Background: I was nearly (<1 car length) struck in an intersection while biking home earlier this evening (not dark/no cars had lights on yet). I was biking on a designated "bike boulevard" in the neighborhood and the driver was crossing. The car was stopped at a 2 way stop when I saw him. He was stopped for a few seconds so I think it's possible he was checking his phone or something like that. I was visible to him by about 100 feet from the intersection. As soon as I entered the intersection he proceeded so I cranked on the pedals because I definitely didn't have room to stop.

What I did: I followed the driver through a few stop signs and eventually pulled up next to him as he stopped to make a right turn. I let him know that he was crossing a designated bike corridor and that it was a 2-way stop. I did my best to point out that he was at fault in front of his girlfriend. I really couldn't think of anything else that would have been appropriate. He claimed he had looked but I could tell by his nervous speech that he knew he was in the wrong.

So what: I feel like I just don't have enough recourse in these types of situations. I don't want to do anything extreme because I wasn't harmed, but it bothers me because I know that if I were injured I wouldn't nearly be compensated sufficiently.

What to do you guys (bikers) do if you are in a near-collision? Do the police even keep track of these sorts of incidents?

Why I put this on the car forum: I decided to ask this question here because I know all of the bikes forums are so heavily slanted against cars. I'm looking for realistic solutions from people that can clearly see the problem from the driver's POV as well.

Note: this is intended to be less about my particular incident, and more about how to respond to close-calls in general.

 

I don't have any experience with this kind of stuff, but if it were to happen to me I would treat it just like an auto collision. I'd get his info down and call his insurance company/find out what kind of policy he has. As a driver though sometimes I can understand not seeing a pedestrian/cyclist under they are very near.

When I ride my bike I always make sure it's safe before crossing because of incidents just like the ones you describe. However, there are some cyclists that annoy me because they bike on the road and try to take up so much of the road...it's like they think they're in a vehicle themselves and deserve an entire lane to themselves..

 

i don't think you could really call the police for a near-collision. i mean nothing really happened. i'm no pro at the law, but it seems unlikely that you could punish someone for almost doing something wrong. i'd just call it a lucky day and move on.

[edit]
i've been in plenty of close car-to-car collisions where the other driver was at fault. but everyone makes mistakes. no one can be perfect all the time. at least that's how i personally try to think about it lol. in the end, you got out safely. i think the only thing you can really do is try to avoid those situations or be more mindful of potential situations like that.

 

dont get angry until some teenager leans out the window of a car and pushes you over while riding.

 

Lol, is this thread a joke? You going to call the cops everytime someone cuts you off the road? I can understand being upset but you have to be kidding me about calling the cops or even thinking about it. I'm no fan of a bike rider, most people on bikes think they are a car. I don't really think you and the bike would when VS a truck or car. You got to have some big nuts to ride a bike now of days with all the morons on the road. I don't even feel safe driving in my car most of the time.......

 

get close to the car and take out a mirror. alot of guys on motorcycles do it when idiots dont pay attention. specially the certain idiots who decide its okay to change lanes without looking... maybe that'll teach em to pay attention. just a thought...

 

That's a good one till yah run into someone that will chase you down and kick your ***. Motorcycle is a different story, you can get away unlike a bike.......

 

You did the right thing in calmly explaining the error of his ways in such a way that he didn't view it as a threat or you trying to escalate the situation.

I have been hit while riding many times, and only once was my fault - but I was 14 and wearing headphones so chalk it up to pure ignorant stupidity on my part. The last time landed me in urgent care for 4 hours. Broken proximal humerus (8 weeks in a sling) plus PT, surgery, and more PT, followed by a 2 year litigation process with my own insurance company. Bike wrecks are no fun so I encourage you to keep your head on a swivel and don't get scared off of your bike by this incident.

I applaud you for playing it cool while still calling the dude out. When people repeatedly get away with the stupid crap they do while behaving irresponsibly it reinforces that behavior because there aren't consequences right away. So again, good job informing him in a responsible way. Hopefully he will think before driving so carelessly.

 

This.

Near collision? I never do more than let them know what they did. You can't do any more, really. I've been hit once in college. Broke my arm and the guy took off. What can you do?

 

Try taking a bat to the head. Or a mirror to the ribs.... ir getting hit and basically exploding the left side of your body.

 

I think you did the right thing. He will probably remember to be more aware in the future.

The flipside - What do I do when I see a bicyclist breaking the law? For instance, a group of cyclists not stopping at a stop sign and blowing through an intersection. The intersection was not blocked, it was a 4-way stop, and there was no officer stopping traffic for them? They were moving downhill, I did not see them and had moved into the intersection and stood on my brakes to avoid bodies flying.

This was close to 280 in Los Altos.

 

This:

Airzound Bike Horn -- Delta Cycle


:P

I run with a headlight on all the time (wannabe LED DRLs) to prevent stupid isht from happening. Sadly, stupid isht still happens so I depend on my Airzound to keep me alive when riding out in traffic.

 

handlebar mounted guns. And likewise james bond-esque weapons on cars.

 

+1 on the air horn and DRL's - if i ride in the day, i still have blinky led's on and having an air horn is key, if not to get their attention, to get the attention of those around you to the situation, should anything occur. (always good to have witnesses)