Smidsy

dreamerb

Cycling to work this morning - for those of you who know Lower Kimmage Road, just heading north approaching the entrance to the church and monastery at Mount Argus - traffic is light and moving steadily. Car which overtook me a few seconds ago slows, signals right, comes to a stop - car 2, behind it, also slows, and, just as I come level with the rear quadrant, swings left (no indicating), to undertake the turning vehicle. Car 2 is now moving at almost the same speed at me, just a fraction more slowly (i.e. making the manoeuvre far too fast!). I'd kept enough space to my left to move into but the car just kept coming so I hauled on the brakes while letting out a humungous throatscraping yell.

The driver then did indicate left and pulled in to the wide area just outside the church gates so I resume cycling and stop when I draw level with the window, which the driver rolls down. I don't quite know what I'm expecting so I frown and wait. Driver, however, is mortified and abjectly apologetic and keen to know that I'm okay so I say that I'm fine, if a little shaken, and appreciate the apology. What I find really weird is that the driver says she didn't see me - even though she had overtaken me in a perfectly acceptable way literally no more than two seconds before executing her manoeuvre. I know that drivers may have a blind spot due to the rear pillars of cars, and there's a possibility I was in that when (if?) she checked her mirror. But she'd been behind me only seconds before so should have known there was a cyclist very nearby. I'm not a kerb-hugger so I'm at a bit of a loss to understand how she didn't see me.

No harm done in the event, and we were all courteous - but I don't see what I could reasonably have done differently to avoid it happening in the first place. I *think* my road positioning was pretty okay - I had "escape space".

Any advice or suggestions? Or is this just a "stuff (nearly) happens no matter what you do - relax!"

seamus

What "smidsy" really means is "Sorry mate, I wasn't thinking"

She overtook you and then forgot you were there. She failed to check her left hand wing mirror before overtaking. She'd fail her test for it.

But many drivers do it, the left hand mirror is the one that's most forgotten about in my experience. All you can do is try to anticipate people undertaking and assume they haven't used their mirror. Even if they do use their mirror, 99% of drivers will fail to check their blindspot.

Seaswimmer

dreamerb wrote: »

Any advice or suggestions? Or is this just a "stuff (nearly) happens no matter what you do - relax!"

Relax and watch out!!

This is a common occurence in my experience.

Car gets stuck behind right turning traffic, have a quick glance in left mirror (maybe), sees no cars and pulls left, possibly indicating or not.

It also happens regularly where bus lanes come to an end and where cars can then use the lane coming up to lights or a junction so they swing in quickly from the outside lane.

I think because as bikes we are quite narrow maybe sometimes they genuinely dont see us in the blind spot.

But you handled it well and I bet you will be extra vigilant when you come across right turning traffic in future..

dreamerb

Seaswimmer wrote: »

Relax and watch out!!

This is a common occurence in my experience.

Car gets stuck behind right turning traffic, have a quick glance in left mirror (maybe), sees no cars and pulls left, possibly indicating or not.

It also happens regularly where bus lanes come to an end and where cars can then use the lane coming up to lights or a junction so they swing in quickly from the outside lane.

I think because as bikes we are quite narrow maybe sometimes they genuinely dont see us in the blind spot.

But you handled it well and I bet you will be extra vigilant when you come across right turning traffic in future..

I'm very used to - and usually pretty well prepared for - this kind of thing in bus lanes or for "main" right turns, or in multiple-lane situations. This is a stretch of road with one lane in each direction and painted on bike lanes, and I rarely see drivers making that right turn. So I might have been a little late in registering that the car two ahead was slowing to turning right, especially since the indicator would have been masked by the car behind.

valleyoftheunos

Cycling in the Blindspot is easy to do without being fully realising what you are doing but Drivers should still always check it whenever they turn left, many don't.

I've also noticed that for many drivers once they pass you and they can no longer see you, you cease to exist. Actually a lot of drivers have no awareness of whats behind them at all.

Seaswimmer

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

Actually a lot of drivers have no awareness of whats behind them at all.

and cyclists:)


http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11802/Roberto-Ferrari-defiant-after-causing-Giro-sprint-crash.aspx

check_six

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

Actually a lot of drivers have no awareness of whats behind them at all.

Had someone tell me that there a lot of stuff you have to do in your driving test that you never need to do 'normally'. Stuff like checking your mirrors, or looking over your shoulder. They said the test was like a ridiculous pantomime where you pretend to do these things, but afterwards you just go back to driving 'normally'.

I was so shocked I couldn't respond coherently at all. I don't understand people like this at all, but I believe there are quite a few of them out there!

valleyoftheunos

check_six wrote: »

Had someone tell me that there a lot of stuff you have to do in your driving test that you never need to do 'normally'. Stuff like checking your mirrors, or looking over your shoulder. They said the test was like a ridiculous pantomime where you pretend to do these things, but afterwards you just go back to driving 'normally'.

I was so shocked I couldn't respond coherently at all. I don't understand people like this at all, but I believe there are quite a few of them out there!

Absolutely, lots of drivers are of the attitude that other road users can sense their intentions by ESP or the "sure you knew I was turning" principle and thus things such as indicators and mirrors are mere frivolities purely for the purposes of the driving test.

In fairness I had a Smidsy moment myself as driver a few years ago, I realised then that its not too much effort to look over your shoulder before turning, not everyone seems to be of the same opinion.

longshank

article about this in sunday times