How do they not see us?

[Maz]

Well, lets get back on topic then? Is the OP still so sure that he and his bicycle are as unscathed as first thought? Has he sought a second opinion on his bikes condition?

Only the OP can answer those questions, but he seems 'invisible' at the moment.

 

[fossyant]

Oh well the silly lady that knocked me off 3 years ago will shortly get hit on her insurance with the PI and medical legal costs of my case, and they will be in excess of a lifetime's insurance policy payments, ouch.

 

[musa]

with hi viz comes a lot of factors ..maybe it just a perceived idea that we seem to have....ideally your best just chucking a carrot at the nxt idiot who SMIDSY u

 

[Browser]

How do they not see us? 'Cos they ain't bloody-well lookin', that's why!

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Assume every motorist is an idiot not paying attention and drive / ride accordingly.

That's not easy when they are coming from your rear (ooer) then left hook you two seconds later.

Apologies for bringing the Hi-Viz thing up.Still,being lit like a Christmas Tree didn't help either.Perhaps I should ninja.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

In the winter I wear all black, not had more SMIDSY moments than when I wore Hi-Viz

Well you and I must be doing something right then and im lit up like a Christmas tree and have hi-viz/reflectors.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

Assume every motorist is an idiot not paying attention and drive / ride accordingly.

I cycle more than I drive and i keep more than an average look out for cyclists but, just a couple of weeks ago, in broad daylight, on a wide road (but close to a corner where she came from) I parked up, did a mirror check, looked over my right shoulder and then opened my door right into the path of a lady in a high viz vest on a bike that “appeared out of nowhere”. She avoided the collision and i felt terrible, but yes, if a fellow cyclist in a car, who appreciates all the dangers and was on her side, so to speak, checkes his mirrors, did a lifesaver and still nearly doored her then I am prepared to believe that many motorists, who aren’t particularly keeping a special eye out for cyclists, fail to see us. As said, assume they are all muppets who don’t look...

 

[zigzag]

when i drive, i notice that my brain is registering a danger first and only then other surrounding information. danger on the road comes in the form of two lights about a metre apart or a big piece of moving metal. any other road user (bike, motorbike) doesn't register as a danger, therefore a conscious effort is required to notice them, no matter how visible or bright they (we) are. sometimes drivers see us (and we see that they see us), but they don't always act accordingly as we (lightweight road users) are not dangerous enough. i always try to ride as if i'm invisible to drivers, especially near junctions and roundabouts.

 

[gambatte]

I cycle more than I drive and i keep more than an average look out for cyclists but, just a couple of weeks ago, in broad daylight, on a wide road (but close to a corner where she came from) I parked up, did a mirror check, looked over my right shoulder and then opened my door right into the path of a lady in a high viz vest on a bike that “appeared out of nowhere”. She avoided the collision and i felt terrible, but yes, if a fellow cyclist in a car, who appreciates all the dangers and was on her side, so to speak, checkes his mirrors, did a lifesaver and still nearly doored her then I am prepared to believe that many motorists, who aren’t particularly keeping a special eye out for cyclists, fail to see us. As said, assume they are all muppets who don’t look...

It's why considerations about upsetting other road users has to take a back seat to personal safety. It's taken a while to trust myself being assertive, but now, after lifesavers, I take the lane early and pass wide.

 

[gaz]

I've never read any stories on this forum about how safe the roads are for cyclists but I have seen plenty of stories about SMIDSY's, accidents and near misses.

That is because incidences of near death stick with you for a long time.
I can still remember when this man tried to ram me off the road around a year ago, I can't remember any good overtakes from that time but I would have had many many many good overtakes on that day, and only one bad incident.

 

[Silver Fox]

That's not easy when they are coming from your rear (ooer) then left hook you two seconds later.

Absolutely.

At least off-road I control the risk.

 

[Vikeonabike]

How do they not see us? 'Cos they ain't bloody-well lookin', that's why!

Quite right buddy... as witnessed yesterday!

 

[biking_fox]

Why are there so many of them? How do they get to work safely?

Because cycling is basically safe. It doesn't always feel like it, media and popular perception will tell you it isn't. But real world numbers go to show that it is. Of course it could be safer still - and hi/vis reflectives probably help that. But if it's choice of not riding vs riding without highvis (and of course the choices are more complicated than that) not riding is probably more dangerous than riding without highvis.

 

[Boris Bajic]

If all these non-hi-viz wearing cyclists are so hard to see. Why are there so many of them? How do they get to work safely?

I knew a guy who used his hand-held mobile all the time while driving. His view was that if it really was dangerous, he'd have crashed.

I still know a man who drives regularly between pub and home in mid-Wales while significantly over the drink-drive limit. He takes the same view.

I used to drive at quoite outrageous speeds throughout Europe and never hit anyone. I took the same view.

I am not Johhny Day-Glo and do not swathe myself in Hi-Viz before riding, but I do like to wear bright colours and (now I've reached something like middle age) I do like to give other road users a little help in distinguishing between me, hedges, shadows and buildings.

As a (now more gentle with the throttle) driver, I do appreciate it when other road users make a reasonable effort to be visible.

There may well be brain-at-home, boy-racer, penis-size-issues, throttle-happy morons out there on the roads. We've all come into contact with them in one sense or another... They may carve you off the road whatever you wear.

But making a reasonable effort to be seen helps ALL other road users, most of whom are skilled, compassionate, home-loving, apple-pie-eating, thoughtful. speed-limit-respecting people.

 

[Recycler]

That is because incidences of near death stick with you for a long time.
I can still remember when this man tried to ram me off the road around a year ago, I can't remember any good overtakes from that time but I would have had many many many good overtakes on that day, and only one bad incident.

I'm not sure what point you are making. Of course we remember the near misses more than the other incidents (or should that be "non incidents"?). This thread started off with a question about not being seen by car drivers and surely anything we do to improve our visibility is a help? It won't stop all near misses but it may prevent some. It certainly won't make things worse for us.