how many times per month do you avoid a potentially serious accident with a car?

neris

dont have too many. Probably on 2 since I started cycling in April. The last one only happened on Saturday evening though cycling down a cycle lane and pizza delivery guy decides to cross over the road head on to me to find the house hes looking for so i had to swerve out into the road.

breezy1985

Lumen wrote: »

As as I understand it there isn't really anything illegal about crossing the road when you feel like it.

If you're cycling in a built up area you need to be going slow enough to stop when someone steps out.

is it not illegal to cross at a red man but your right i should have said stupidly not illegally

Haleakala

Seldom - but again depends on how you class it.

Worst in past year was a 4x4 accelerating from opposite direction, through a used-to-be-yellow-now-red-light to turn right across my lane (I was doing about 30kmh). First situation ever where I felt helpless in trying to avoid a collision.

Driver completely in wrong - managed to brake/swerve and come to a stop. A little wave and off again at a ridiculous speed. People constantly underestimate the speed of cyclists.

Other than that, as Lumen says, it's generally a stimulating level of mental activity to avoid potential banjaxing.

mickmcl09

Have you seen all the near misses this guy in glasgow has?
magnatom has 141 videos on youtube - most of them are traffic related.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2nwJ1g9Dn4&feature=related

ThisRegard

I don't know about that guy, seems to be that he looks for a lot of these incidents, he's almost out looking for a fight.

Beasty

magnatom did post on boards a few time back in May, in this thread about some of the videos he has made

CramCycle

mickmcl09 wrote: »

Have you seen all the near misses this guy in glasgow has?
magnatom has 141 videos on youtube - most of them are traffic related.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2nwJ1g9Dn4&feature=related

I didn't think the overtake was that close, not compared to Dublin anyway.

As for the undertake, the guy was in the wrong but if MagnaTom had taken a correct road position I don't think it would have happened, he appears to be in the middle, slightly to the right. By acting stupid he is inviting others to act stupid around him.

breezy1985

got run up onto a path today by an idiot overtaking me on a left turn

And the worst thing was she was a driving instructor

CramCycle

Decided to count them yesterday, 5 in total, but they were avoided, one was completely my fault (I think), 2 were the faults of cyclists running through red lights without even looking out for oncoming traffic and the other two were just really terrible drivers. As has being pointed out before though, reasonably good road awareness meant that while they could have killed me, they were easily avoided, except the one that was my fault but that would have only killed me and I was still able to avoid it, that was just stupid on my part :eek::pac::eek:

Lumen

CramCycle wrote: »

except the one that was my fault but that would have only killed me

Only killed you? As opposed to something much worse?

poochiem

CramCycle wrote: »

I didn't think the overtake was that close, not compared to Dublin anyway.

As for the undertake, the guy was in the wrong but if MagnaTom had taken a correct road position I don't think it would have happened, he appears to be in the middle, slightly to the right. By acting stupid he is inviting others to act stupid around him.

he's an idiot, shouldn't be on the road never mind the bike. plainly a danger to himself and others.

CramCycle

Lumen wrote: »

Only killed you? As opposed to something much worse?

It could always be worse:

magnatom

Beasty wrote: »

magnatom did post on boards a few time back in May, in this thread about some of the videos he has made

Indeed I did!

Yes I do indeed have 141 videos (142 actually). If you care to have a wee look through them, you will find a lot of them are of people weeing in cycle lanes, people singing in cycle tunnels, me having a wonderful time filtering through stationary traffic, me having a wonderful time on the rural part of my commute, me being ran at by sheep on the rural part of my commute, me commenting on the poor quality of the cycle lanes, me commenting on the poor quality of others cycling, me cycling through lanes that have turned into rivers....etc.

So you'd be surprised how few of my videos are incidents, and more importantly how few are of serious incidents.

Of course it's never good to let the truth get in the way of a good rant! :rolleyes:

seamus

You have Google Alerts set up for your name, don't you?

DirkVoodoo

People weeing in cycle lanes?

That was just a once off, I swear!

CramCycle

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

People weeing in cycle lanes?

I only do it while racing commuters but you do get some funny looks while waiting at a red light

Lumen

magnatom wrote: »

Yes I do indeed have 141 videos (142 actually). If you care to have a wee look through them, you will find a lot of them are of people weeing in cycle lanes, people singing in cycle tunnels, me having a wonderful time filtering through stationary traffic, me having a wonderful time on the rural part of my commute, me being ran at by sheep on the rural part of my commute, me commenting on the poor quality of the cycle lanes, me commenting on the poor quality of others cycling, me cycling through lanes that have turned into rivers....etc.

Is there anything you don't record? No wait, I don't want to know.

doozerie

I want someone to film me on my commute. I fear that my saddle makes my butt look big but need video evidence to study.

DaveyDave

In the past two months only one incident could have resulted in a serious crash. I was cycling in a residential area and the traffic lights going straight were green so I was cycling along doing the 30kph speed limit and as I was going straight a car on the opposite side was turning right, the driver was inching into the turn as I was going straight, I had to swerve left to avoid hitting the Yaris while I waved in a WTF manner at them. That was the first proper cycle I had on my bike after getting it fixed and not having it for a month. A crash at that speed would definitely damage something and probably result in me in a heap on the ground and this was at about 3pm in the day.

kumate_champ07

DaveyDave wrote: »

In the past two months only one incident could have resulted in a serious crash. I was cycling in a residential area and the traffic lights going straight were green so I was cycling along doing the 30kph speed limit and as I was going straight a car on the opposite side was turning right, the driver was inching into the turn as I was going straight, I had to swerve left to avoid hitting the Yaris while I waved in a WTF manner at them. That was the first proper cycle I had on my bike after getting it fixed and not having it for a month. A crash at that speed would definitely damage something and probably result in me in a heap on the ground and this was at about 3pm in the day.

thats happened to me in the city, its scary. 1 time I narrowly missed the car by mm's, had to swerve to my left and he clipped my back wheel! should have gone back to him and got his info but was trying to rush back to tescos before closing to return some stale donuts, priorities eh
he had a shocked look on his face, there was no way he was gonna say it wasnt his fault! witnesses too, lots of "oooohh's" as I escaped death!

kumate_champ07

there are 13-19 individuals in this thread who are at risk of serious injury or death in the next few years.
are you guys in this bracket scared? how can we change this? rush hour traffic city centre/ city centre in general seems to be the black spot,
but there are accidents that just happen, anywhere, thats the nature of an accident tho some can be avoided, alot can be avoided.

what are you guys gonna change(me included)?

a wise quote: "only a fool keeps trying the same thing expecting new results"


some of the posters in this thread could die in the future and you wouldnt even know they had read this thread, nobody puts 'the deceased was a user of the boards.ie web forum' in the news articles,

how can we save a life?!

doozerie

I don't think the risk of death is particularly high, personally. A near miss can leave you feeling extra vulnerable making it easier to fall into the mindset of thinking that you might be mown down at any moment, but once your nerves recover you become more rational again. Ironically, feeling nervous about your personal safety is likely to endanger you by making you less likely to react in the "right" way in any particular situation.

You keep yourself safe by being observant, by being willing to be the one to apply the brakes when you find yourself fighting for the same area of road space as someone/something else (not always the safest/best option but more often than not in my experience), etc. Of course, you have to rely to a certain extent on others around you doing likewise but your own attitude and actions will make the biggest difference to your safety.

Most of the dangerous incidents I've seen, or have been involved in, could have been avoided entirely if one or both parties were not so belligerent (I understand belligerence, I'm belligerent myself at times on the bike, but it's rarely an attitude compatible with personal safety). Genuine accidents, where neither party were actually at fault to some degree or other are, in my experience, quite rare.

adamski8

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

today was the first time I actually went after an offender. what about when cars are stopped in traffic and taking over the cycle lane, I normally go around them to the right, does anyway knock on their window to point out they are obstructing the cyclists lane? some drivers do it out of spite I think

i dont think they do, usually a cycle lane in ireland is just painted onto a traffic lane making the lane not wide enough for a car to be in unless they are in the cycle lane.
I dont cycle much but when i do damn it can be scarey

indigo751

I hate taxi drivers, they really think they own the road, I have had a few problems with them. One that really pxxxx me off was when I was cycling along the Quays and this idot TAXI driver who was parked just opens his door without looking in his mirror and nearly hit me, it was like he was waiting for me to get close so he could hit me but lucky I saw him just in time and moved. then the prick had the nerve to say it was my fault, I reply by saying the the mirrors on his van are there for a reason and that your parked idot how is it my fault. anyway ah ah dumb ass you missed lol

kumate_champ07

indigo751 wrote: »

I hate taxi drivers, they really think they own the road, I have had a few problems with them. One that really pxxxx me off was when I was cycling along the Quays and this idot TAXI driver who was parked just opens his door without looking in his mirror and nearly hit me, it was like he was waiting for me to get close so he could hit me but lucky I saw him just in time and moved. then the prick had the nerve to say it was my fault, I reply by saying the the mirrors on his van are there for a reason and that your parked idot how is it my fault. anyway ah ah dumb ass you missed lol

you cant hate all taxi drivers, there are a few that are assholes, same as some cylists tho taxi drivers have the mentality that they have more of a right to the roads because they pay for a licence and also the road tax.

I have come across some really ignorant and dangerous taxi drivers but Im not gonna label them all the same. a lot of taxi drivers hate cyclists because they go thru red lights all the time and pull into lanes without indicating, I stop at red lights and its not fair for them to hold a grudge against me because I happen to be on a bike.

I glance at wing mirrors on cars to check if the driver is gonna open the door, thats if I dont have enough room to keep at a safe distance. alot of taxi ranks seem to by right next to cyle lanes, the drivers in terenure like to stand in the cycle lane at other drivers car windows having chats.

christeb

I selected 4+. However, I think I'm getting slightly sensitive to traffic. I probably cycle too aggressively, but am well lit and expect others to see me. I generally shout / gesture at a car / taxi/ bus once every day, on Thurs last I smacked my hand on the hood of an SUV who was just about to turn into my lane. On Tues last I saw a fellow cyclist very nearly crash into a taxi who turned right in front of him. If he wasn't an experienced cyclist he would have been over the bonnet. 2 recent examples. My point? I'm not sure, just that it's dangerous out there kids, always have your hands on the brakes. Oh and I have disc brakes on the commuter too, they've saved my bacon many times.

tomasrojo

As I said before, if anyone is having close calls several times a month, read Cyclecraft or maybe the rather more irascible Effective Cycling. It should give you a quieter life. Did for me.

Again, I have a scan of quite a good pamphlet from the Galway Cycling Campaign that sums up the major points of Cyclecraft. PM me if you want a copy.

Alanstrainor

I honestly can't remember getting caught up in any "potentially serious accidents" in the last year. And i commute into Dublin city centre Monday to Friday and go for cycles on the weekends up and around the Dublin Mountains. I have been caught in a two accidents in the last 3ish years, but they were the kind of things that were just unavoidable imo.

indigo751

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

you cant hate all taxi drivers, there are a few that are assholes, same as some cylists tho taxi drivers have the mentality that they have more of a right to the roads because they pay for a licence and also the road tax.

I have come across some really ignorant and dangerous taxi drivers but Im not gonna label them all the same. a lot of taxi drivers hate cyclists because they go thru red lights all the time and pull into lanes without indicating, I stop at red lights and its not fair for them to hold a grudge against me because I happen to be on a bike.

I glance at wing mirrors on cars to check if the driver is gonna open the door, thats if I dont have enough room to keep at a safe distance. alot of taxi ranks seem to by right next to cyle lanes, the drivers in terenure like to stand in the cycle lane at other drivers car windows having chats.

I have had way to many run in with taxi drivers, like when they think its ok to drive through a red light and nearly hit me, or when they all of a sudden turn left with no warning. there is alot of Idots on the road I am just saying alot of them a taxi drivers. Im not saying we are angles eather. but that taxi driver new i was coming and I new he was there how else was i able to avoid been hit

Beasty

This is not a taxi driver (or bus driver) bashing thread. I am sure most of us have examples where drivers of certain types have caused problems. If you have personal experiences you want to mention, then fine, but please do not tar everyone with the same brush

Thanks

Beasty

MrCreosote

indigo751 wrote: »

I have had way to many run in with taxi drivers, like when they think its ok to drive through a red light and nearly hit me, or when they all of a sudden turn left with no warning. there is alot of Idots on the road I am just saying alot of them a taxi drivers. Im not saying we are angles eather. but that taxi driver new i was coming and I new he was there how else was i able to avoid been hit

Taxi drivers, cyclists, peds...we can all be pretty obtuse. It's just a matter of degrees if you ask me. It's when the different forms of transport intersect that the problems get acute.

Bunnyhopper

MrCreosote wrote: »

Taxi drivers, cyclists, peds...we can all be pretty obtuse. It's just a matter of degrees if you ask me. It's when the different forms of transport intersect that the problems get acute.

Well, that's your angle on it, I suppose

wersal gummage

christeb wrote: »

I selected 4+. I generally shout / gesture at a car / taxi/ bus once every day

for your own sake, have a good think about your behaviour on the road next time you are out. the next time you have to shout at someone, ask yourself how that situation happened and how you could have avoided it. if you are having near misses on a daily basis i would be certain it is YOU that is at fault and not other road users.

monument

To those who have a lot of serious close calls very often:

Please read Cyclecraft.

Just read the main chapters at least. Go get some cycle training if you can find it. Or, if not, at least, please stop cycling so close to the kerb (applies to most cyclists). Cycling close to the kerb allows motorists to pass you really close.

DirkVoodoo

wersal gummage wrote: »

for your own sake, have a good think about your behaviour on the road next time you are out. the next time you have to shout at someone, ask yourself how that situation happened and how you could have avoided it. if you are having near misses on a daily basis i would be certain it is YOU that is at fault and not other road users.

A lot of my "incidents" (not really near misses) happen at the leopardstown roundabout. People just don't yield to bikes, so they either don't brake as they approach and cut across you, or continue to move while you are passing and exiting the roundabout.

Irish people really need to learn to use roundabouts, I've seen some ridiculous stuff on that one both in a car and on a bike.

Civilian_Target

Honestly, roundabouts just suck on bikes, no matter where you are. If you think Irish people are bad, I've seen people reversing on roundabouts in France!

doozerie

It's car-centric, but this recent report simply confirms the fact that the Irish and roundabouts are a largely incompatible mix. Here are the first few paragraphs:

Up to 45% of Irish motorists have been involved in a collision or near miss on a roundabout within the last three years, a survey by AA motor insurance can reveal.

Only 3% of these were actual collisions whereas 42% admitted to having a close call, the survey of more than 6,800 motorists has revealed.

This follows the results of an earlier AA motor insurance survey where drivers cited "lack of signaling on roundabouts" as one of the most common driver errors they regularly observe.

Of those who have been involved in an incident on roundabouts, AA motor insurance learned that 8% admitted to being at fault. A further 72% blamed the driver of another car.

Following this 7% said a van or truck driver was culpable and 3% attributed blame to a motorcyclist.

Pedestrians or cyclists were very rarely listed as the cause.

I've seen people reversing around roundabouts here too. I've only seen it on the smaller roundabouts as presumably it'd be, er, dangerous to do so on a larger roundabout, or something (though I may be making the mistake here of assuming that such people put any thought whatsoever into what they are doing!).

On a couple of occasions I've also seen a driver enter a local roundabout at the edges of my estate via the wrong lane (i.e. as they approached the roundabout they switched to the other side of the road to enter the roundabout via an exit lane) so that they could take a quick right turn - the prospect of actually going round the roundabout was apparently too daunting for them, bless 'em. It's not one of the very small roundabouts either. How such people have survived this long is a mystery to me.

Jawgap

I feckin' hate taxi drivers!!!

A few years ago I came off on some ice and one stopped to help me - completely undermining my ability to post irrational generalisations about this class of driver - I'd have preferred if he'd just laughed and kept driving.

Instead, he scraped me off the road, called a mate of his with a seven-seater to take the bike home and took me off to A&E.

Why can't they all just conform to stereotype??

......and to add insult to a broken collarbone, the second person to stop and help was Beamer driver and a woman at that!

Alanstrainor

Jawgap wrote: »

I feckin' hate taxi drivers!!!

A few years ago I came off on some ice and one stopped to help me - completely undermining my ability to post irrational generalisations about this class of driver - I'd have preferred if he'd just laughed and kept driving.

Instead, he scraped me off the road, called a mate of his with a seven-seater to take the bike home and took me off to A&E.

Why can't they all just conform to stereotype??

......and to add insult to a broken collarbone, the second person to stop and help was Beamer driver and a woman at that!

Jaysis. Fair play to the taxi driver!

rp

Civilian_Target wrote: »

Honestly, roundabouts just suck on bikes, no matter where you are.

I don't mind them, but you need to take the lane and take the same line as motorised traffic. On my commute, down Walkinstown av, there are 'bike lanes' painted around a couple of the roundabouts: if you ride on these, you put yourself in motorists blindspots, and if they do see you, they assume you are turning off at the exit before and pull out in front of you.
My tactic is to get to the front of the queue, time it right and get through the roundabout as quickly as possible - the cars seem to wait until the r'about is totally empty before venturing on to it.

Civilian_Target

Don't worry, RP, I've been doing all that for years. But getting to the front of the queue in the right lane on a bicycle is, in itself, not a lot of fun. And then holding the lane against cars squeezing from other lanes and entrances isn't great either... on a bike or in a car!

fikay

I got side swiped by a left turning car last week.Kind of shook me up a little.

Also in the last month or so I've seen two incidents where cyclists have had close calls in situations where they simply weren’t seen.
In each case I'd have to blame poor driving however I don't think it is a coincidence that these incidents are occurring at times that a month ago would have been during daylight hours.
I wear a hi-vis and have good front and rear lights but I think, particularly at this time of year, that you have to assume that you won't be seen by folks who aren't used to driving home in the dark.
I was so pissed off picking myself and my bike off the road the other evening but I think I'll take it on board. Somebody else’s fcuk up can really mess you up, you need to try to anticipate it.
/Preachy preachy preachy preach./

HivemindXX

I saw a documentary a while ago that stated that roundabouts were designed to reduce the severity of crashes. Meaning two cars meet at an angle 30kph and go crunch instead of one T-boning the other at 80kph. The undesired side effect of increasing the number of collisions was considered an acceptable trade off for reducing the severity of those collisions.

funkyjebus

HivemindXX wrote: »

I saw a documentary a while ago that stated that roundabouts were designed to reduce the severity of crashes. Meaning two cars meet at an angle 30kph and go crunch instead of one T-boning the other at 80kph. The undesired side effect of increasing the number of collisions was considered an acceptable trade off for reducing the severity of those collisions.

ah frequency over severity, this thread is starting to sound like my job!

rp

fikay wrote: »

Somebody else’s fcuk up can really mess you up, you need to try to anticipate it/

Reminds me of the old German joke: Common epitaph "He had the right-of-way"

ollaetta

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

what about when cars are stopped in traffic and taking over the cycle lane, I normally go around them to the right, does anyway knock on their window to point out they are obstructing the cyclists lane?

I pass them on the inside and either glare at them or occasionally let a roar. A while back, I passed a few cars stopped at lights in a continuous white line cycle lane in Harold's Cross. I glared at the driver of one which was almost touching the footpath. It was an unmarked Garda car and he didn't like it one bit. He sounded the siren briefly and mouthed something like F*ck you! Charming!

Dandelion6

I normally find pedestrians are a bigger hazard than drivers but twice this week I've had near misses where a car got way too close when overtaking. In the first case I think it was just a lost and careless driver not paying enough attention, but the second one (last night) was definitely a deliberate effort by a psychopath. I hope this isn't the start of a trend.