Always have a plan for how to bail out of traffic.
You never know when you may need to exit the roadway quickly in order to remain safe. That driver behind you might be “intexticated.” That guy making the left turn might not see you. That person on your left might try to make a right turn across your path.
What are you going to do if the worst happens? Where will you go?
I bailed out yesterday, but the situation wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the scenarios above. Nope. This was actually a little strange.
There I was riding along minding my own business when a driver slows down behind me and then won’t pass. And won’t pass. And won’t pass. So I wave to indicate “Com’on around.” Three times. And still the driver won’t pass.
Now the road was wide enough to share and there was no on-coming traffic. So what the hell?
I was in no danger of collision. But was I in another kind of danger? Hmmmmm… So I bailed out. Took the first driveway I saw and got the hell out of the road. And the driver then brings the car back up to speed and goes on her merry way.
Always have a plan for how to bail out of traffic.
Comments 5
I occasionally run across such drivers. I tend to do the same as you do, though I’ll more often pick a stretch where I don’t actually have to stop to move over.
I’m less worried about the 4000 lb “puppy” following me home than by the more impatient littermates that will tend to stack up behind him/her.
Posted 27 Jul 2009 at 5:48 pm ¶The sad thing is she was probably trying to be nice. But no less dangerous.
Posted 27 Jul 2009 at 9:30 pm ¶Did you notice if she was on the phone? Sometimes cell-phone drivers follow a slow vehicle for a long time because they are concentrating on their conversation and it takes too much effort to pass.
I have several video clips of drivers following for a long time on a multi-lane road. I can’t see them through the windshield, but that’s my suspicion. I have seen it while driving my car and following such a driver.
What scares me is when they create a clog behind me because drivers following them can’t see that there is a cyclist ahead and change lanes early (or they get stuck on a 2-lane road). It’s one of those drivers that gets irate and then dumps hostility on the cyclist. Because it’s the cyclist’s fault, of course.
Posted 28 Jul 2009 at 6:06 am ¶Keri et. al. … All I could see was her gender (f) and approximate age (40s) as she passed. Thankfully there were no cars stacked up behind her. And, yes, that makes it much worse. Another good reason to bail out.
Posted 28 Jul 2009 at 7:06 am ¶wow. That was a good example of low subjective safety.
Posted 28 Jul 2009 at 2:58 pm ¶