Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmajackson
Really what's saved my skin over the years as a pedestrian, cyclist and driver is just assuming that driver's will do the stupidest moves at all times. That tactic has made all of my incidents pretty minor over the years and has saved me on my bike numerous times and kept me out a multi-car pileup at least twice.
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This is the best advice you can give to anybody when they are in or near traffic, whether they are a cyclist, pedestrian, or car/truck driver. Driving is challenging at best, and as traffic volumes become greater and
distracted driving has increased, the acts of driving, crossing the street, and cycling all have become more hazardous. I have definitely noticed that the quality of driving among the average person has decreased over the past 20 years, with more and more drivers doing more and more dumb, absent minded, and aggressive things all the time. Throw the reduced visibility due to darkness of night and/or a rainstorm into the mix and the hazards grow exponentially. None of us have it in our power to change the habits and lack of effort/attention by poor drivers, so we have to take a defensive stance to protect ourselves rather than expecting others to do it for us.
Regarding taxi drivers, this is just anecdotal, but I have had very few taxi rides where I feel totally at ease and safe during the ride - in many taxi rides, I have found myself anxious to arrive at the destination so I can get the heck out of the car. I suspect that since many of them are driving constantly, they become complacent over time - not to mention that if they are working long shifts, they are probably driving tired on top of it. IMHO, some of them were probably not good drivers before they ever got their cab license.
The hazard of bad/inattentive drivers is one of the reasons why I am in support of separated bicycle lanes for cyclists, and/or cycling routes on less-travelled roads. No car or truck driver, no matter how lackadaisical they may be, wants to hit and injure or kill a pedestrian or cyclist, unless they are some kind of psychopath. So the safest way to protect cyclists in existing conditions is to get the cyclists away from the cars, as the laws of physics will never be in favour of the cyclist in a collision.
Another reason to keep cars and bikes apart is that there are no requirements for a cyclist to become a cyclist, other than having a bicycle at their disposal. Anybody, regardless of cycling skill or degree of knowledge about vehicle rules and regulations, or lack thereof, can legally jump on a bicycle and head out into traffic. This can include kids, teenagers, adults who have never driven a car and have never studied to take the test to get their license. There are no instructional courses required to ride a bicycle on public roads, so anybody can get out there in traffic and put their lives at risk without having the minimum of knowledge and skills to protect themselves. As a car driver, I've had to suddenly hit the brakes or swerve to avoid cyclists who appear to have balance or attention issues and unexpectedly cut in front of me, or to avoid cyclists who blow stop signs or red lights because they obviously aren't aware of the rules of the road - but luckily I do what you do - I assume they will always do dumbest things, and anticipate a problem before it occurs. The last thing I want to do is hit a cyclist just because they weren't smart or skillful enough to look out for themselves - any car has the potential to take human life, and I don't want that on my conscience.
At least if cyclists make mistakes in separated cycling lanes, then the worst thing they can do is collide with another cyclist, or hit a mailbox or something... which would still potentially cause injury, but much less than colliding with a 4000 lb steel and aluminum vehicle traveling at 50 km/h. It would be nice if there were some kind of instructional/licensing requirement for cyclists to follow by law, but I know there would be too much backlash because it would take the "freedom" away from cyclists - and then many would probably not bother anyhow.