Safety Positive Saftey Stories

Stan4d

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After readin most if not all posts here in the saftey section, I have noticed a lack of how things were avoided by being safe. I thought I would share one story of mine that ended happily.
During my breakin runs on my bike I ride to a small store that is 2.5 miles from my house. During those runs I saw the neccessaty for a rearview mirror. After purchasing a small end mount mirror for my bike I made several more runs.
During one of these runs the car in front of me was making a left turn and waiting on traffic. I passed on the right and out of concern (heard bad stories about passing on the right) I checked my rearview and saw a car coming up that was moving right to pass the turning car. I moved off the road before he got to me. He did not see me and would have had to choose between me or the turning car. I took that choice away by moving off. He did realize his mistake and slowed enough to apologize (he should have stopped but oh well...)
That is how a simple mirror let me live another day.
Are there any other stories about mirrors, helmets, horns or lights that people have to share?
 
I was riding my bicycle through Philomath, Oregon, some years ago, and for once I was actually wearing my helmet (back then I rarely did), and a guy driving a 4 x 4 chevy pickup with huge mud tires came roaring up the embankment beside the road. It was a narrow two lane county road, and he evidently never saw me at all. No way to stop, no oncoming traffic, so I swerved left really hard, clear across the road, and hit a crumbled edge of the blacktop that sorta pitched me sideways. I remember a flash of, "I'm dead", as I went head first into the signpost in front of me. I was going about 25 mph when I hit the post (a steel pipe, really), but I ducked my head and hit it with the crown of the helmet.

Bounced me off the bike, bent my front wheel, cracked the helmet, and knocked me cold. I woke up just as the guy in the pickup came running up to me from where he'd slid to a halt, exclaiming "Man, where'd you come from !?!? I never saw you!"

Had a heck of a headache, and a very stiff neck for the next week, a few scrapes, but I was sold from then on the virtues of wearing a helmet.
 
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