almost killed twice today

SimpleSimon, there's something really wrong with the cops in your area. Blasting through blind intersections without even bothering to turn on their lights and sirens? It made me say "Wow", too. I wonder if these guys know about their brain-damaged colleague. You'd think that would make them show some caution.
 
I dangle a papally blest Medal of St. Benedict, the Jubilee version, bigger than a half dollar. Even though they do not recommend it for use as an amulet, (too superstitious) I made sure it was on the left handle before I left, DOUBLE ZIP TIED after Ol' Benny bounced on the pavement when the clasp broke in Cumming GA. (adding that to my zip tie total).

THERE IS NO MEDAL which possesses such wonderful power, and which is more highly esteemed by the holy Church than the Medal of St. Benedict.



http://www.osb.org/gen/patterson/

He's the Patron Saint of a "Happy Death".

On the reverse side are two sets of Latin initials, both were mysteries, like the heiroglyphics, until finally one was found to be an "exorcism", which I use on bad drivers.

The fourteen letters around the Cross, making its border are V.R.S.N.S.M.V.; S.M.Q.L.I.V.B. They come from a Leonine Poem and represent only three of its sixteen verses. The initials stand for the verses:

Vade retro Satana;
Nunquam suade mihi vana.
Sunt mala quae libas;
Ipse venana bibas!

Only had to use it once the past three days, on a gray Buick yesterday outside Mooresville.

Hey, every little bit helps.
 
I've read this thread before and thought, "There but for the grace of God..." And I hoped that I wouldn't have any close calls, but no such luck.
I consider this a "close call" since I was able to ride the bike home after it happened.
I was riding on the right side of 25mph traffic in a strip mall infested downtown area yesterday. Since it was such a nice day I was wearing shorts for the first time while motorbicycling. Uh, I'll have to rethink that one for later. I was going about 15-18mph and this young girl driving daddy's new Accord comes past me on the left. Then she turns...
No turn signal, no notice, and she must have slammed on her brakes to make that right hand turn into the parking lot. Right in front of me.
I had time to slam MY brakes on for just a fraction of a second before making full-on sideways contact with her passenger door. I'm quite glad that her passnger window was closed since that kept me from joining her in her car. As it was I did sort of a "squash my whole body and bike sideways into her car then bounced off to the ground thing" Luckily she stopped pretty fast once she heard my "thump". Also luckily since my back wheel ended up still chugging away rubbing up against her rear tire patch.
So she gets out of her car saying "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so..." Two cars that were following stopped to help as well. Another guy with a truck stopped and asked if I needed a ride.
Didn't hit my head but I WAS wearing a helmet. I must have landed some on my left hand since it now has a minor abrasion on the palm. I looked down at my left leg and blood was coming out of about 8 separate cuts/scrapes. There was a small, marble-sized bump right on my shin. A lady offered up a few sanitary wipes (handy thing in your toolkit). I am going to switch to those pedals with the rubber blocks. I started looking at my pedals and they have all sorts of spiky things and sharp protrusions. I'm pretty sure they caused most of the cuts. They were just pedals I had on this particular pre-motor. One of the cuts came from the clutch cable end.
I looked things over, adjusted the stem straight again, kind of rebent my front tank mount and was able to ride home a few minutes later to start healing. I'm pretty sure that at the time of this accident I wasn't riding "defensively" enough. I'm gonna change starting on my ride today...
 
Being a cyclist for the last 3 years (even in the winter) I have had serveral close encounters of the four wheeled kind...the worst one was when I was racing home in the rain in a bike lane, and a VW beetle decided to pull up next to me, and turn right...I nailed his front right fender, and landed on the pavement on the left side of it. thankfully I was able to get up and dust myself off and continue home after explaining to the driver his mistake...
 
One thing that another guy said "he rides as though he is invisible" it's good advise but in practice it's hard to relax at all. You have to assume that you are visible, maybe not as much as we would like to believe, but somewhat normally observed. The first two weeks of riding I was cut off like boogerballs said he was, except I never made contact. After the first time of being right-turned as I rode down road, jamming my coaster brake as hard as I could and sliding sideways to avoid hitting the side of the car as he causally made his way up the side road that he right turned onto. I thought afterwards that will never let that happen again ( use a rear view mirror ) extensively I thought that should take care of that problem. Well another car riding right next to me, both of us going about 20-24mph est, all of a sudden brakes hard and swerves to the right causing me once again to lock up the rear wheel and sliding completely sideways like the first time only this time I was only a few inches from making contact with the side of his car. So now I have a new perspective when riding, I ride like that squirrel in your back yard making quick maneuvers and looking like I'm dirt racing with a pack of other racers (only a lot slower) and this seems to help.
 
Well,Try going to a gas station pumpinkg gas In my gas can for my bike and having a woman while you are pumping gas reading her mail and driving at the same time and hitting you and your ride.Then hollaring at me saying you need to move your bicycle.I said lady I am pumping Fraggin gas for christ's sake.Once she realized my bike was a m.b. she rode off rather quickly while I sat there with a sore hip,arm,and a bent rim.
 
I just been In so many close calls I just say a prayer and ride.If I get hit on my m.b. or my motorcycle.I just ask God to kill me quickly rather than suffer with fround off limbs and multiple broke bones.Suffering Is worse than death.And I ride like It's my last day on this earth.Worry my poor momma to death but There Is no guarantees on life.Only on death.
 
The drivers around here are fairly use to bicyclists since this is one of the top ten "bicycle friendly" cities. People are alert. My bright orange vest helps maximize my visibility. I drive defensively and respectively. I don't showboat or intimidate. Most people scoff at motored bikes as if we're jokes. I laugh. I can maneuver crashes, curbs, hills, take it on sidewalks, take it into my apartment, have the best parking, get over 100 miles to the gallon, don't need a license, don't need to register, don't need insurance, unable to be sent a ticket in the mail for running a red light (though I would never do that), and I'm sure I missed a few. Long live motored bikers! Mileage update: 2,447 since January.
 
Same story people pulling out right in front of you, jerks squeezing you into the curb. I feel the single most important thing is to have an insanely bright rear and a front flasher and to wear a bright flouorescent yellow/green biking or construction vest. Wearing a Dot helmet even though it's not required is very smart. I installed a motorcycle horn to get people's attention also. The rear yellow construction flasher and horn is powered by a 12v lithium battery and I run a not as bright Planet Bike red flasher on the front fork.

I only ride residential streets and pick the safest intersections to cross the busy ones. I hang back from the intersections and let the light change and the cars to get going then I follow. I wave drivers around me all the time too. The worst time to ride is at sunset or sun rise try to advoid those times if you can.

I had a wipe out a couple of weeks ago that was all my fault though. I made the dumb move to shine up my tires including the treads of the tires. When I made my first turn out of my drive on to a busy street and the bike just slide out from under me. The scabs are finaly starting to fall off and I was wearing long pants and long sleeve sweet shirt. I hate to think what it be like to wipe out just wearing shorts, sandels and a tee shirt.
 

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Bicyclists are among the worst treated people in American society. They WILL mow you over. It's a little better with a motor - Americans LIKE MOTORS - but if you are judged to be holding up the pace of an American driver, then you are and impediment.

I hate American Car Culture.

Timbone
 
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