Very close shave today

ForumNewbie

I was out cycling today and going fast along a rolling quiet country road when I saw a car stop at a side road on left just ahead. As it had stopped I kept pressing on doing over 20 mph. After obviously not checking in my direction, the car then started to pull out to turn right in front of me. I slammed on my brakes as the woman driver at last saw me and stopped the car half way out into the road and I just managed to skid round the front of the car, nearly falling off as my bike wobbled in the skid. As I turned round after I had managed to stop the bike she did look shocked and mouthed an apology.

I was angy and a bit shaken but just started up again and carried on. If I hadn't recently upgraded my brakes or if the road had been wet, I'm sure I would have smashed into the side of the car and probabaly been thrown off the bike and been seriously injured at best.

It has made me realise just how vulnerable we are at the hands of idiots or careless drivers.

giant_man

ForumNewbie wrote:

I was out cycling today and going fast along a rolling quiet country road when I saw a car stop at a side road on left just ahead. As it had stopped I kept pressing on doing over 20 mph. After obviously not checking in my direction, the car then started to pull out to turn right in front of me. I slammed on my brakes as the woman driver at last saw me and stopped the car half way out into the road and I just managed to skid round the front of the car, nearly falling off as my bike wobbled in the skid. As I turned round after I had managed to stop the bike she did look shocked and mouthed an apology.

I was angy and a bit shaken but just started up again and carried on. If I hadn't recently upgraded my brakes or if the road had been wet, I'm sure I would have smashed into the side of the car and probabaly been thrown off the bike and been seriously injured at best.

It has made me realise just how vulnerable we are at the hands of idiots or careless drivers.

+1 - How true!

Hrun

Before this degenerates, this is the sort of driver who would have just as likely pulled out in front of another car as a bike. Some people shouldn't have a licence.

Glad you got round her. Worth pulling into primary next time you spot this senario coming so you have room to manoeuvre without a car trying to overtake as well.

NeilMick

I usually deliberately slow down when im approaching a side road where a car is waiting to pull out, you can never be sure and always give you a bit more time to react, i'd rather lose a little bit of speed than come off and not be able to cycle at all, also try and make eye contact whenever possible!

1_reaper

Oh how i know the way you feel.

ForumNewbie

NeilMick wrote:

I usually deliberately slow down when im approaching a side road where a car is waiting to pull out, you can never be sure and always give you a bit more time to react, i'd rather lose a little bit of speed than come off and not be able to cycle at all, also try and make eye contact whenever possible!

I have been trying to improve my fitness and speeds recently as my average speeds are very poor compared to most people on this forum. I was going great guns today and powering along in the big ring - but you're right, better safe than sorry. I'll certainly be more aware in future.

Just also thought if she had done that and it had been a club run with say 10 or more riders, and the guys in front had to jump on the brakes like I did, it really could have been a chaotic pile up. As I don't ride in groups myself just wondering how groups copes with situations like this as it must happen at the speeds they go at?

thel33ter

ForumNewbie wrote:

NeilMick wrote:

I usually deliberately slow down when im approaching a side road where a car is waiting to pull out, you can never be sure and always give you a bit more time to react, i'd rather lose a little bit of speed than come off and not be able to cycle at all, also try and make eye contact whenever possible!

I have been trying to improve my fitness and speeds recently as my average speeds are very poor compared to most people on this forum. I was going great guns today and powering along in the big ring - but you're right, better safe than sorry. I'll certainly be more aware in future.

Just also thought if she had done that and it had been a club run with say 10 or more riders, and the guys in front had to jump on the brakes like I did, it really could have been a chaotic pile up. As I don't ride in groups myself just wondering how groups copes with situations like this as it must happen at the speeds they go at?

Hope for the best

That reminds me, I need new brake pads, ATM I may as well shove a marshmallow against the rim they are so sh!te.

wilshawk

about 98% of drivers are okay, 2% are imbeciles, but we dont know which ones they are, so you just have to asume any driver could be that imbecile, in short, trust no one..

daviesee

wilshawk wrote:

about 98% of drivers are okay, 2% are imbeciles, but we dont know which ones they are, so you just have to asume any driver could be that imbecile, in short, trust no one..

there be the truth!

sundog

Alls well that ends well

rick_chasey

Close is as good as a miss.

CyclingBantam

ForumNewbie wrote:

NeilMick wrote:

I usually deliberately slow down when im approaching a side road where a car is waiting to pull out, you can never be sure and always give you a bit more time to react, i'd rather lose a little bit of speed than come off and not be able to cycle at all, also try and make eye contact whenever possible!

I have been trying to improve my fitness and speeds recently as my average speeds are very poor compared to most people on this forum. I was going great guns today and powering along in the big ring - but you're right, better safe than sorry. I'll certainly be more aware in future.

Just also thought if she had done that and it had been a club run with say 10 or more riders, and the guys in front had to jump on the brakes like I did, it really could have been a chaotic pile up. As I don't ride in groups myself just wondering how groups copes with situations like this as it must happen at the speeds they go at?

Just a point to note, always reduce the speeds.you see on here by about 10%. Not always made up but they are often provided based on way above average performances!

Glad you were ok.

neeb

Always best to move into the middle of the road (just left of the white lines) when approaching a side road with a car waiting to pull out. You are more visible, any traffic behind has to wait to overtake (and they will usually understand why you are doing it), and if you do get an idiot who pulls out in front of you, you have more time to react and more options. Also good to try to make eye contact with the driver - even although you can't do this very well at 20mph, it somehow tunes you in to what they are likely to do - you can get a feeling that they are about to pull out, perhaps because of the way the driver is moving/looking.

datpat64

Mentioned loads of times on here in response to this . Eye Contact ! Absolutely key here...
Some one said ealier assume the car is driven by on eof the 2% of drivers who should n't be on the road at all and proceed accordingly.

I've had two offs and a near miss in the last 8 months amazingly all of the same 800 yard stretch of road. It's a mile and half form my house and whn I hit it I'm really gunning as I'm always timing and trying to improve. Drivers simply don't estimate the speed and pull out or simply don't see / look ! I've go home a different way these days !

Glad you're OK

Dave

ex-pat scot

Blimey!
I get near misses most days in town. Cars (a) do not expect you to be riding 20-22mph (b) think they have priority when pulling out or generally maneouvring (c) worryingly seem to do it on purpose to provoke.

Regardless of who has the right- you will come off worse.

Bunch riding tends to be (IMO) quite good at anticipating stupid / dangerous driving. Lots of pulling out, pre-emptive riding full-width in the road when unsafe for cars to overtake, lots of calling out of hazards etc.

I generally assume

(1) unless I get eye contact, the driver WILL pull out / pull over / stop / accelerate
(2) the driver is one of the dangerous nutters on the road and needs as wide a berth and caution as possible.

Doesn't protect you all the time, but turns accidents into near misses enough of the time for me...

rake

same thing last week riding through the village. i was going up the high street maybe 25 mph car parked outside shop on right hand side facing my direction pulls forward and swings across the road sideways to do a u turn about 10m away. braking on full had to skid sideways at same angle as car to save my forks. stopped parallel with car shoulders touching the room.it makes you think. i really didnt think i could stop., would have wrecked my carbon bike.im going to get a helmet cam but have no idea whats good. also the week before that had 1 of three huddies riding bmx's swerving side to side leaning right back along the cycle track. just as we passed he swerved in my direction maybe expecting me to leap out the way, the end of his bars clattered my drops turning his bars, looking round i hear a muffled f***inghell as he rolled of the bike. again very luck no damage to my bike, dont know how id go with a personal claim against a yob. served him right. id been on a multigym the night before and my arms very still quite stiff so my bars didnt budge. it was quite funny.