[4645] in Depressing_Thoughts
Re: Drivers are human...
rlk@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (rlk@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Mon Aug 22 12:21:03 1994
A cyclist should take all of a narrow lane. I presume that a skater should
too. If cars have to wait for you, so be it. Particularly in a short stretch
like Vassar, you shouldn't feel shy about it.
As for looking around: if you don't feel comfortable looking around, get a
mirror for your helmet. I use this on my bike. You still need to turn your
head when you're going to turn or change lanes, though, because a quick
glimpse in the mirror isn't enough (and if you think about it, you need to
do this even when you're going against traffic -- someone else, like a bike
going the wrong way, might be coming up from behind).
Most cycling accidents occur during turning maneuvers, period. It doesn't
matter who's making the turn, all turning maneuvers are more dangerous than
straight line travel. I would expect that riding against traffic puts you
at a special risk from other turning vehicles, though, because you're not
where they're expecting you.
BTW, a closing speed of 40-50 MPH is VERY FAST. It's 60-80 feet/second.
If you have a piece of debris in front of you, and you have to decide which
way to go, this doesn't leave you much time at all. With a closing speed
of 10-20 MPH (15-30 feet/second), you have much more time to decide what
you're going to do, and you can be looking further ahead for debris in the
road that you need to avoid.
Pedestrians are watching for traffic coming from the correct direction. They
don't step out in front of cars, and if you're riding correctly (well out
into the lane, NOT hugging the curb) you get some protection from that. They
instinctively look left before crossing the street, but nobody checks right
unless it's a one-way street.
Riding the wrong way, you have to trust traffic not to suddenly pull over to
park or discharge a passenger. Someone preparing to pull over is watching
the space that he's pulling over into, not somewhere ahead of that (and usually
not somewhere behind, either).
