How Do You Deal With Traffic Coming From Behind?

[yello]

When moving past a parked car, assume the drivers door will open

I did a fair bit of advanced motorcycle training years ago and had an interesting discussion with the trainer on this very point. He insisted that I demonstrated to him my awareness of it, the emphasis on demonstrated.

Thing is, we'd already passed said parked cars so I/we knew there was nobody in them (so unless they were about to materialise Star Trek-like, we we're pretty safe) No, not good enough. I had to demonstrate it. So, yes, just to please him, I road in the opposite carriageway (it was a narrow suburban road) where there was more danger just to demonstrate my assessment of the danger presented by the parked car.

 

[yello]

in my case I'm constantly double and triple checking they won't do something stupid

And after the triple check? What if they do that 'something stupid' you've intelligently been looking out for?

I know I'm kinda risking labouring this to the point of being a pain in the are but I am intrigued. What would you do? Would you stop? That is, stop mid roundabout, with maybe a vehicle behind you?

My point is, assessment is one thing (a huge and important thing, a life saving thing) but one has to be prepared to act upon it, and know in advance what that action might be. The vast majority of times being aware is enough in and of itself, and as said above can alert the other vehicle user to your presence, but I think it can help to think further than that and consider 'what if' scenarios. What if they do 'something stupid'?

I have once stopped, approaching a junction with a road to my left. I was on my bicycle and I had right of way. A car arrived at the junction. It had dark (not just tinted but dark) windows all around. I could not see the driver, I had no idea what they were looking at. It was 6am-ish (light but early) and it was a rat run area. I may have had the right of way but no way was I going to risk them not having seen me. I was not going to cross in front of them so I stopped and let them go... but there was nothing behind me and I could safely do that.

Conversely, when on the motorbike, I've not stopped at traffic lights as they turn. Not run them per se, they've turned amber and I could have stopped safely, but I've elected to go through. I've been aware that the car behind is just a little too close, perhaps wanting to get through the lights, and may not be so inclined to stop.

 

[DRM]

And after the triple check? What if they do that 'something stupid' you've intelligently been looking out for?

I know I'm kinda risking labouring this to the point of being a pain in the are but I am intrigued. What would you do? Would you stop? That is, stop mid roundabout, with maybe a vehicle behind you?

My point is, assessment is one thing (a huge and important thing, a life saving thing) but one has to be prepared to act upon it, and know in advance what that action might be. The vast majority of times being aware is enough in and of itself, and as said above can alert the other vehicle user to your presence, but I think it can help to think further than that and consider 'what if' scenarios. What if they do 'something stupid'?

I have once stopped, approaching a junction with a road to my left. I was on my bicycle and I had right of way. A car arrived at the junction. It had dark (not just tinted but dark) windows all around. I could not see the driver, I had no idea what they were looking at. It was 6am-ish (light but early) and it was a rat run area. I may have had the right of way but no way was I going to risk them not having seen me. I was not going to cross in front of them so I stopped and let them go... but there was nothing behind me and I could safely do that.

Conversely, when on the motorbike, I've not stopped at traffic lights as they turn. Not run them per se, they've turned amber and I could have stopped safely, but I've elected to go through. I've been aware that the car behind is just a little too close, perhaps wanting to get through the lights, and may not be so inclined to stop.

It’s not rocket science I would err on the side of caution and slow ready to stop, same as when on a shared cycle path with unpredictable dogs, kids on bikes pedestrians etc, I prefer to get home in one piece rather than be right in ambulance

 

[yello]

It’s not rocket science I would err on the side of caution and slow ready to stop, same as when on a shared cycle path with unpredictable dogs, kids on bikes pedestrians etc, I prefer to get home in one piece rather than be right in ambulance

Is a good answer.

All I wanted to read (without the "rocket science" bit ) was the acknowledgement that if you really weren't sure of someone's actions, or indeed they did start to do something stupid, was that you might simply stop. You'd be amazed at how many people are seemingly unaware of their own vulnerability, and/or have an insistence of 'right of way' and might respond "well then it'd be their fault". Fault is of little consolation when you're laying bleeding and broken in the street.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Is a good answer.

All I wanted to read (without the "rocket science" bit ) was the acknowledgement that if you really weren't sure of someone's actions, or indeed they did start to do something stupid, was that you might simply stop. You'd be amazed at how many people are seemingly unaware of their own vulnerability, and/or have an insistence of 'right of way' and might respond "well then it'd be their fault". Fault is of little consolation when you're laying bleeding and broken in the street.

I must admit I think I get a bit too relaxed sometimes because I'm more sued to drivers being careful since I moved here from Stuttgart.

That said, I nearly caused a couple of incidents when I first arrived by assuming drivers wouldn't see me, and then they did...

 

[DRM]

Is a good answer.

All I wanted to read (without the "rocket science" bit ) was the acknowledgement that if you really weren't sure of someone's actions, or indeed they did start to do something stupid, was that you might simply stop. You'd be amazed at how many people are seemingly unaware of their own vulnerability, and/or have an insistence of 'right of way' and might respond "well then it'd be their fault". Fault is of little consolation when you're laying bleeding and broken in the street.

At my age falling off hurts and I don’t like it, but it doesn’t matter what mode of transport the old adage of better safe then sorry is true, I do think that riding a road bike helps to develop a sixth sense that a certain vehicle will definitely do something stupid, even when driving, you seem to understand the clues a bit better coming from the vehicle that the driver isn’t paying full attention and that they’re an accident waiting to happen

 

[yello]

I do think that riding a road bike helps to develop a sixth sense that a certain vehicle will definitely do something stupid

Absolutely. I don't know if it's the awareness of your own vulnerability that gives you new eyes for the road.

For me, riding a motorbike and the training I did with that, gave me a whole new awareness on the roads. I did a fair bit of training with serving, an ex, police officers (some from the 'special escort group' or SEG) I learnt so much from that. Those guys could ride, and in some cases ride badly (when they needed to) but well and safely, if that makes sense. They really drummed 'defensive riding' into me and that in any road accident that you (biker/cyclist) would come off worse. So you rode to avoid that. Treat everyone and everything as a danger to you; assess, prioritise and adapt accordingly. That training was invaluable.

 

[Lovacott]

It’s not rocket science I would err on the side of caution and slow ready to stop, same as when on a shared cycle path with unpredictable dogs, kids on bikes pedestrians etc, I prefer to get home in one piece rather than be right in ambulance

I was taught by my driving instructor that if I'm ever tempted to hit the horn, I should brake instead.

I have one very busy roundabout on my homeward commute with the road coming in from the left backed up with cars eager to get across.

Sometimes, they see me on my bike and don't bother with giving way. It happens maybe two or three times a month so my mitigation strategy is to assume that none of them will give way.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I do think that riding a road bike helps to develop a sixth sense that a certain vehicle will definitely do something stupid, even when driving, you seem to understand the clues a bit better coming from the vehicle that the driver isn’t paying full attention and that they’re an accident waiting to happen

You can develop this sort of awareness driving any sort of vehicle if you do a lot of it in busy conditions where there are a lot of other road users around. I can usually sense if a London Black Cab driver to my left wants to pull out and change lanes before they have made any move or indication to do so. They might move their cab a mere couple of inches to the right, they'll be looking in the mirror or turning their head to the right. You just know they are looking for a gap to go into and I often give them a flash of the headlights and just fall back ever so slightly and they come out knowing that I've already read their intention without so much as an indicator even being used, then they give a friendly wave as they do it. Mutual awareness in traffic is everything.

 

[Lovacott]

You can develop this sort of awareness driving any sort of vehicle if you do a lot of it in busy conditions where there are a lot of other road users around.

What really pisses me off when I'm driving, is someone overtaking me very slowly on a dual carriageway when they can see that I am coming up fast towards a slow moving vehicle in front.

It leaves me with no option but to slam on my anchors.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

It leaves me with no option but to slam on my anchors.

Well, you do have the option to ease off so the vehicle overtaking you gets ahead sooner and you aren't catching up with the slow one so quickly.
When I'm driving a loaded commercial I try to avoid using the brakes altogether as much as possible. It tends to make for quicker progress actually if you always keep moving not braking hard then accelerating hard.

 

[DaveReading]

What really pisses me off when I'm driving, is someone overtaking me very slowly on a dual carriageway when they can see that I am coming up fast towards a slow moving vehicle in front.

It leaves me with no option but to slam on my anchors.

If they are coming up behind you, but only catching up with you very slowly, then a bit of welly often allows you to pull out (safely) before they reach you, and thereby avoid getting boxed in.

 

[DRM]

What really pisses me off when I'm driving, is someone overtaking me very slowly on a dual carriageway when they can see that I am coming up fast towards a slow moving vehicle in front.

It leaves me with no option but to slam on my anchors.

What pisses me off is when I'm overtaking someone in the van against the speed limiter set at 71mph, who then picks up speed to keep pace with me so I can't get past and Mr Audi/BMW is then six inches from my back bumper so I can't even pull back in, they soon back off when approaching an HGV, and then usually stay going slower then 70 mph, and are nowhere to be seen within a couple of minutes

 

[Lovacott]

What pisses me off is when I'm overtaking someone in the van against the speed limiter set at 71mph, who then picks up speed to keep pace with me so I can't get past and Mr Audi/BMW is then six inches from my back bumper so I can't even pull back in, they soon back off when approaching an HGV, and then usually stay going slower then 70 mph, and are nowhere to be seen within a couple of minutes

The A361 is mainly single lane with overtaking sections and it pisses me off when someone is holding up a long line of traffic by plodding along at 45mph only to speed up as soon as the road widens out to two lanes.

I can only assume that they are deliberately trying to annoy everybody else?

 

[Ridgeway]

A vote here for the Garmin Varia as a brilliant safety device!
Instantly hooks up with my Wahoo Roam.
Lets me know about vehicles coming up, often before I hear them.

I then position myself accordingly: if I don’t think it is safe to pass (coming to brow of hill or bend, or perhaps cars coming the other way, narrow road, etc), I wobble a little and move out. If it is safe, I pedal on, maybe with the wobble to make them think I might be a dodgy cyclist.
I don’t look over my shoulder - they won’t know that I know they are there……
Works brilliantly.

All that said…..on a busy commute, I can imagine the beeps etc being irritating & less helpful: I am lucky enough to be a leisure cyclist.

100% agree, brilliant devices that change the way you ride. I had to show a policeman recently who honestly didn't believe me when i said that my radar device detected upcoming cars, he thought i was joking until one went past.

I never leave home without mine for road cycling but agree in town it would be quite useless as it would just keep going off.

Up to 5 seconds before a car is in earshot i know it's there and can be prepared ie not change handlebar position, avoid drinking, checking out the road ahead to see if there's any reason i may need to adjust my route (pothole) and be ready.

It's the one bit of cycling technology that really is worth it