This also works 99.5% of the time:
Move out into the lane 1/3 of the way. When the vehicle starts getting
close, and you've seen that they are going to give you room, move over
as if to say "Hey, I don't want to be in your way," and they will
literally give you a bunch of room. A sunglasses mounted mirror, or some
other kind of mirror, is nearly essential for this to work well though.
-----Original Message-----
From: Matthew Wolpert [mailto:matthew.wolpert@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 11:37 AM
To: Long, Steve
Cc: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Discouraging cars from "buzzing" bicyclists
Hello,
I just wanted to share a technique that I've found works surprisingly
well for me at getting cars to give me a safer amount of space while
passing. It goes like this:
"Make a preemptive wave at each approaching car, when the driver is
close enough to clearly see that you're waving, but far enough that the
driver gets to decide how much space he or she wants to give you."
Advantages: Two of the reasons that drivers put our lives at risk are
(1) They're not paying attention; (2) They have negative attitudes
towards bicyclists in general.
Waving greatly reduces the incidence of (1) for obvious reasons. For
(2), it's a little more tricky, but I believe the wave works because it
is a friendly gesture, and it's a lot harder psychologically for the
driver to "buzz" you if you've just waved at him or her. If you turn
around and look back towards them and then wave, they'll usually give
even more space, but that's not practical to do very often. I save that
for the most dangerous stretches of road.
I first discovered this on a scary section of road, where I literally
feared for my life. I started waving at each car, and found that the
average distance between me and the cars increased noticeably. The
drivers who would have given me a safe distance on their own would
frequently go totally into the oncoming lane to pass me. Most of the
other drivers gave me a happy amount of space. A few came a little
closer than ideal, but none buzzed me. My left arm was tired by the end,
but I was hooked.
Disadvantages: You left arm gets tired. Also, it can be more than a
little distracting from your ride to have to wave at everyone. It
doesn't work so well on really really busy roads, because then you're
just waving all the time. You need a good enough sense of hearing,
because you can't be looking back all the time to see when a car is
coming. A helmet mounted mirror might work well for this, I know some
people can't say enough about them. Waving doesn't work so well when
it's dark out and the driver can't see you. The night driver who
dislikes bicyclists is a real safety worry for me.
Hope that helps someone.
Matthew
On 6/1/06, Long, Steve wrote:
>
> Boy, you are not lying about that. I have had people intentionally
> buzz me more times than I care to discuss and it is almost always the
> case that they have an attitude about bikers, bikes or something and
> they are looking to mess up your .....
>
> Sometimes, they honestly don't have a clue about what they did but
> they usually know just what they are doing.
> ________________________________
> From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org]
> On Behalf Of Jeff Tedder
> Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 10:19 AM
> To: GEORGE SCHRECK; Eric.Kytola@kingrs.com; andy@fseee.org;
> obra@list.obra.org
>
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Eugene Cycling Fatality
>
>
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Eugene Cycling Fatality
>
>
> George, I love you but I have to disagree, I was run off the road at
> the coast on Saturday by a dump truck, no cars coming in the opposite
> direction, no reason to do what he did. I ran into a big dirt bank and
> tore my fenders all up, so needless to say I wasn't happy. I could
> have just as well ended up dead under the wheels of this a--holes
> truck. Well a few miles down the road guess who was pulled over at a
> mini-mart, we had a little chat and all that came out of his mouth was
> faggot biker, several times. So moral of the story is there is plenty
> of a--hole truck drivers, bus drivers etc. that go out of there way to
mess up your day. Stay safe everyone,.
> Jeff
> From: GEORGE SCHRECK
> To: Eric.Kytola@kingrs.com ; andy@fseee.org ; obra@list.obra.org
> Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 10:01 AM
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Eugene Cycling Fatality
>
>
>
> At any speed, going under the wheels of a large truck will kill you.
>
> The sad fact is that any mishap on your bike that causes you to swerve
> into traffic can kill you. Unfortunately, in this instance, it
> happened just as a truck was going by. I have seen a number of
> training ride crashes, and people were just lucky enough to have no
> vehicles in close proximity when they went down. I do not think
> anyone who drives a truck as a professional is reckless. Professional
> truck drivers of all people understand the risks and consequences.
>
> ----Original Message----
> From: Eric.Kytola@kingrs.com
> Date: 06/01/2006 9:35 AM
> To: "Andy Stahl",
> Subj: Re: [OBRA Chat] Eugene Cycling Fatality
>
> if the road was wider, cars would go even faster!
>
> just to be balanced:
> a log truck driver saved my life out there once. i was climbing the
> twisting section just before King Estate. i heard him coming behind me
> for awhile. i was pedaling like mad to clear the gaurdrail near the
> top. just as he got to me a large Dodge truck came from over the hill
> at us both. he locked 'em up
> (read: dead stop) to avoid splattering me. i jumped off my bike after
> clearing the gaurdrail and bowed down to him. no doubt, his action
saved me.
> those guys aren't out there to kill people!!
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org]
> On Behalf Of Andy Stahl
> Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 9:22 AM
> To: obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Eugene Cycling Fatality
>
> I can confirm how slippery the Territorial Road new white line is.
> Riding in this morning on that same section I skidded on it for the
> first time ever. Why can't some abrasive material, e.g., sand, be
added to the paint?
>
> The logging trucks go much too fast along Territorial Road. I see
> them almost every day. Scary even if you're in a car, much less on a
> bike. Even apart from specific criminality in this instance, another
> real crime is the state's failure to add shoulders to Territorial Rd.
between Crow and Lorane.
> Statistically, this has to be one of the most dangerous roads in Lane
> County. I see cars flipped into the ditch on a monthly basis between
> Gillespie Corners and Hamm Road.
>
> Andy
>
> At 09:15 AM 6/1/2006, you wrote:
> I have sad news to report. Jane Higdon, local Ironman competitor and
> friend to many bike racers, was hit and killed by a log truck on
Wednesday, May 31.
> This is a regular group ride that I normally attend, but missed due
> to other commitments. The news reports conflict somewhat with what I
> have gotten from a rider who was there. It appears that the truck got
> very close to the group of four riders on a narrow highway, one of the
> riders went down, due to hitting the dirt shoulder or maybe a
freshly-painted line.
> Jane was at the back and apparently, in avoiding fallen rider, got
> caught in truck's wheels and was killed instantly. Unfortunately,
> there were no eye-witnesses, because she was at the back. We are all
> trying to get as many facts as we can, so media can be correctly
> informed and possible criminal charges pursued.
>
> Again, a very sad day in Eugene's cycling community.
>
> Steve Scarich
>