In my case there was no video. We looked everywhere for surveillance cams near the scene. It would not have prevented my accident but it would have brought someone to court perhaps preventing another accident.
It bothers me this was in my hood on a residential 25mph street. How many times have I passed this driver since?
Its called Victim Blaming Whilst perhaps you could have done something (such as riding more centrally to dissuade the majority of drivers. There are still pr1cks out there, no matter what you do and they are 100% to blame, not the victim
I am not necessarily disagree.
But IF the rider is hit, then the driver may argue that the rider is at fault because he was driving out of where he/she was supposed to be driving.
Not only we need to protect ourselves out there, but also we need to make sure we follow the rules so they cant blame us for their mistakes and carelessness.
And they would be wrong. They read the first part of the regulation then stop because they like what it says. The rest of the clauses effectively neutralize the rule. Even riding on the shoulder is generally not required due to the lack of maintenance causing the collection of debris.
Itās not victim blaming teaching someone how to ride safely. Road riding is dangerous, full stop. Taking a woe is me stance on others predictable responses to you is a good way to accelerate becoming someoneās hood ornament.
People drive too fast. People donāt pay enough attention. People are overly aggressive to anything that gives them any perceived amount of inconvenience. All true statements that a rider canāt fix. Focus on what you can.
Iām all for mitigating by riding more centrally etc and would advise anyone to do so, but blaming the victim of a poor overtake for not riding centrally and encouraging that poor overtake is 100% victim blaming.
āRide closer to the centerline, they wonāt do that.ā
āCars will do that if you are riding in the gutter. Center up.ā
I donāt know how you want it communicated that itās a known reaction for cars to close pass someone in the gutter and not surprising or overly offensive that they are doing it.
Or the opioid idiot that killed my nephew on a 25mph street while his wife and 12 year old son watched n horror. Then he smashed and buried the car to hide the evidence.
I get what @ErickVH is saying. Having ridden road for decades I came to this conclusion years ago.
If you ride far enough over to the right, the car will squeek through between you and the center line.
The center line presents some kind of mental block for drivers and they donāt want to cross it. By riding a little more to the left, you encourage the driver to break the mental barrier of crossing over the center line.
I actually use this technique in conjunction with my Garmin Varia radar. I ride in the lane which forces the overtaking driver to cross the line but also use the radar positioning to drift right at the last second giving myself more room at the exact moment I need it.
From the Government of Manitoba:
Your responsibilities as a cyclist:
⢠Ride respectfully. The same traffic laws that apply to motorists also
apply to you.
⢠Use hand signals and eye contact to communicate your actions.
⢠Obey traffic control signals and signs.
⢠Ride in a straight line and do not weave between parked vehicles.
⢠Do not ride on the sidewalk.
⢠Ride single file when riding with other cyclists.
⢠Ride as closely as practicable* to the right-hand side of the road.
⢠Increase your visibility by wearing brightly coloured clothing.
⢠Use a white front light and a red or amber rear light
The Pentagon Papers in June 1971, but Iāll take August 9, 1974. Drug and gun running followed by straight lies was easy after that. Before this it was the sins of the father (Roosevelt, Kennedy, etc).
This doesnāt mean what you think it means. It is not illegal to occupy the lane. Practicable works for you as a cyclist just as much as it works for any other vehicle.
excerpt from a Bike Lawyer in NC.
When dealing with a single travel lane, it is important for a bicyclist to
understand what the āclose as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge
of the highwayā means. This language is not further defined anywhere in
North Carolina law so we are left to apply our judgment, experience and
logic. Surely no one could logically conclude that āpracticableā requires
behavior that is unsafe. Riding far to the right of a lane is, more often
than not, unsafe.
Consider these factors:
How fast is other traff ic traveling?
How wide is the lane?
Am I riding beside parked cars where doors could be opened?
Where am I the most visible?
Are there obstacles or debris in the road?
Is there a usable bike lane?
The higher the speed limit, the more room you want between you and a
passing motorist. This does not mean ride further over to the right to give
the motorist room to pass. If you do this, motorists will squeeze by you
without leaving the lane. Motorists often misjudge their width; the result
being you may get hit with a side rearview mirror or run off the road.
Most cycling safety experts today agree that it is safest for the bicyclist
to ride far enough into the lane (also known as ācontrolling the laneā or
āoccupying the laneā) to make it clear to motorists that they must move
into the next lane to pass. Riding closer to the center of the lane also
makes you more visible to motorists who may cross your path at driveways
and intersections, and keeps you away from hazards at the edge of the road.
but flip coin⦠riding closer to center might cause even more road rage from people, and could potentially create unsafe environment for rider and drivers.
In theory what you wrote SHOULD work, and people should be smart enough to understand that.
In practice, it doesnt work and people are not that smart.
I, for example, dont want to be in front of the Diesel Pickup truck with the 20" lift kit and super extra wide tires when he is late to the bar to have a few cold one with his friendsā¦
āTaking the laneā is definitely a critical tactic in some situationsā¦but it is not advisable in all situations, all the time.
It is very much situational and needs to be deployed where appropriate, necessary and when the rider feels they need to. And every cyclist will likely have different pressure points on when those situations / conditions occur.
In my experience, the real danger is almost never coming from someone road raging out. Yes, it happens, but the fact that itās a national story when it happens tells you how rare it is. I may be lucky, but where I ride itās rare I get someone who yells, throws something, or does an intentional close-pass.
The real danger comes from inattentive drivers, texting drivers, etc⦠My take is if someoneās pissed off youāre taking a safe lane position, that means they see you.
This is definitely trueāitās a judgement call. But Iāve found the near-misses Iāve been in are almost always a result of working too hard not to inconvenience drivers.