Am I a target for bad drivers?????

Tarmac Terrorist

Sorry for the rant guys and gals. Last week i got knocked off by a guy who decided he wanted to turn left with indicating glazing my front wheel and i went over. He then proceeded to drive off....another motorist stopped and offered to assist me 'obtain' him, we drove around to find him, but he was long gone.

Today a van cuts me up causing me to brake hard and a another cyclist nearly runs into me. Then a woman decides to jump of the curb and run across the road right in front of me, god knows how i didnt hit her and then, im moving a bit of speed, I look round some woman is driving right up my a**, I start signinalling, but am scared to start braking as she is so close, i sit up, look round and gester that she is too close, she tells me to fuck off, overtakes on my right causing me to miss my turn and cuts in front off me. I shall be fitting a helmet cam this weekend, cos im gonna kill a driver soon.......

rant over......... happy days - be safe!

Jeremy Parker

Tarmac Terrorist wrote:

Sorry for the rant guys and gals. Last week i got knocked off by a guy who decided he wanted to turn left with indicating glazing my front wheel and i went over. He then proceeded to drive off....another motorist stopped and offered to assist me 'obtain' him, we drove around to find him, but he was long gone.

Today a van cuts me up causing me to brake hard and a another cyclist nearly runs into me. Then a woman decides to jump of the curb and run across the road right in front of me, god knows how i didnt hit her and then, im moving a bit of speed, I look round some woman is driving right up my a**, I start signinalling, but am scared to start braking as she is so close, i sit up, look round and gester that she is too close, she tells me to fark off, overtakes on my right causing me to miss my turn and cuts in front off me. I shall be fitting a helmet cam this weekend, cos im gonna kill a driver soon.......

rant over......... happy days - be safe!

Sorry to hear that. I hope that you are ok.

The question is, I suppose, is whether there is anything you can do to prevent it happening again.

Two suggestions

1. Don't be a gutterbunny rider. There's such a thing as being too cautious to be safe.

If, at an intersection, most traffic is going straight on, ride in roughly the neaside tyre track of the path of the cars. If the majority of the traffic turns left, or even if a consierable fraction of the traffic does, ride towards the right hand side of the lane, rather than the left.

2. Learn the "instant turn", so that you can indeed make an instant turn, left, faster than the car can turn. That's the turn where you start the turn by moving your handlebars right, to turn left.

John Franklin's "Cyclecraft" is, of course the bible for riding in among other traffic, but I think John Forester's "Effective Cycling" is better at explaining instant turns

Good luck

Jeremy Parker

il_principe

Tarmac Terrorist wrote:

I shall be fitting a helmet cam this weekend, cos im gonna kill a driver soon.....

... if you're gonna kill one of the feckers then I'd suggest you don't capture the event on camera...

Aidy

Some pedestrians really do seem to live in a little world of their own.

Had this the other day, made eye contact with a woman on the pavement looking to cross. I distinctly held eye contact to be sure she'd know I was there. She looks around the other way, and then jumps out in front of me, when I'm about a foot away, dragging her two small children behind her. I'm doing the best part of 30 mph. Her children are both smaller than my wheels. Hmm. Cue manic powerslide around her.

Headhuunter

These are all too familiar occurences unfortunately.

Over the years I have learned to hang back and not next to motorists just before left turns as they will very often suddenly chuck a left without indicating. Never overtake near a left turn. Give yourself space to brake if they do turn. Another thing to watch is cars turning right across your path when someone in your lane, caught in slow moving traffic, stops to let them turn right. If the vehicle letting them through is a high sided lorry or van, more often than not the first thing you know is when the turning vehicle suddenly emerges from the traffic on your side and almost takes you out.

As for your right turn, you need to be confident, take the lane, block the silly b1tch, you have as much right to turn as she does to drive straight on, don't be timid, give yourself space on the road, if drivers honk at you either ignore or give 'em the finger.

As for peds, I always slow at crossing points even if I have right of way, if I think there is any risk or someone stepping out in front of me I shout excuse me, to let them know I'm coming through. As for peds emerging from the traffic, yuo just have to keep your eyes open. If they come out from behind a high sided vehicle then it's tough. I have hit a couple of peds wandering out from the other side of a lorry or van which was blocking my view.

Fortunately in London peds and drivers are becoming more and more and more aware of cyclists in my experience

doog442

Ride defensively and use some advance observation

the guy who turned left and knocked you off...were you up his inside for example..expect the worst... Did you clock him clocking you?

Indicators dont mean much..

as for drivers up the arse..just move into the centre of the road if you are approaching your junction and they can stay up your arse all day

It takes time and confidence... pedestrians they cant hear you so look out for them

you havent mentioned dog owners.... can i :evil:

Tarmac Terrorist

cheers for the advice guys. I am honest with myself and think if there is something i could do differently to prevent an incedent. But in those situations above, i'm not sure, but I will take notice of above advice. The cycle cam is merely for my protection if i have such incedents again, i was a little heated earlier, but it makes me angry as you dont have the protection of a car around you and you think about what state you could end up in if you get hit.

the_hundredth_idiot

Tarmac Terrorist wrote:

cheers for the advice guys. I am honest with myself and think if there is something i could do differently to prevent an incedent. But in those situations above, i'm not sure, but I will take notice of above advice. The cycle cam is merely for my protection if i have such incedents again, i was a little heated earlier, but it makes me angry as you dont have the protection of a car around you and you think about what state you could end up in if you get hit.

+1

When things have got a bit hairy, I can't help but get angry at the muppets who try to kill me for the sake of a few seconds.

But I also try to reflect afterwards to see if I was at all in the wrong or if there is something I can reasonably do differently next time to minimise the chance of it happening again regardless of who is right or wrong. The words of my motorbike instructor (told to me as a fresh faced 17 year old) still ring true, "It's all very well being right, problem is that you could be dead right." :roll:

And that's enough cheesy cliches from me for tonight. I'm logging off and heading out to duel with the muppets.

chuckcork

The Hundredth Idiot wrote:

But I also try to reflect afterwards to see if I was at all in the wrong or if there is something I can reasonably do differently next time to minimise the chance of it happening again regardless of who is right or wrong. The words of my motorbike instructor (told to me as a fresh faced 17 year old) still ring true, "It's all very well being right, problem is that you could be dead right." :roll:

Mine told me "right or wrong, you lose"