How Do You Deal With Traffic Coming From Behind?

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Lovacott

Lovacott

Über Member
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:okay:
My £7.50 bar end mirror does the same thing.
 
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Lovacott

Lovacott

Über Member
As a matter of interest, what do you then do?
I don't proceed.
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
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?
On an A road single carriageway at national speed limit is 50 mph in a van, probably has a tracker fitted and isn’t doing it to wind you up, they’re obeying the law, when it becomes a dual carriageway you can get to the dizzying heights of 60 mph, car drivers should know this instead of tailgating
 
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BoldonLad

Not part of the Elite
Location
South Tyneside
On an A road single carriageway at national speed limit is 50 mph in a van, probably has a tracker fitted and isn’t doing it to wind you up, they’re obeying the law, when it becomes a dual carriageway you can get to the dizzying heights of 60 mph, car drivers should know this instead of tailgating

Presumably, those speed limits do not apply to white Ford Transit vans, with an (optional) copy of the Sun on the dashboard? ;)
 
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Lovacott

Lovacott

Über Member
On an A road single carriageway at national speed limit is 50 mph in a van, probably has a tracker fitted and isn’t doing it to wind you up, they’re obeying the law, when it becomes a dual carriageway you can get to the dizzying heights of 60 mph, car drivers should know this instead of tailgating
I'm was referring to overtaking sections which are not classed as dual carriageway.
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
Presumably, those speed limits do not apply to white Ford Transit vans, with an (optional) copy of the Sun on the dashboard? ;)
No, Mr self employed courier/builder/plumber etc it is applicable, except they ignore it until they see the camera van parked up, then it’s panic button braking as regularly seen on the A19, then they remember, too late it gets you from 1 km away :okay:
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
At roundabouts, I always make eye contact with drivers so that I know they have seen me. If the driver isn't looking straight at me, I work on the assumption that I haven't been seen.
And if the driver is looking straight at you, you should also assume they haven't seen you. "Looked but failed to see" is a big cause of collisions. Paul McCartney wrote this after being T-boned at a junction:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qg5lGNchYM
 

mikeIow

Guru
Location
Leicester
My £7.50 bar end mirror does the same thing.
🤣🤣🤣

You know: it really doesn’t :laugh:

A pal mentioned the Varia to me before my LEJoG….I read & watched a few online reviews.
People who test it rapidly conclude they would never ride without it, even when they were broadly sceptical about the tech.

Go ahead: find a review and watch it. Then tell me the mirror is just as good🤪
I won’t post any specific ones: all the ones I found in an evenings researc persuaded me this was one piece of kit that perfectly complemented my Wahoo Roam (an equally brilliant device!)
 

classic33

Leg End Member
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.
I'd start relying on my own ears a bit more. Especially in extremes of traffic.
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
Absolutely. This has always been my approach at roundabouts and junctions. If I'm on a roundabout and see a vehicle at or approaching an entrance the driver gets a long hard stare. It sends a very important message.
A +1 from me - also even if you are travelling with a group, don't assume that the driver has seen the group. I was following two ladies up to Richmond Park a few weeks ago for laps. We had a green light to go straight on across a junction. The cars coming the other way tend to turn right onto the main road. The lead cyclists moved across and the lady in front of me got t-boned. The driver didn't *once* look to see if anyone was coming straight across - she was too busy looking right. She didn't even notice the first cyclist pass her (or if she did, assumed there was just one of us). I could see what was going to happen but the lady in front of me just had nowhere to go until she was across the bonnet.

Luckily it was at low speed and the cyclist wasn't badly injured (although her bike was nearly totalled as the driver then decided to try and drive over it to "move her car to the side of the road". I got a little bit shouty as she appeared to be trying to drive off! However she did park and then an off duty copper came over and helped sort everything out.
 
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