[aclinjury]

Ok folks, let's talk about this. Whenever there is 1 car or motorcycle passing you, chances are GOOD that there will be a few more of them behind you. See,, it's like gap on the freeways, you never ever see a lone car in a gap on the fwy right? They always tend to go in bunches right?? RIGHT?? Same as they are passing you, they pass in bunch and flock.

Every now and then I see a cyclist pulls to the right as he hears a car coming, only to pull too soon and have the OTHER cars coming up from behind honking.

So folks, please please assume that when 1 car passes you, chances are GOOD there will be a few more coming up yer arse and don't move out too soon! If this means that you have to stay behind a slow bloke in front of you for 20-30 seconds more, then do it!

 

[shermes]

Ok folks, let's talk about this. Whenever there is 1 car or motorcycle passing you, chances are GOOD that there will be a few more of them behind you. See,, it's like gap on the freeways, you never ever see a lone car in a gap on the fwy right? They always tend to go in bunches right?? RIGHT?? Same as they are passing you, they pass in bunch and flock.

Every now and then I see a cyclist pulls to the right as he hears a car coming, only to pull too soon and have the OTHER cars coming up from behind honking.

So folks, please please assume that when 1 car passes you, chances are GOOD there will be a few more coming up yer arse and don't move out too soon! If this means that you have to stay behind a slow bloke in front of you for 20-30 seconds more, then do it!

What if I just look to see if there are more cars coming instead of assuming, would that be ok with you?

 

[jpdigital]

Riding at night tends to make picking up on the trailing cars a bit easier for me. I always look at the bumper of a vehicle that has just passed me, and I'm generally able to pick up on the reflection of any trailing car's headlights. As for the the initial vehicle (as well as any trailing vehicles), I'll get a headlight's reflection coming off of my front rim as well.

Also, I think understanding that cars tend to travel in bunches comes with experience on the road.

 

[looigi]

Agree that you need to be careful about the following vehicles.

If you start out with all cars evenly spaced along the road, those that drive a little faster will catch up to and get stuck behind those who drive the slowest, so it's inevitable that cars will be bunched. Another factor is if cars are distributed randomly along the road, they won't be evenly spaced and there will be bunches. That's a consequence of being random.

When riding on narrow roads with passing cars you're often threading a narrow line along the edge of the road between debris, drain grates and pot holes. A mirror can assist in monitoring overtaking vehicles while doing that.

 

[rbart4506]

Here's an idea...Don't move to the right...

Take your place on the edge of the road (I vary between 1' and 3'. depending on the road). Then I stay there and ride predictably. If cars need to overtake me then they go around when it's safe.

 

[velodog]

Here's an idea...Don't move to the right...

Take your place on the edge of the road (I vary between 1' and 3'. depending on the road). Then I stay there and ride predictably. If cars need to overtake me then they go around when it's safe.

I agree with this, don't veer and ride predictably.

 

[Got Time]

"It's the 2nd car that gets you."
Don't move to the right for the 1st car - the driver can see you ("can" doesn't mean "will"...).
Move to the right for the 2nd car: depending on the car sizes and how late the 1st car moves to the left, the 2nd (3rd, ...) car might get too close for comfort...

 

[superg]

I agree with this, don't veer and ride predictably.

+1
Also, as a car passes me by, I steal a quick glance behind to see if there's more.

 

[SauronHimself]

When in doubt it's best to take a command presence in the lane to ensure that cars see you. I learned that one quickly living in Jacksonville, FL. The state has a 3-foot rule, but the drivers are too dumb and ignorant to follow it, so I would just take the lane and make them pass me. There were too many close calls riding on the white line or on the shoulder.

 

[Oxtox]

When in doubt it's best to take a command presence in the lane to ensure that cars see you. I learned that one quickly living in Jacksonville, FL. The state has a 3-foot rule, but the drivers are too dumb and ignorant to follow it, so I would just take the lane and make them pass me. There were too many close calls riding on the white line or on the shoulder.

we have a 3-foot rule (city ordinance).

poll 100 motorists...chances are that 99 have never heard about it.

there's been virtually no driver education effort to get the word out about this, so it's not hard to understand why it's not common knowledge.

and the police don't enforce it anyway, so it's just a 'feel-good' measure...

anyone expecting to be afforded any protection by this type of law is kidding themselves.

 

[BlazingPedals]

In my experience if you leave the width of a car plus an inch, about 10% of the time, the car will squeeze you so it doesn't have to change lanes. So always be pro-active about lane positioning. Unless the lane is wide enough that YOU feel comfortable sharing it, move left far enough to make it obvious the car won't fit. Usually the right tire track is far enough to ensure they pass you safely.

 

[Hooben]

Sure, when it's busy and traffic is heavy, I slowly go through the intersection and let all the bunch of traffic go by. Once they clear out, then I am free to take the lane.
I usually try to use lower traffic streets on weekdays. It's not worth frustration on the car and bicycle side of the story.

 

[rkdvsm]

Here's a better idea. Use a mirror.

 

[.je]

Also, if you get passed by a big pickup truck, chances are good it's towing a long trailer... don't be surprised if you get back out a little, and hello! there's a boat or something there.

Same, of course, with transports. No assuming how long that thing is without looking!

 

[siclmn]

When you have a mirror there are no surprises. Would you drive your car all day with no mirrors and your head on a swivel? I see people on every ride who swivel their head to see what's behind them, towards the end of the ride they are tired of the swivel and rely on others to tell them if something is behind them.
I just flick my eyes to the mirror and look.

 

[mmlee]

When you have a mirror there are no surprises. Would you drive your car all day with no mirrors and your head on a swivel? I see people on every ride who swivel their head to see what's behind them, towards the end of the ride they are tired of the swivel and rely on others to tell them if something is behind them.
I just flick my eyes to the mirror and look.

+1, I tried riding with and without mirror and definitely prefer to ride with a drop bar end mirror. Just too much crap on the roads to take your eye of whats in front of you. I also like to know what's coming up on my rear without having to turn my head too often, especially when I'm tired after a long ride.

 

[Terex]

Here's a better idea. Use a mirror.

And an even better idea, just assume that there are more cars and keep a safe line, as previously noted. I don't trust reliance on bike mirrors. When I make a left turn? Many times I pull off to the right, stop, and look in both directions. Way more safe than a mirror.

 

[Mr. Versatile]

Use a mirror. Problems solved.

 

[Mike T.]

Use a mirror. Problems solved.

^^^ This. Just as good as knowing when there are cars there is knowing that there are no cars there - and checking 10x as often as the head-swivelers.