Another "I nearly hit a cyclist" confession!

[Globalti]

Went out in the car yesterday afternoon and on the way home we came up behind two cyclists heading from Wigglesworth towards Bolton-by-Bowland, riding slowly, quite erratic, man behind and woman in front. I could see a single cyclist approaching on the other side so not wanting to crowd anybody I sat well back and waited for about 200 yards until there was space to overtake the two on my side. As the approaching cyclist passed I began to speed up and move out and SHEEEEIT! - suddenly there was the man, right in front of my bumper! He and his companion had come to a short hill and had slowed down so much they were almost stationary but I had been counting on them continuing to move at the same pace while I concentrated on the approaching rider. I had to swerve quite briskly to pass them with a good amount of space. I doubt he even realised what had happened because in the mirror I saw his hand go up to thank me for having waited.

Just goes to show that you really need to keep an eye on other road users and assume nothing, certainly not that they will continue in the same direction or at the same speed....

 

[Crankarm]

Indeed you have to be prepared for other road users short comings or unpredictability especially vulnerable and slower road users, don't assume. Despite as you say waiting behind for 200yds you seem to have misjudged the safeness of your overtake? You weren't a trifle close were you? Am I correct in assuming from your post that you were in your car?

 

[lulubel]

I can understand exactly what happened. When I was a new driver, I used to do it to cars quite a lot. I'd accelerate up behind them while looking at the approaching gap on the other side of the road that I was planning to move into, and didn't realise they'd slowed down until I looked back and had to swerve round them quite violently to avoid going in the back of them.

That was just me being an inexperienced, young driver in those cases, but knowing how some cyclists come to a virtual stop the moment they hit a hill, I can see how easily a near miss with a cyclist could happen. It sounds like one of those lucky occasions when there was no harm done, and you got the chance to learn from it.

 

[Globalti]

Lulubel has it; I was assuming they would attack the hill as it was only a few yards long so to my eyes as a fastish road cyclist it wasn't significant. But they didn't attack it and suddenly my 50 foot gap was a 10 foot gap, closing rapidly. My impression was that the bloke riding behind was also taking action to avoid hitting the rider in front of him but I couldn't be sure

We learn all the time, even after driving and motorcycling 20,000 miles a year for 38 years.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've come back to driving regularly again after a break and one of the things that I've noticed is how high the closing speed can be when coming up behind a cyclist, I don't mean in town but outside of town where speeds can be a lot higher, even driving to road and weather conditions and being well under the speed limit the closing speed can be scary.

 

[Teuchter]

I just can't get over the idea of a place called "Wigglesworth".

(sorry, as you were)

 

[Melonfish]

i just assume that every other road user is a complete moron and act appropriately seems to save me so much hassle its unreal...