GatewayRedbirds.com

I have a little rant about drivers who are completely self absorbed and don't notice anything on the road around them unless it's a gigantic truck or a traffic cone (in my experience, it seems like drivers would rather hit a cyclist than a traffic cone).

Anyway, last night I was at the Tuesday Night races at Carondalet Park cheering on friends and preparing for when my category starts racing in a few weeks. On the way back last night a driver made a left hand turn across Arsenal where there was no stop sign, so my buddy right in front of me just grabbed his brakes and swerved right hoping the driver would notice the 5 bike head lights in time. The guy didn't notice him and struck him. We're incredibly thankful that the accident wasn't worse, but my buddy did spend most of the night in the hospital and it looks like his hand, knee and ankle are broken and his bike is completely trashed. The driver was entirely defensive and it almost seemed like he believed it was our fault. The neighbors who were walking their dog and sitting on their porch right in front of it jumped in instantly to help us and one guy nearly started fighting the driver because of how angry he was.

I know cyclists are definitely the minority on the road and really our culture is not used to having cyclists on roads at all, but please try to notice cyclists, they don't have two tons of metal wrapped around them to cushion those hits.

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90% of drivers are a menace to society. If it weren't bad enough that they're usually texting, talking on the phone, playing with the radio, tired, or drunk, add that most don't even know the rules of the road to begin with. As a cyclist I always assume that a car doesn't see me. Hard to do though when a car comes out of nowhere and swipes you however.

Driving culture is a local thing, though, and it's easier to be a cyclist in a place with lots of other cyclists because the drivers are used to it. Here it's usually the suburban people you've got to look out for. They come in from Naperville or whatever blandscape to do something really cool like have brunch in Wicker Park, put down a dozen mimosas, then climb back in their [expletive] Toyota SUV and hit you because they don't understand intersections more complicated than the entrances to strip malls.

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Horror's Not Dead.com

Geez, that sucks.

If it weren't for the 30+ mile lakefront path here, I probably would not ride.

Local laws differ, but in principle cyclists have the some rights on the road as cars. Most drivers seem to be ignorant of this. If the law isn't enough, common sense and a general regard for human life suggests drivers should be much more safety-conscious around cyclists. That said, cyclists must do a better job of obeying traffic rules (not blowing stops, using hand signals, riding single file, etc.).

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Silence is golden.

I think you've got your percentages mixed up. 90% of drivers are competent and capable, but 10% are so godawful that they create dangerous situations for everyone else.

76% of cyclists are just asking for it.

90% is obviously a number I pulled out of my ass, but I do believe that the majority of people falsely believe themselves to be good drivers.

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Horror's Not Dead.com

You mean all that spiffy spandex doesn't provide any protection?

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If you're on a cycle and you're a jackass, you deserve whatever happens to you. Especially if you are jackassing in my way.

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"I love to play this game of baseball - I love putting on this uniform."