiences.
www.bikesafer.blogspot.com

Most people in North America consider a bicycle either a kids' toy, sports equipment or last-ditch ultra-desperation transport in bitterest poverty.

They do NOT view it as a legitimate form of transport for anyone, ever.
Thusly, as a cyclist in everyday traffic, you are very much the odd duck out and must remember that at all times.
Use bike trails, bike lanes and quieter side streets whenever possible.
If you MUST ride along a busier street, consider using the sidewalk - it may be illegal, but much safer.
Wear something bright, put enough reflectors and lights on yourself and your bike to put the mall Christmas tree to shame, wear a helmet.
Sometimes elbow pads have come in handy for me.
Ride in a somewhat (kinda hard to explain) passive-aggressive style, know your rights, but don't insist on them (or you will die....).
The better you are at handling your bike, the more sense this will make.
I have found that dressing in more or less 'normal' or slightly 'quirky' attire (such as a tweed jacket or one of those goofy ski/snowboard-type beanie hats) tends to make people avoid you -thinking you're either a distracted college professor or an almost-homeless guy with too many DUI's.......

Good luck!

If you MUST ride along a busier street, consider using the sidewalk - it may be illegal, but much safer.
In fact most studies about bike safety (that I'm aware of) have found that riding on the sidewalk is far more dangerous. I believe this is because you have to re-enter and exit traffic at every block and motorists aren't expecting people to be moving at cycling speeds on the sidewalk.

If you have to ride a road on which you are worried about being buzzed, take more of the lane and force the motorists go around you in the other lane, like they are legally supposed to do. You are part of traffic, it is your right to do what you need to do to be safe.
Good luck
Bikesafer (http://www.bikesafer.blogspot.com)
Jeff

Hello to anyone who reads/responds to this posting:

I got very serious just last year about road riding, and from reading some of the other posts, it is obvious that most of us face the same issue with regard to cars and other vehicles.

I live in Minnesota, and on my very last ride of last season before winter began, my wife and I were on the last leg of our daily road ride. We were only about a 1/2 mile from our house in a residential neighborhood, and I was riding on a very wide section of street. No traffic was coming from the oncoming direction at all, the street was wide open. I was only about 3 feet from the right curb when a "motorist" (I'm being poilte) close brushed me in a Chevy Suburban at a distance of not more than 1 foot, literally. Needless to say, I was not happy and the guy was a complete coward. He kept driving, flipped me off, and only after he took a left at the stop sign ahead did he say something derisive to me. Then when he could see that I was upset he keeps on driving and flips me off again from a distance of about 200 ft. away and moving.

The last thing I want to do is to have a bad encounter with anyone, like most of us, all I want to do is to ride and enjoy the experience.

I realize that mine is perhaps a rookie question, but this is where I am at. Can anyone share some tips/suggestions for dealing with motorists?

Unfortunately, many of these drivers do not stop to think about possible consequences when they are nasty with a bicyclist.

I welcome your input. I believe buzzing a rider may actually qualify as an assault ... prosecution is unlikely.

Regardless, the next time, stop, pull out a piece of paper & write down his license plate number. Report the incident EVEN THOUGH the police probably won't care [you probably won't have as much impact as clifbar, initially, curbing the hostile driver(s)]... but, if any of the drivers actually manages a true hit-and-run in the future, they will have people to question.

Consider going to your city/town council meeting and asking them to address the issue with the police. Maybe they won't care if an adult is killed, but ask them how they would feel if it were a kid -- their grand-/kid OR nephew/niece.

Write a letter-to-the-Editor (or, "open letter" article OR freelance-article the the Star-Tribune and/or your local paper ... maybe they'll print it, maybe they won't.

BTW. Where are you? Are you in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis (e.g., near Anoka where you may want to consider displaying some Christian symbol on the rear of your riding jersey/vest/jacket) so the hypocrites know that you might be one-of-them?!? It doesnt matter what YOUR belief system is ... it will EITHER encourage them to harass you more frequently OR make them think twice about doing so, but probably the latter.

FWIW. I had a neighbor who was harassing me over a non-cycling matter ... I finally pre-empted his comments by yelling (from across the street as I was walking by) "Jesus loves you anyway!" He's never bothered me since.

Taking up the room you are legally entitled to will DEFINITELY get you killed in this town, probably your first time out.

There's plenty enough drunks, speed freaks (both kinds....), folks who hate you based on you being the wrong ethnicity (and if you're from out of town, you probably are...), seniors who simply will not see you if you're smaller than an aircraft carrier, and professional road ragers who just plain hate everyone who isn't them.
Some of them have already spent about half their life in various types of jails/prisons, so what's another manslaughter charge to them?
Nothing.

Riding on the sidewalk you do need to pay close attention to cars turning into businesses/driveways, as well as cars exiting such.
You need to go nice and slow, think of it as really tricky singletrack with lurking mountain lions at every corner.
Which, considering the state the sidewalk is in, isn't so far off......

I seriously doubt crosses or other Jesus paraphernalia would help.
You ride a bike = you're an alien weirdo.

...

I seriously doubt crosses or other Jesus paraphernalia would help.
You ride a bike = you're an alien weirdo.Well, you are probably right ...

Sometimes, however, it is possible to jar a bully's/redneck's sensibilities ...

And sometimes, however (if only once in a blue moon), when you hold a mirror up to a hypocrite, they actually see their inconsistency.

Well, every time I've held a mirror up to a hypocrite, I ended up with a bunch of shards and zero result.

Hope you have better luck.

I only do the sidewalk thing if I have absolutely no other choice, forgot to emphasize that....
Be safe......