Is road biking safe anymore?

[thorski]

With texting and driving nowadays is riding your bike around town as dangerous as riding a motorcycle? I think it might even be more dangerous nowadays.

 

[roark]

There's been two head on collisions (both with fatalities) and a guard rail taken out on my usual commute in the last 4 weeks.

Yeah I'm nervous about the bike commute - I usually take the long route (~4 mi longer, and 20 minutes more... a couple good hills that way) but still some sections that make me rather nervous since cars are going ~50+. Might have to explore mtb commuting (much longer)

 

[mondeo]

With texting and driving nowadays is riding your bike around town as dangerous as riding a motorcycle? I think it might even be more dangerous nowadays.

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811386.pdf

Nope. There is no correlation between cell phone ownership and accident rates.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

most of my rides have been at 6a-8a on sat/sun mornings where there is less traffic....my lunch time runs during the week i've had to dodge a few cars where i could clearly see the driver on the phone or texting....unsettling to say the least...

 

[thorski]

I was riding in my town to a state park the other week for some mountain biking and as i was the cars passing me must have been doing 50+ and i was thinking to myself i sold my Harley to be safer and now i'm gonna die on a freakin Mountain bike.
I think from now on i'll throw my bike in the back of my pickup (with it's cool Ski Sundown sticker) drive down to the park and be safer.
I was thinking of picking up a ten speed (if they even call them that anymore) and riding around, but i'm not so sure anymore.
I think texting and driving is more dangerous then drinking and driving.

 

[thorski]

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811386.pdf

Nope. There is no correlation between cell phone ownership and accident rates.

I would keep an eye on those statistics. I already know two motorcyclists who have died this season and it just started. I know motorcycles aren't the same but it's the same roads.

 

[mondeo]

I was riding in my town to a state park the other week for some mountain biking and as i was the cars passing me must have been doing 50+ and i was thinking to myself i sold my Harley to be safer and now i'm gonna die on a freakin Mountain bike.
I think from now on i'll throw my bike in the back of my pickup (with it's cool Ski Sundown sticker) drive down to the park and be safer.
I was thinking of picking up a ten speed (if they even call them that anymore) and riding around, but i'm not so sure anymore.
I think texting and driving is more dangerous then drinking and driving.

The people that text or talk on the phone and drive are the same people that would read a newspaper, put on makeup, or shave before. The apathy towards paying attention to the road hasn't changed, it's just in a different form now.

 

[thetrailboss]

All right, here goes. :wink:

There needs to be more education of both bikers and motorists. Both need to know how to interact with each other and how to coexist. Too often I see situations where bikers feel "entitled" to do what they want to try and compensate for being the minority of road users. This means doing things like riding through red lights, darting in and out of traffic, biking on the wrong side of the road, and my favorite riding side by side. Now the next time I am driving and I see my buddy, I guarantee that I will not drive side-by-side to have a conversation with him because we would get pulled over! The same thing for bikes. My understanding is that bikers are supposed to follow the rules of the road. And most do. But it scares me when I see bikers not following the laws, sometimes ignorantly and sometimes blatantly.

 

[BigJay]

My take on this:

Road biking is an extreme sports compare to mountain biking for many reasons:

Mountain biking is:
- Solitude and enjoying nature;
- Connecting with the landscape;
- Thrilling when zipping thru the woods;
- Having a snack with a bunch of friends over looking the valleys and wooded areas all around you;
- Seeing tons of wildlife;

Road biking is:
- Fear of loosing at Russian Roulette with an oncoming car;
- Grasping the bars tight while hearing a truck coming behind;
- Sitting on your ass till you reach your destination hoping it will be alright;
- The smell of motor vehicules;
- The sounds of cars pounding on the gas pedal;
- Slurping on a gel supplement next to a road kill.

Definately, road biking is an extreme sport!

 

[marcski]

All right, here goes. :wink:

There needs to be more education of both bikers and motorists. Both need to know how to interact with each other and how to coexist. Too often I see situations where bikers feel "entitled" to do what they want to try and compensate for being the minority of road users. This means doing things like riding through red lights, darting in and out of traffic, biking on the wrong side of the road, and my favorite riding side by side. Now the next time I am driving and I see my buddy, I guarantee that I will not drive side-by-side to have a conversation with him because we would get pulled over! The same thing for bikes. My understanding is that bikers are supposed to follow the rules of the road. And most do. But it scares me when I see bikers not following the laws, sometimes ignorantly and sometimes blatantly.

You don't road bike, do you bigbossman?

 

[SkiFanE]

All right, here goes. :wink:

There needs to be more education of both bikers and motorists. Both need to know how to interact with each other and how to coexist. Too often I see situations where bikers feel "entitled" to do what they want to try and compensate for being the minority of road users. This means doing things like riding through red lights, darting in and out of traffic, biking on the wrong side of the road, and my favorite riding side by side. Now the next time I am driving and I see my buddy, I guarantee that I will not drive side-by-side to have a conversation with him because we would get pulled over! The same thing for bikes. My understanding is that bikers are supposed to follow the rules of the road. And most do. But it scares me when I see bikers not following the laws, sometimes ignorantly and sometimes blatantly.

Agree 100%. There were 2 people riding side by side recently near my house, without a care in the world, as if they're at some retirement park in FL, They had no concern that I had to slow down behind them and pass after the other lane of traffic passed. And when I did my one/only pace line ride last year, it was for newbies and I was told "you have the right to be biking here, don't worry about that, cars have to move". Agree...but I'm not betting my life on a 2 ton hunk of metal abiding by the law.

I'm petrified on the roads, in MA I am out by 6:30am on weekends and don't go out weekday nights. The only thing I hate about road biking is the road. Luckily near me I can get a 35+ mile ride in easily without having to cross a red light, but the rural roads are windy-er and have their own issues lol.

 

[mlctvt]

Just so you know riding side by side is LEGAL in most states including Connecticut. What's not legal is riding side by side and impeding the flow of traffic.

I never ride side by side when there are cars approaching but many riders do. They say that they're not impeding traffic as there aren't cars approaching in the opposite direction so cars approaching from the rear and easily move over. They might be legally correct but I think this is inconsiderate.
I lead a group ride each week so I've got to deal with this all the time. All I can do is ask the riders not to ride side by side but some disagree with me.

 

[RootDKJ]

The people that text or talk on the phone and drive are the same people that would read a newspaper, put on makeup, or shave before. The apathy towards paying attention to the road hasn't changed, it's just in a different form now.

I saw a woman drive while painting her toe nails. No joke.

 

[mondeo]

You don't road bike, do you bigbossman?

I'm with him, and I ride.

Stop at stop signs, only block the lane at all when it's not safe for the car to pass, signal, etc. I bend the rules with stopping a bit, but only if there isn't any traffic around or if overall it means traffic moves faster. Essentially, it's how I'd drive if I wasn't afraid of getting a ticket.

I personally hate, hate, hate having cars pace me and will do whatever I can to get them past me as quickly as possible.

 

[riverc0il]

Just so you know riding side by side is LEGAL in most states including Connecticut. What's not legal is riding side by side and impeding the flow of traffic.

I never ride side by side when there are cars approaching but many riders do. They say that they're not impeding traffic as there aren't cars approaching in the opposite direction so cars approaching from the rear and easily move over. They might be legally correct but I think this is inconsiderate.
I lead a group ride each week so I've got to deal with this all the time. All I can do is ask the riders not to ride side by side but some disagree with me.

This!

As a road biker, I HATE seeing riders two abreast when I am driving a car and trying to pass. It is fine when there are no cars behind you. But it is important to yield the lane to vehicles when safe to do so.

The group ride I do is really good about these. We'll ride two abreast on back roads back when the "car back" calls goes up the line, time to zipper line it into single file.

Lots of roadies out there with a bad attitude about cars and it is too bad. Part of bike culture is advocating for more respect towards bikers and enhancing a share the road mentality. But many roadies are hurting the cause with their attitudes of entitlement.

So my non-road biking AZers, please consider that you are likely seeing a singular case of entitlement rather than grouping the entire group into that category. You're probably more likely to "count the hits and ignore the misses" in your remembrances. In other words, you are less likely to remember all those bikers that were following the rules of the road and you are far more likely to remember one or two jerk offs that even the road bike community see as problems.

:beer:

 

[mattm59]

depends on the road. I averaged 50 miles a day back in the late '70's, then commuted 34 miles a day early '80's. I was younger, braver or less sensible, rode fast, had little issue. Seems to me the roads are crappier now, divers are worse,distractions more numerous, stress is greater. I ride a mountain bike on a few loops around my area, pretty rural, yet even here I get off the main roads asap as people are flying, and it only takes one hit to finish you off. There's a few straight roads around that seem to attract road bikers for the obvious reasons, but I'm real glad I turned into a backroad explorer/mountain biker.
Still remember getting intentionally run off the road after a Ct/VT/FL road trip. Up north drivers were okay; got down around Miami and was getting beer bottles thrown at me and my buddy.

 

[thorski]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bicyclists_struck

What a bunch of morons riding around at 2 a.m.

 

[from_the_NEK]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bicyclists_struck

What a bunch of morons riding around at 2 a.m.

Considering the amount of cars on the road during the day in LA, having a group ride in the middle of the night is probably far less stressfull and probably safer (until you factor in the drunks).

 

[bvibert]

Considering the amount of cars on the road during the day in LA, having a group ride in the middle of the night is probably far less stressfull and probably safer (until you factor in the drunks).

Exactly what I was thinking.

Calling them a bunch of morons is a little harsh, IMHO.

 

[thetrailboss]

Stop at stop signs, only block the lane at all when it's not safe for the car to pass, signal, etc. I bend the rules with stopping a bit, but only if there isn't any traffic around or if overall it means traffic moves faster. Essentially, it's how I'd drive if I wasn't afraid of getting a ticket.

Had a guy ride right through a red light and right in front of me as I was getting ready to drive into my green light. That was scary....