Watch out for bicycles too.

[dodge man]

I recently got into biking again in my retirement. I’ve ridden a little over a 1000 miles in the last 4 months. Most of this has been on rural paved roads near my house. It seems like once a week someone does something stupid around me, usually passing where they shouldn’t be. Someone went through and compiled a GIS type format on bike deaths for last year. Usually several hundred die every year, and 25% are the hit and run variety. This is just the deaths that could be found from news sources, there are probably more.

I tend to ride on low traffic roads and stay as far to the right as possible but a lot of states have a law that gives the bike the right to the entire traffic lane. Most people are pretty good about being safe but not everyone. I see lots of signs about seeing motorcycles and farm tractors, don’t forget bicycles also.

 

[jaxs]

I would never ride bikes recrationally on paved roads nor would i alow minors to.

 

[ArlyA]

I would never ride bikes recrationally on paved roads nor would i alow minors to.

Thats what everyone who doesn't ride, say.

 

[RandyT]

I recently got into biking again in my retirement. I’ve ridden a little over a 1000 miles in the last 4 months. Most of this has been on rural paved roads near my house. It seems like once a week someone does something stupid around me, usually passing where they shouldn’t be. Someone went through and compiled a GIS type format on bike deaths for last year. Usually several hundred die every year, and 25% are the hit and run variety. This is just the deaths that could be found from news sources, there are probably more.

I tend to ride on low traffic roads and stay as far to the right as possible but a lot of states have a law that gives the bike the right to the entire traffic lane. Most people are pretty good about being safe but not everyone. I see lots of signs about seeing motorcycles and farm tractors, don’t forget bicycles also.

Including our own state that allows cars to pass bicycles in no passing zones. A few requirements are in play but is legal.

 

[dodge man]

I would never ride bikes recrationally on paved roads nor would i alow minors to.

I’m curious why you feel that way? There are no bike trails in my area, the nearest being an hour or more away.

 

[dodge man]

Including our own state that allows cars to pass bicycles in no passing zones. A few requirements are in play but is legal.

That is where people have had problems. It put people in the on coming lane in danger of a head on. The people in the on coming lane almost had to stop a couple of times. I’ve mentality counted off the seconds the person would have to wait to pass me in a safer area, it’s usually less than 10 seconds.

 

[SuperiorLakeEffect]

I recently got into biking again in my retirement. I’ve ridden a little over a 1000 miles in the last 4 months. Most of this has been on rural paved roads near my house. It seems like once a week someone does something stupid around me, usually passing where they shouldn’t be. Someone went through and compiled a GIS type format on bike deaths for last year. Usually several hundred die every year, and 25% are the hit and run variety. This is just the deaths that could be found from news sources, there are probably more.

I tend to ride on low traffic roads and stay as far to the right as possible but a lot of states have a law that gives the bike the right to the entire traffic lane. Most people are pretty good about being safe but not everyone. I see lots of signs about seeing motorcycles and farm tractors, don’t forget bicycles also.

1000+ miles in four months is nothing to sneeze at!

I commute to work primarily by bicycle, mostly on rural roads with no shoulders (because I live on one). I find most folks who pass me are exceedingly courteous, but as you've noticed there's the occasional impatient person, like you- I've also noted that the most I'm ever going to slow somebody down can be counted in seconds. If for some reason it goes longer than 15 or 20, I'll happily pull over if an opportunity presents itself and let you by. I'm on a bicycle, I'm clearly not in a rush. But those situations are exceedingly rare.

 

[lostcause]

Over 20 years ago where I used to work, one or two members of upper management were avid road bike riders, and then many of the others decided to follow suit to keep with the "in" crowd. They would do one or two rides a week after work - I guess they did 50 or 60 miles each time, so it was more than just a casual ride. I came across them multiple times on the roads and one evening I had loaded up the tractor to take it to do some work, and I met the bike group at a 4-way intersection. The guy in the lead made a full speed right turn to get in ahead of me, and he had room and time to do it, though he was on a red light. The didn't like to stop and they didn't like to separate, so all of the herd followed. The last few did not have time to do what they did, so I was forced to apply the brakes heavily. truck and trailer brakes worked great, as did the chains and binders, so i didn't run over anyone and I didn't wear my tractor and backhoe, but I sure came close to restructuring company management that night...

I live in a rural area - even what we have for cities are rural, so often you can be stopped at a traffic light and there is nobody in sight in any direction. I find a lot of cyclists ignore the rules of the road - particularly stop signs - when nobody is coming. Ive got great respect for those ones who will ride the lane with the vehicles and stop at the lights and use hand signals, but I see far more of the other type around here.

 

[KennyG]

Including our own state that allows cars to pass bicycles in no passing zones. A few requirements are in play but is legal.

Most states allow passing of a slow moving vehicle in a no passing zone IF there is adequate visibility to pass safety. If you cause an accident in a no passing zone you are at fault regardless of what you are passing.

 

[SuperiorLakeEffect]

I find a lot of cyclists ignore the rules of the road - particularly stop signs - when nobody is coming.

Surprisingly, it's safer for us to treat Stop signs as yield signs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop

I will absolutely roll a stop sign if I'm not cutting somebody off.

I will also treat the red light at the last intersection before work as a stop sign because it won't detect cyclists (or motorcyclists).