How To Stay Alive on a Bicycle: Lessons from >25yrs on Two Wheels
Team,
Last night, while riding home from our No Prisoners Ride (NPR), Dino was sorta sideswiped by a parallel parked car pulling out from the right. The situation could likely have been avoided with more situational awareness by both of us.
I've been riding motorcycles on all manner of roads and traffic since 1986. I've been cycling in LA since 2000. I have never had a two wheeled traffic-initiated (?) gravity testing event, he said, knocking on every piece of wood in this Starbucks. So the intent of this post is to share with you the strategies I employ to stay alive. You add yours, we'll flesh this out and turn it into a wiki post.
Rule #1: Always assume you are invisible.
Rule #2: Always assume that when "they" do see you, they will actively try to kill you.
Rule #3: Assume "they" are always evil. Never trust anyone occupying space around you and expect to them do anything at anytime.
Rule #4: Have an escape route, always.
Now that I've totally cheered you up 
let me shotgun how I do what I do:
- Seek less traveled / trafficed routes whenever possible.
- Ride as far to the right as possible, in most situations. More below.
At Intersections, at which you're going to stop (it's a stop sign, you have the red, etc)
- If the lane has a right turn lane, DO NOT stop in the right turn lane. Instead, get as far to the left of that lane as possible, or consider getting behind the car that's going straight. Look back at the right turning motorist behind you and invite them to come through, with a smile and a wave...hopefully creating one less person who wants to kill us all.
- When the light turns green, I'll often bounce to the right and softpedal in the crosswalk, letting the cars next and behind me to accelerate past me. I now should have clean space in front and behind me until the next light. In the end this is largely about GTF out of the way and letting the cars do their thing someplace else so I can do my thing.
Intersections at which you will not stop (you have the green or it's a stop sign you intend to roll intelligently)
- If you're rolling into a green light and there is an oncoming car ahead that wants to turn left, look behind you for a car. If yes = they probably see the car, not you, but don't assume. If no, go on high alert. Assume the driver doesn't see you or, if they do, they underestimate your speed and will likely make a go of it. Watch their eyes. Watch tires, not the car, for the first sign of movement. If the rear is clear, consider moving over to the left a bit, to make you more visible and to open up more options for an escape route to either side, right or left.
- If you're rolling up to a stop sign that you intend to roll, try to time it so that you go through it with a car on your left providing you with a shield.
The car hovering on your left
You're riding and sense a car riding your speed, at about your 7-8pm. Assume this person is thinking about accelerating past you to make that right turn in front of you, hooking you. I'll look back at them, will point to the ground next to me, will move over to the left to protect my position, etc.
Riding like a car
In heavy traffic situations where I can ride at or just below the speed limit, I'll ride in a lane like a car, claiming my space on the road. That said, I'm hammering off lights to maintain my position or I'll use my crosswalk trick to let them get away from me.
Watch Your Right Side
Hazards will usually come from your right. Look for heads in the cars on your right side. If you see a head, look for the face in the mirror. Are they looking at you? Are they about to open the door?
That's just a few. What are your tips for staying alive?
Comments
My last crash (28mph, broken clavicle) was due to a suburban going the opposite way turning left suddenly in front of me, likely because he/she understimated how fast I was going. It almost happened to me again this past weekend, but I was more alert/aware/UNTRUSTING of the driver. When I crashed (over the handlebars), the mistake I made was assuming that the suburban was going to wait until I went by. So, I was still on the aero bars when I realized he was going to turn and I was going to broadside him at 30mph. Had I sat up a few seconds earlier, shifted weight back, slowed, stared him down, the accident could have been avoided ("escape route" per Coach R's lingo). This past weekend, same speed, same situation, same idiot driver, but I did NOT TRUST him and thus was up on the hoods, ready to react to his error in judgement or complete indifference to my presence on HIS road.
I am now deathly afraid of any oncoming vehicles and an option for them to turn left in front of me. Signals are optional where I live. I just assume they don't see me at all and I am completely in defense mode.
All those things mentioned by Coach R are excellent and I do those things all the time, but my accident was mainly a result of trusting a driver to do what I expected. Never again.....they are all trying to kill me (some intentionally, some not). I also will "take the lane" when I feel at risk....rather get honked at then killed.
This comes from multiple experiences with hood surfing cars through intersections after being cut off, being forced into parked cars, and being sideswiped by mirrors, all while trying to do the right/polite/legal bike thing. F that.
Being visible is the largest part of the battle to keeping rubber side down on the road.
My personal take now on riding in traffic is be a pain in the ass, because that makes you visible...not well liked, but visible.
Do NOT move as far to the right as possible, that only encourages cars to pass you with increasingly discomforting closeness. I take the lane, with enough room that a car would have to straddle lanes to get by me, this makes them think about me. This also gives me room to avoid sudden door openings and pull outs of parked cars. If there is a bike lane I ride the line, NOT the center of the lane, again it creates a buffer zone in traffic. The AZ law says I have to right to do whatever I deem safe given road and traffic conditions, so I am not constrained to the bike lane or the shoulder if there is an unsafe traffic situation or debris. It also says that cars must give me 3' no matter what, so I'll often reach my arm out and even tap cars in slow moving traffic to let them know Im there, and they need to give me room.
Also I totally agree with Rich's:
Rule #3: Assume "they" are always evil. Never trust anyone occupying space around you and expect to them do anything at anytime.
and assume every driver is out to kill you AND a complete idiot. Of course I live in AZ so thats true about 85% of the time anyway.Making that assumption, keeps you alert and defensive.
Good tips. I always just assume that everyone around me is either an idiot, drunk or a tourist on a bike for the first time in years (or some combination of the three) and act accordingly. :-) It's served me well so far - aside from one crash during a race where I flipped my bike over someone who had lost control of their bike.
If you need a little reminder on why not to take your attention off the road at any time. One of the guys from my tri club here looked down to check his bike computer and missed that a car had pulled into the bike lane to park and the attached picture was the result - if the picture works.
I NEVER ride through an intersection in the aero bars even on quiet country roads. I get out of aero, hands on the horns, fingers on the brakes, and get ready to stop. Sitting up I believe also makes me more visible.
didn't mean to post that twice.
didn't mean to post that twice.
Something as simple as coming as close to a stop as you can without clipping out goes a long way when drivers are watching. Now, if I'm in a pack of 25-50, and the group rolls the intersection, I'm going with the mass. But, just me and a couple of buddies bike 'commuting' to our favorite stretches of road where we'll do the hard work?...that's where we take it ez thru intersections. This is just an example.
Also, IF/WHEN you get buzzed, do your best to hold your line and NOT flip the guy off. Flip side, no need to wave and thank everyone that gives you some special treatment. Cars can sometimes cause more harm than good by disrupting the flow of traffic and it's the next in line motorist that will try to wipe us out. I read an interesting paper by a psychologist that basically demonstrated that we should not give any positive or negative response. Apparently, the idea is to be 'no big deal', normal day stuff, and drivers get 'used' to all the cycling in the area.
Good post, Coach. Good tips from all.
I've been riding since '87 and until I moved to super bike friendly New Jersey always rode my bike to work; after a couple of attempts my instincts were that I would eventually get killed so now I drive to work and ride the trainer at the office. No amount of awareness would save me from the type of drivers that live here. Unfortunately for me until I figure out a way to move elsewhere I'm sticking to 1 outdoor ride a week the rest on a trainer no matter the time of year.
I lived in Washington DC before NJ and rode through city traffic daily and everything coach Rich says is spot on, but I do disagree with moving over as far as possible. From my experience this encourages full speed passing by the cars, greater chance at hitting road debris, steel grates etc. As Rian said it also gives me more reaction time to move somewhere.
One of the best tips at least for busy city type riding I got from a bike courier way back was once you notice a person in a parked car ahead always watch the wheels of the car. No matter what the occupant's intentions are if the wheels are turning the car is coming for you so be aware. Watching for people sitting in cars also does wonders for saving you from a good dooring. If I see anyone sitting in a car I naturally just move over a little bit so I'm clear of a sudden door opening, this alone has saved me countless times.
Also remember the extra 2-3 minutes you take riding through admin to get to your riding roads could save months of rehab if you save yourself a crash.
The title of the thread is "How To Stay Alive On a Bicycle: Lessons from 25 Years…" So I'll share from that perspective, which includes 100,000+ miles in the last 20 years, bike commuting 20 mi round trip for 15 yrs, a number of multi-day bike tours including one trip across the USA, and LOTS of riding outside in all weather and terrain while training on my TT bike. Like Rich, I've never been hit or run into a car in traffic during that time (more on that later), mostly by following all the rules folks have posted here.
Not mentioned yet: bridges. They are just about the most dangerous place on a road, IMO. There is no place to bail out to the side if trouble appears, the road often narrows there, and crap collects at the side where we must ride, making flats riskier. Peole get killed on bridges with some regularity.
If you want the definitive version of how to ride safely on roads with cars, city or rural, the bible has already been written. John Forester penned Effective Cycling in 1984, and it is still germane today - drivers have not gotten any smarter, roads have not gotten any safer, the rules are still the same. He makes all the points noted about taking as much lane as you safely need, moving to the left of a right turn only lane, making eye contact whenever possible, watching the direction of wheels, etc etc. The book is exhaustive, but is literally a life saver. A must read if you live on the road as we do
Now, risks from other drivers is only half the story; we can quite easily take ourselves out all on our own. Coach P can tell you all about the risks of heading downhill on curves too fast in the rain. I've been in races where guys have died by not respecting the curve at the bottom of a long steep hill. Here are ways I've met the pavement hard enough to take out some skin or require stitches: take a turn too quickly with a flat tire; speed into a parking lot at a sharp angle over gravel; hit a rut on a bike path; try to pull on a bike glove at the start of my commute home; and the number one way to avoid dying on a bike: KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD AT ALL TIMES!!! I won't repeat the story of my near fatal bike accident, but it resulted from me spending too long looking at my power meter while in the aerobars on a straight section of deserted road within an Army base.
Drivers can be dangerous, but, really, you may be the biggest risk to your own safety on the bike. Never forget that.
My notes on riding to the right:
In September I believe a 3ft law goes into effect on CA...which will be promptly ignored, just like cell phone and no texting laws. I assume people are going to pass me dangerously no matter what I do and that they don't see me, no matter how I position myself in the lane. So whenever possible I ride in a manner that gives them room to get around me. Now, if there are parked cars on the side, I'll move over and take up more of the lane, but I'm looking back / listening for cars constantly.
But a large part of my stay alive plan is route selection. Dino and I rode out to the Rose Bowl via my usual route, Mountain Ave, which is a residential 25mph street with a ton of 4-way stops, vs Orange Grove, 4 lane commercial/residential road with lots of businesses and stop lights vs stop signs. On the way out Dino commented that Mountain sucked because of all of the stop signs. I commented that by riding the speed limit we could take up the whole lane, could roll stop signs with a car shield on our left, use the crosswalks to let cars go, and generally roll with the flow of traffic. On the way back we choose Orange Grove. Cars at much higher speeds, parked cars on the right, etc. Generally much more going on.
I'm sticking to Mountain from now on
Joanne often comments on cyclists, rules of the road, etc. I tell her that I ride my bike according to the lessons I've learned that keep me alive -- whether that's lane positioning, my actions at intersections, jumping onto a sidewalk, etc. I'm prepared to do anything, at anytime, to not die. F the law, sorry.
I also try to wear some form of obnoxious clothing (when I'm not in my beautiful EN kit that is....)
When I am descending a bigger hill I always do it in the middle of the lane. I don't want anyone trying to pass me if I'm going 45mph, even if they "could" go 65. And if I'm going the speed limit anywhere, I ride in the middle of the road and consider it my lane.
Rule 2 - Block traffic if necessary to prevent them from scraping through. If you are riding on the edge of a 2 lane road, and vehicles are coming both ways, a driver will take the opportunity to pass you if he/she thinks they have 2 inches clearance...3 foot law or no 3 foot law.
Rule 3 - Do not block traffic for more than 20 secs. The longer you block traffic the greater the odds they will just decide to run you over.
Finally, my two closest encounters were nearly identical and the threat came from the LEFT. In both situations, I was passed on the left by a driver who underestimated my speed then immediately pulled a right turn in front of me shortly after passing, not realizing I was already there. The first time (decades ago), I immediately braked as I turned hard to the right to avoid impacting the car but tapped the vehicle several times with my front tire and barely stayed up. The second time (last year), I pulled right while braking hard and thought I was going down and under, but the driver saw me at the last second, skidded to a stop allowing me to take a straighter line in front of their grill. Older drivers in both cases. High adrenaline rush. Both times I chewed out the driver and they said nothing knowing they were in the wrong and had almost taken me out.
I would add that having lights on your bike is one more opportunity to be seen. And the more attention drawn, the better. I usually stack both lights on the seat post facing to the back and flashing - this is the white & red. I think that having two lights doubles my chances of being seen. My bias for being seen from the rear is that I was hit from the rear by a car in 1986 and I'm not interested in going through that again. Ride safe.
I avoid certain "windows" during the day. I don't ride from 0830 to 0930 due to people being "late for work". I avoid 14:30 to 16:00 due to the school bus craziness and parents trying to get their kids, etc. There are certain arteries I avoid during the week because of a lot of accidents at certain intersections.
I've gotten over being polite. I've been cussed at, had things thrown at me, deliberate run offs, land owners sicking their dogs on me, to many times to care about POLITE. I carry pepper spray because i have been harassed and i'm a loan female rider. I'm getting pretty good at claiming my lane when needed. I do follow traffic laws and control devices for my safety as well as others.
Be smart, plan your route, now how to repair a flat-fast, and have fun.
1. Always be at least a door length away from a parked car. If the bike lane won't let you do that, then screw the bike lane. Doors open. And they hurt.
2. When coming up to a right turn at a green stoplight and you're even with a car, LET THE CAR GO FIRST AND SLIDE IN BEHIND IT.
3. Never ride the wrong way on a one-way road (you would be surprised at how many cyclists do this).
4. If you're behind some one and you see them talking on their cell, you should assume they are drunk. Not just buzzed, but "ohgodjustletmelivepleaseillneverdrinkagainbarf" hammered. They do not see you. Stay the hell away.
5. Lights lights and more lights. White light flashing front, red flash rear.
On weekends --
1. Leave early in the AM.
2. Stay off the MUTs.
My big issue: controlling my agro. Every ride one encounters knucklehead drivers, pedestrians, and other cyclists. Yelling at them usually not productive. Though in near crash situation, hard not to react. And perhaps sometimes a loud yell is warranted if a crash can be avoided by getting a car's attention. Particularly irritating are cyclists of all experiences that are blatantly ignoring laws or safe practices.
For ironman courses, it would be really great if part of the deal was development of bike lanes or wider shoulders so that the course could be riden in practice safely.
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