How do they not see us?

[Andrew_Culture]

My work mates gently rib me for cycling to and from work flashing like a lardy Christmas tree, and yet somehow drives still don't see me! I decided to fit those funny little knogg lights to my helmet as I figure in traffic drives can't always see the handlebar / mudguard lights because they are too low in relation to where their mirrors are.

Fortunately I use cycle paths for most of my work commute, the most recent near miss I had was when a cyclist coming the other way was fixated by the posterior of a lady pedestrian on a parallel path and swerved into my path causing me to skid to a halt, something two passing walkers found hilarious!

 

[gbb]

I guess there's a few reasons drivers don't see us...i witnessed an accident a few weeks ago which was a classic example...
4WD at a countryside T junction, indicating to turn right. Visibility is poor on the left, just the way the road curves away. He's indicating, looking right, looking left, right, left...its clear...he's gone for it....BANG...a car drove striaght into his side from the right. He looked, but forgot to look again, he assumed it was still clear.
I thought at that moment...christ, if he didnt see the car, what chance has a cyclist got.

Some drivers just get it wrong, information gathering over and over, then forget that crucial last look, relying instead on 'old' information gathered a few seconds before. Truth is, may of us have been there and probably got away with it....its called being human, flawed, but human.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

It's that second look that's so crucial! I nearly careered into the back of a car that had started to move then stopped suddenly, and if I hadn't taken a second look I would have hit it, in stead I fell off and hurt my bum! I was so relieved not to leave a me shaped dent in the back of this poor woman's Ford Focus, and I made sure she knew I wasn't hurt.

 

[2pies]

You should of let yourself fall to the floor and lay motionless on the pavement. When people came over to help you should of complained of back and neck pain (whilst still remaining motionless). An ambulance and police would have arrived shortly and you would then probably have got a couple of grand compensation.
I am looking forward to the day I am involved in a minor traffic collision as I am saving for a deposit for a mortgage.

I'm sure you are joking, the last thing we need in this country is a "I'll sue you" culture.

Got my fluorescent orange hi-viz vest in the post yesterday and wore it this morning. I feel more visible and a white van man smiled at me, perhaps thinking I was one of his kind.

 

[Brandane]

I guess there's a few reasons drivers don't see us...i witnessed an accident a few weeks ago which was a classic example...
4WD at a countryside T junction, indicating to turn right. Visibility is poor on the left, just the way the road curves away. He's indicating, looking right, looking left, right, left...its clear...he's gone for it....BANG...a car drove striaght into his side from the right. He looked, but forgot to look again, he assumed it was still clear.

I'm trying to picture this scenario, and depending on the timing of when he pulled out, some (if not all) of the blame could lie with the driver who drove into his side! I am looking at it with my artic driving head on; sometimes you look right, left, right; all clear so you pull out. Obviously it takes some time to get a slow moving 40' trailer out of a junction, and frequently I had close calls with drivers flying round "blind" corners and almost under my trailer as I'm already three quarters of the way across the road. Moral of the story is: Always be able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear ahead of you.

 

[gbb]

I'm trying to picture this scenario, and depending on the timing of when he pulled out, some (if not all) of the blame could lie with the driver who drove into his side! I am looking at it with my artic driving head on; sometimes you look right, left, right; all clear so you pull out. Obviously it takes some time to get a slow moving 40' trailer out of a junction, and frequently I had close calls with drivers flying round "blind" corners and almost under my trailer as I'm already three quarters of the way across the road. Moral of the story is: Always be able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear ahead of you.

Its actually right (IMO) that the driver who apparently had right of way, actually DOES bear some responsibility (IMO) despite the fact the 4WD incorrectly pulled straight out in front of him...i'll explain...
If you can imagine, its a T junction, but the T is at an angle, visibilty to the left is difficult because of the sharpish angle, visibility to the right is limited because of a bridge some 100 yards away which makes oncoming traffic invisible until they're 100 yards away. Sounds a reasonable distance, but you soon cover 100 yards at 40 mph.
So you sit there at this junction, leaning forward in your seat to peer left, then look right, lean forward to look left, then right..you get the idea, its a mare of a junction and can be busy. It can take a few minutes for just 4 cars to get over it.
So the car thats just come over the bridge and has right of way, he's going straight on....shouldnt expect someone to just pull out in front of him...but if they're regulars there...they SHOULD know its a mare and proceed with caution.
Sadly...most dont.

 

[gaz]

Its actually right (IMO) that the driver who apparently had right of way, actually DOES bear some responsibility (IMO) despite the fact the 4WD incorrectly pulled straight out in front of him...i'll explain...
If you can imagine, its a T junction, but the T is at an angle, visibilty to the left is difficult because of the sharpish angle, visibility to the right is limited because of a bridge some 100 yards away which makes oncoming traffic invisible until they're 100 yards away. Sounds a reasonable distance, but you soon cover 100 yards at 40 mph.
So you sit there at this junction, leaning forward in your seat to peer left, then look right, lean forward to look left, then right..you get the idea, its a mare of a junction and can be busy. It can take a few minutes for just 4 cars to get over it.
So the car thats just come over the bridge and has right of way, he's going straight on....shouldnt expect someone to just pull out in front of him...but if they're regulars there...they SHOULD know its a mare and proceed with caution.
Sadly...most dont.

All very good, but right of way doesn't exist in the context you are using it. It is Priority.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Got my fluorescent orange hi-viz vest in the post yesterday and wore it this morning. I feel more visible and a white van man smiled at me, perhaps thinking I was one of his kind.

Nay, he was just eyeing up a prospective prey, sort of chesire cat grin

 

[sunnyjim]

Usually, invisibility comes from riding outside of the driver's focus point. Usually, drivers are focusing on the area of the road that is their primary threat of collision with a larger vehicle - the type that can mess their car up or kill them. In the UK, that focal point is the center of the leftmost traffic lane. On a roundabout, they will scan back from the point nearest to them to the farthest visible point, then, if the coast is clear, they'll pull out. Presumably, you were riding far to the left, as many cyclists do. Riding too far left (or too far right in the US, where I live) puts the cyclist out of the focal point and (as Brandane's link in his first post shows) makes the cyclist literally invisible. This has injured and killed too many cyclists. I used to ride in the gutter, but I found a few years ago that riding farther out into the lane stops many common types of collisions. These days I rarely ride closer than 3ft from the kerb. Since I started doing this, about ten to fifteen years ago, I have not had any collisions or close calls, whereas prior to making the change, I had a close call every year or so.

Exactly. As someone linked to up the thread, the human eye only has high resolution over about a 2-3 degree cone - about 1 yard/metre in 50. If you're in the lane, they can't avoid seeing you even if they're not looking around.
Sensitivity to change extends right out beyond 30 degrees.