Why I Don’t “iPod” and Bike or “Cell Phone” and Bike
Tagged with: biking • near misses
There’s nothing like narrowly missing a collision with a car while riding a bike to make you think, “Holy Shit! I’m still alive.”
And it’s exactly the reason that I JUST ride my bike while riding my bike. I try to limit the number of tasks my brain has to do so I can focus and be aware and lookout for other people. It has nothing to do with me not trusting myself, or me thinking that I am a horrible bicyclist. The issue is that I do not trust everyone else on the road. I have been in enough close calls to know that people in any type of automobile, generally speaking, do not look out for pedestrians or bikes.
What specifically happened is below
I was riding home from work on College street, and after crossing the tracks there is a downward slope that allows me to pick up momentum. This is important for me because after this there is a sort of basin and then starts an uphill. Don’t let me exaggerate how steep these sections are (as a family friend from Scotland calls our hills in Illinois “bumps”), but even a modest slope can seem enormous when your movement comes from your muscles.
So anyway, right where I would start to go uphill is one of two entrances/exits from a church parking lot. And one car was waiting for their turn to pull out. This car was turning West onto College as I was heading East on the sidewalk of College, meaning they were not looking for traffic from the direction I was coming. So I start to slow and then the driver appears to not want to move and at the last second as I am approaching decides to go and of course never sees me.
I was able to slam on the brakes and swerve to miss the car. Had I just kept going forward and not prepared to brake I would have been right out in front of the car at the same time the driver was hitting the gas. Not a good scenario for me.
Needless to say, this experience again cements the idea into my head that when you are riding a bike you should minimize all distractions as much as possible.
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April 22nd, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I’d really like to listen to music while I’m bicycling, but I’m not suicidal. Hearing cars approaching from behind is something important to know…
If a driver doesn’t see you, he doesn’t know you’re there. Assuming otherwise can be an expensive mistake.
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:58 am
I couldn’t agree more! I thought to myself once that listening to music would be really cool. But the hundred times I almost got hit by a car kept popping into my head too. Stupid brain.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Sounds like a narrow escape. You think it’s significant that it was a church parking lot exit?
I was once hit by a car while riding. There was no music involved, just me, the sidewalk, and the car that appeared in front of me too quickly to avoid. I ended up flying over the hood and somersaulting on the pavement beyond. I wasn’t really injured, and it was funny to me that the first thing the driver did - she being a pretty young woman - was jump out of the car and give me a hug.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
LOL, I did think it was ironic at the time and laughed about it after I calmed down a bit.
Dang, I’m not sure the first thing I would want is a hug after getting in an accident like that. But at least she was nice about it.
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 am
Hi Webs,
I know someone who smashed up his car twice while listening to music. He usually gets ‘carried’ away with the song and, in his words, enters a trace like state. Thus resulting in accidents. Some where we need to realize that listening to great stuff while driving insults the music greatly!
Like your blog and will surely come back for more.
It was my pleasure in linking the pic to your site. the picture really hit the point home!
May 4th, 2008 at 12:57 am
I have no problems driving and listening to music, but there is much much much less to pay attention to when driving than when riding a bike.
Thanks for the kind words and I too really enjoy that picture!