bike crash video

[amberwolf]

It's like the situations here where there's a green light, but you can't go (safely) because morons are still turning left in front of you even though they have a red arrow and are supposed to stop and wait for the next green arrow. (some cities and/or intersections here don't have/use a red arrow, so you can still keep turning left as long as you're not crossing in front of traffic going the other way and it's green for your original direction).

I've had more than a few drivers behind me honking at me to go when it would be the death of me to do so because of that, but they probably aren't looking at the cars already in the intersection, just the color of the light. Occasionally one will gun their engine and swerve left around me partway into the other lane, nearly scraping other cars, then start to enter the intersection and have to skid to a halt with locked brakes because otherwise they'd hit the cars that are still illegally turning left....

 

[SamSpeed]

Dogman, I kindof winced when I read that right of way thing. It might be more proper to say something like "you might have the right of way, but don't assert it and don't expect the other fellow to yield just cause the law says so. Don't push your luck, in other words". Having said that, I've been known to boldly take the lane as appropriate.

But when you say to, "Always ride as though your were invisible" -- that is the best possible advice ever! I learned that lesson years ago riding in Chicago streets. And that concept has saved my rear more than once regardless of what I'm driving.

 

[Evoforce]

Oh my gosh, with some of the comments that are made here...Some would be so nervous to ride here, that they would cause the accidents while on their bike. There is a thing such as being too cautious that also causes death and accidents. You run out in the road like a skittish cat here you will get run over. Kinda like jumping off your bike for a perceived brush with a car to land in the path of a bus. Some people just do not get the idea of what a risk it is to ride in huge metropolitan areas. The bicycle had lights on and it was a 22 year old car driver that hit him. Last report no dui. I assume inexperience or distraction.I am sure the bicycle rider had car headlights blinding him in the intersection. Many motorcycle and auto accidents here also. We all statistically make 2 mistakes for every one mile driven. I wouldn't be able to make it 2 miles here if I was so paranoid that I was swerving or jumping off or stopping evertime I was afraid a driver around me was looking like they were about to make a wrong move. You do have to take a reasonable amount of command or they will run all over you anyway. I've been riding motorcycles for decades and have to put up with people not seeing me that way either. Hell I just got rear ended in my car at a stoplight in May totaling my car and shoveing us into the vehicle in front. The young woman driving said she didn't see us stopped because she was looking down. At what, who knows? (you guess). Let's not even start talking about all of the aged drivers that cause a ton of accidents here without even realizing it. And John, I agree with you about the speed... gotta be able to go as fast as the cars on city streets. It is safer that way.

 

[Evoforce]

I feel sorry for the families that are affected by this accident. It could happen to any of us on either side of this situation.

 

[dogman dan]

I don't ride like a skittish cat at all. I just ride like I will lose in any contact, and assume they never see me. I've seen them see me, and still ignore my right of way plenty o times. Because I'm ready and know how, I change directions when I have to, and the only contact with a car I have had in 35 years has been me kicking one.

I truly feel for the rider and his family. But what I see in that video would have been avoided by a more road savvy rider. There's always more guys turning left after the first one. Really a shame the guy didn't know that. You gotta survive the first year, to make the long haul on bikes.

Good point about the headlights, the bike rider may have been as unaware of the second car, as the second car was of his presence. That could explain the whole thing.

 

[Evoforce]

Well, I might agree with your speculation Dogman, that the driver that hit this bike, may not have relooked up this street, when the first car maybe blocked his view of the bike rider. And we can also speculate that the bike rider, may have been blinded by the headlights of the car, and may not have been able to tell if it was going to stop in the intersection, as it was supposed to do. We can assume that neither of them intended to hit each other. You know, the video really doesn't do justice to the fact, of how hard it is for all of us to be making multiple split second decisions, based on not having all the facts, and having to best guess when it comes to someone elses actions. Gee, sounds like it applies to life in general! I have to say that riding and trying to watch out for everyone else, and trying to anticipate there moves, is lifesaving. Have to agree with a helmet on an e-bike in traffic also. D-man I was not referring to you as a skittish rider. I don't know how you ride but you are still sucessfully here. Someday we will meet for fun.

 

[veloman]

This accident looks completely avoidable for the cyclist. First, he clearly doesn't have sufficient lighting. Also, the car that hit him wasn't close enough to the first car for his view to be block. Both cars look to of had their signals on.

From the looks of it, it seems the cyclist had enough time to swerve to the left.

If you watch closely and pause the video at the exact frame where the 2nd car BEGINS to make his turn, you can see that the cyclist is quite far back, at least 40ft - which is more than enough space to swerve quickly. Honestly, it looks like the cyclist did nothing to slow or swerve away. Maybe he didn't have good brakes (good reason to upgrade those weak ones). And he hits the passenger side front corner of the car, which IMO shows that yes, he did have enough time to react. In this type of situation, there is a very small window of danger for a cyclist where they can't outmanuever such a collision. It looks like he was on the early end, just outside that window.

But really, if you are going to ride at night on a high speed bike especially, you HAVE to have top quality lighting.

And as someone else said, when you have cars turning left, you should always assume the one behind is going to follow the first one without carefully looking. And even then, in such a situation it is best to slow down and not assume the driver sees you.

You've got to ride more defensively and smarter.

 

[knoxie]

Agree 100% veloman, he needed better lighting for sure, people pull out on me all the time I come to expect it I sometimes get cross about it but I then have to remember I am going a hell of a lot faster than they are expecting.

Really good front and rear lights are essential, the lights must have side illumination as I have already stressed, you can't make yourself visible enough in my book, it could just be the difference.

Wear a helmet, equip your bike with the best brakes you can afford and keep them well adjusted, equip your bike with the best lights you can afford also, fit a kill switch get a decent horn and always assume drivers havent seen you, never trust an cars indicators, go with your instincts! I think these are all key things.

A lot of folks on here spend a lot of money on making their bikes very fast but forget most of the above I calculate risk as part of my job so it is ingrained in me I just cant help it! I like things to be fast and fun but not unsafe and dangerous.

So many kids round here ride without lights and just cross the road without looking however it is rarely kids that seem to get killed, its always someone with a day glow vest and all the gear ?

Knoxie