don't get complacent

This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in
a strip center. If she'd gotten me, it would have totally been my own
fault. I was riding too close to the backs of the cars, didn't even
have my hands on the brakes, was clipping along pretty fast. All I
could do was yell and try to get the heck out of the way in time, which
luckily I did. I have avoided many accidents by just being alert, but
this reminded me that I need to be alert all the time, try not to do
anything stupid, and by all means try not to let my mistakes come in a
cluster.

On Jun 13, 5:43 pm, catzz66 wrote:
This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in
a strip center.

Sounds like my kinda destination! Did one of the venues have the girls
in the giant champagne glasses?

This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in a
strip center. If she'd gotten me, it would have totally been my own
fault. I was riding too close to the backs of the cars, didn't even have
my hands on the brakes, was clipping along pretty fast. All I could do
was yell and try to get the heck out of the way in time, which luckily I
did. I have avoided many accidents by just being alert, but this reminded
me that I need to be alert all the time, try not to do anything stupid,
and by all means try not to let my mistakes come in a cluster.

There's a difference between an accident being avoidable and an accident
that's your own fault. If the driver backing out of that parking slot could
have seen you, that driver would be the person at fault. And it's difficlt
for me to construct a situation in which that driver couldn't have seen you,
regardless how close you were following the other cars. And even if they
couldn't, I don't think it likely that people in shopping centers are timing
their maneuvers quite so tightly such that they could miss the car but hit
you.

If you were riding wrecklessly, fine, perhaps you could be cited for that.
But I wouldn't be quite so quick to accept that an accident would have been
your fault, just because it was avoidable (by you).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


"catzz66" wrote in message
...
This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in a
strip center. If she'd gotten me, it would have totally been my own
fault. I was riding too close to the backs of the cars, didn't even have
my hands on the brakes, was clipping along pretty fast. All I could do
was yell and try to get the heck out of the way in time, which luckily I
did. I have avoided many accidents by just being alert, but this reminded
me that I need to be alert all the time, try not to do anything stupid,
and by all means try not to let my mistakes come in a cluster.

If you were riding wrecklessly, fine, perhaps you could be cited for that.
But I wouldn't be quite so quick to accept that an accident would have
been your fault, just because it was avoidable (by you).

--Mike Jacoubowsky

I like that word you've coined: wrecklessly. seems apt, somehow.

On Jun 13, 6:41*pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:
This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in a
strip center. *If she'd gotten me, it would have totally been my own
fault. *I was riding too close to the backs of the cars, didn't even have
my hands on the brakes, was clipping along pretty fast. *All I could do
was yell and try to get the heck out of the way in time, which luckily I
did. *I have avoided many accidents by just being alert, but this reminded
me that I need to be alert all the time, try not to do anything stupid,
and by all means try not to let my mistakes come in a cluster.

There's a difference between an accident being avoidable and an accident
that's your own fault. If the driver backing out of that parking slot could
have seen you, that driver would be the person at fault. And it's difficlt
for me to construct a situation in which that driver couldn't have seen you,
regardless how close you were following the other cars. And even if they
couldn't, I don't think it likely that people in shopping centers are timing
their maneuvers quite so tightly such that they could miss the car but hit
you.

If you were riding wrecklessly, fine, perhaps you could be cited for that.
But I wouldn't be quite so quick to accept that an accident would have been
your fault, just because it was avoidable (by you).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA


I think one of us is misinterpreting catzz' "riding too close to the
backs of cars". I interpreted that to mean that she was too close to
the rear of the *parked* cars when one of those cars started to back
out of their parking space. If that's the case, she's right in
accepting the responsibility.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

landotter wrote:
On Jun 13, 5:43 pm, catzz66 wrote:

This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in
a strip center.


Sounds like my kinda destination! Did one of the venues have the girls
in the giant champagne glasses?

Sorry l/o, it was a strip center across from a college and the store was
a Chik-fil-A. =]

Bob wrote:


I think one of us is misinterpreting catzz' "riding too close to the
backs of cars". I interpreted that to mean that she was too close to
the rear of the *parked* cars when one of those cars started to back
out of their parking space. If that's the case, she's right in
accepting the responsibility.



I was zipping along too close to the backs of the cars for any of the
drivers to see me. It was one of those strip centers with right angle
parking spaces. I realize I got lucky this time. As much as anything,
I am writing it down to remind myself not to do anything that dumb again. =]

I'm a grandfather. My screen name relates to a school mascot from
decades ago.

catzz66 wrote:
This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in
a strip center. If she'd gotten me, it would have totally been my own
fault. I was riding too close to the backs of the cars, didn't even
have my hands on the brakes, was clipping along pretty fast. All I
could do was yell and try to get the heck out of the way in time, which
luckily I did. I have avoided many accidents by just being alert, but
this reminded me that I need to be alert all the time, try not to do
anything stupid, and by all means try not to let my mistakes come in a
cluster.

I'll second the reminder. I was cycling home from the gym this morning
and a left-side rear-seat passenger opened a car door. Had I been
within a meter of the car, I would have been doored. Fortunately, I'm a
little paranoid about being doored, so I generally keep a meter between
me and parked cars. I wasn't hit, but it was close enough to catch my
attention.

On Jun 14, 11:52 am, Jeff wrote:
catzz66 wrote:
This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in
a strip center. If she'd gotten me, it would have totally been my own
fault. I was riding too close to the backs of the cars, didn't even
have my hands on the brakes, was clipping along pretty fast. All I
could do was yell and try to get the heck out of the way in time, which
luckily I did. I have avoided many accidents by just being alert, but
this reminded me that I need to be alert all the time, try not to do
anything stupid, and by all means try not to let my mistakes come in a
cluster.

I'll second the reminder. I was cycling home from the gym this morning
and a left-side rear-seat passenger opened a car door. Had I been
within a meter of the car, I would have been doored. Fortunately, I'm a
little paranoid about being doored, so I generally keep a meter between
me and parked cars. I wasn't hit, but it was close enough to catch my
attention.

Good thing there was no mandatory bike lane keeping you within reach
of that door!

- Frank Krygowski

On Jun 13, 5:41 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:
This morning I almost got backed into by a car pulling out of a slot in a
strip center. If she'd gotten me, it would have totally been my own
fault. I was riding too close to the backs of the cars, didn't even have
my hands on the brakes, was clipping along pretty fast. All I could do
was yell and try to get the heck out of the way in time, which luckily I
did. I have avoided many accidents by just being alert, but this reminded
me that I need to be alert all the time, try not to do anything stupid,
and by all means try not to let my mistakes come in a cluster.

There's a difference between an accident being avoidable and an accident
that's your own fault. If the driver backing out of that parking slot could
have seen you, that driver would be the person at fault. And it's difficlt
for me to construct a situation in which that driver couldn't have seen you,
regardless how close you were following the other cars. And even if they
couldn't, I don't think it likely that people in shopping centers are timing
their maneuvers quite so tightly such that they could miss the car but hit
you.

If you were riding wrecklessly, fine, perhaps you could be cited for that.
But I wouldn't be quite so quick to accept that an accident would have been
your fault, just because it was avoidable (by you).

I don't think he was referring to legal fault, which is a separate
matter. Legal fault is something to think about when it's already too
late, and doesn't do cyclists much good as a preemptive force. To be
truly safe as a cyclist among drivers one must assume much more
responsibility than is mandated by law. If you know what I mean.

Robert