This is the best simple, straightforward guide about how to safely ride in the city that I think I've ever seen. I especially want to impress #9, subpoint 2 on, like, everybody in the world. Hat tip to coraline.
When I was in high school, I got hit from behind by a car in exactly the way described by point #9; I swerved out to avoid an obstacle and got hit. Fortunately, I went onto the hood of the car whereas the bike went underneath.
That is a great guide. But it doesn't mention BRIGHT PINK horns and braids to ensure visibility. What's wrong with these people?
Seriously, I bet you're significantly increasing your visibility here, not just the color, but by having something unusual enough that the automated part of the brain just has to tell the conscious part to pay attention to it. Flamboyance for the safety win!
This is actually part of my reasoning. I mean, I like flamboyance, but it also *totally* increases visibility. This is why my other helmet has big purple dinosaur spines.
That does have some good stuff. And 9.2 was one that took me a while to learn.
However all that "Ride To The Left" stuff could also get you into trouble. I guess it's all about the percentages, and it being better to be honked at than creamed.
As a car driver I think I also really hate cyclists who are jerks in traffic in unnecessary ways, running red lights in traffic, things like that; I just wind up thinking, HEY, it's YOU that makes cars think I'm an asshole when I'm on a bike! GRRR.
When I'm on a bike, I just mumble "rzmfrzm!@#^^*!% hotshot hipster" at those people, because from that perspective they bother me less.
Oddly enough, once, while cycling, I wound up rear-ending a car which violated the recommendation of 9.2. I was moving along at a fair clip (20+) in the city, some guy in a car moving faster passed me on the right, swerved back in front of me, and slammed on his brakes!
Also, 9.2 is better described as "you commit a moving violation by swerving in front of another driver without signaling, and pay for your sins by getting hit. Ooops - bad you!"
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moominmolly) wrote2009-06-03 10:53 am
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Seriously, I bet you're significantly increasing your visibility here, not just the color, but by having something unusual enough that the automated part of the brain just has to tell the conscious part to pay attention to it. Flamboyance for the safety win!
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This is actually part of my reasoning. I mean, I like flamboyance, but it also *totally* increases visibility. This is why my other helmet has big purple dinosaur spines.
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However all that "Ride To The Left" stuff could also get you into trouble. I guess it's all about the percentages, and it being better to be honked at than creamed.
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As a car driver I think I also really hate cyclists who are jerks in traffic in unnecessary ways, running red lights in traffic, things like that; I just wind up thinking, HEY, it's YOU that makes cars think I'm an asshole when I'm on a bike! GRRR.
When I'm on a bike, I just mumble "rzmfrzm!@#^^*!% hotshot hipster" at those people, because from that perspective they bother me less.
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Also, 9.2 is better described as "you commit a moving violation by swerving in front of another driver without signaling, and pay for your sins by getting hit. Ooops - bad you!"