The Water Cooler is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The Water Cooler will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
QUESTION: Have you ever had a close call with a pedestrian or bicyclist while driving? If so, whose fault would it have been if you hit them with your vehicle?
Talk about it….
Bikes need to stay off the streets.
How about you share the road?
I do share the road. Idiots on bikes think they are invincible and do stupid things constantly.
My hobbies do not negatively impact any else’s life.
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Many.
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… bicyclists who don’t stop at stop signs and jaywalkers.
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Never beejaywalking.
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I’m a bike rider and either ride trails or bike lanes when available.
Motorists need to be more aware of bike lanes, walk signs etc.
I signal to the motorists and try to make contact. I get the right of way at a crosswalk many times only to be cut off by a motorists ignoring me or being stupid. I’ve had motorists purposely drive into the bike lane to scare me, honk there horn at me to scare me etc.
my bike has mirrors so I can see behind me and I wear my helmet.
Motorists need to also realize that bike lanes start and stop now and then at intersections, so be courteous and be aware.
We are both allowed in the road. So drive like it.
Thank you
I was on Denkinger Rd turning right onto Clayton Road when a bicyclist passed me up on the right. There could not have been much more than 8 inches between my car and the curb. I honestly don’t know how I missed him.
I seem to always have issues with not pedestrians but with shills on the internet. It seems everywhere I go I run into a JIDF shill. Even here on Claycord. Weird.
No, fortunately. I am one of those who knows my surrounding and have excellent peripheral vision. Don’t like backing up in parking lots but always take my time and use my cameras. There have times, when I’ll see an individual that has darted from the other side of the street, know I can’t count on them not to go straight across in front of me, i.e example. Clayton Road so I really watch for them. Yesterday, when at the stop light you have to wait to right on by the Safeway, no sooner had I turned right heading to that left lane and there she was taking her sweet time in the middle of the road, a homeless individual sadly talking to herself, a recipe for disaster. Had I been speeding it could have happened, but I wasn’t.
So, correction, I suppose the homeless woman could have been considered a close call.
Yes, always my biggest concern when turning right on a red. A bicyclist coming from my right (riding on wrong side of road). Hard to see them coming when you are stopped at the red, looking for a safe time to pull out into the traffic coming from the left. I always try to remember to take one last look on the sidewalk or the street coming from the right before making my turn. Have has a couple close calls where had to jam on the brakes when the bicyclist suddenly appeared.
A teenager allegedly hit 6 bicyclists with his truck, sending 3 to the hospital. A biker says the driver was harassing them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/30/texas-teen-coal-rolls-hits-bicyclists/
My son who was driving a Bronco at the time was diving down our street and an ice cream truck was stopped up ahead. I instantly had a bad feeling about it and told him to slow way down. Sure as hell as were were getting ready to pass the rear of the truck a boy darted right out and we rolled over one of his legs below the knee. I scooped him up and carried him across the street to his house. They came to the door and I went in, sat the boy on the couch and went to their kitchen and grabbed a bag of frozen peas (I had never been there before so they looked at me a bit strange) for his leg. They took him in to get it checked out and thankfully he was OK. Just scared and bruised a bit. I’m so glad I was with my son that day; )
oh yeah…. the bicyclists that think their entitled to run stop signs and ignore the right of way of others …. several times just in the last year in WC
Newsom recently signed into law a provision that bicyclists need not stop at a stop sign if it can be done safely.
I never stopped at them but glad I can do so legally now.😊
No, not with a pedestrian or bicyclist. I pay attention and can usually anticipate what they are going to do. When I see a pedestrian in a crosswalk, I’ll stop until they cross the street. When it comes to bicyclists, I realize a lot of them are self-centered and think they are invincible. I think some of them are also too stupid to realize if we collide, they will be on the losing end. So I give them a little extra space because I don’t want my car damaged.
Unfortunately, I have had a few close calls due to bicyclists not stopping when they have a stop sign or they are riding on the wrong side of the road. They are suppose to go with the flow of traffic. My daughter almost hit a pedestrian due to this person walking across treat blvd and NOT in a cross walk. Instead of waiting for her to go, he butted out right in front of her and she had to slam on her breaks. It also seems to always be guys. The bicyclists especially are bad at Navarro Way and San Miguel Road along treat blvd as they do not want to wait for the lights. And again 99.99% are guys. Guess dudes think they are invisible or something. But most likely it will be the bicyclists fault. My mom use to work at a Police Dept. and 9 times out of 10, it was always the bicyclists fault.
If they are going to do anything about bicyclists for their own safety it should be mandatory for all bikers to wear orange reflective vests and have front an back lights on their bikes. Many times during dawn, dusk or at night some riders wear all black and no lights, you can’t see them.
Just have to be really careful if you’re turning right when the light allows off Concord Blvd onto Port Chicago, as there’s a power box there, which can block your sight, and I was heading to the far left lane to take a left onto Willow pass towards Galindo that way and she was smack in the lane walking and talking to herself.
Wait, you’re implying bicyclists follow traffic laws??
I went to Briones and as I was on my way back, a guy in a bicycle was flying down the hill and he didn’t give a care about going fast in the opposite lane on a curb.
Another time, several years ago, while looking for parking at the Y, I had the to slam on my brakes because I disabled child ran in front of my car. Where was mom or dad? Mom was too busy socializing at the parking lot.
I have had close calls with the idiot drivers who open their car door to get out or get in their car without first looking to make sure it’s safe to do so.
There is also that irresponsible mom or dad who holds the rear driver side door open to take his or her child in or out of the car.
Based on what you’ve articulated, it’s unlikely you have a strong grasp of the vehicle code. You really should come up to speed on it before you spout. One of the key statutes you might want to learn is that you, yes you in the car, are required to pass all cyclists leaving three feet of space. Guessing if you did there would be much less need for your horn and my finger. Cheers.
I find it rather alarming how drivers and cyclists forget about the “eye contact” rule…. Make eye contact to establish you are aware of one another, and yield to the pedestrian/cyclist. Not going to sugarcoat anything, I’ve had a run in with a cyclist with my car making a right at a stop sign. I looked both ways before trying to turn, and it still happened. Wasn’t going fast, no one had to be hospitalized and everyone was fine. (If you think this was you- I hope you know I’m still sorry. I have been a much anxious driver since, especially since someone close to me got into a terrible car accident just days before this happened)
Also, if a car is already inched up into the sidewalk trying to take that right turn or whatever….For love of god don’t try to go around in front of them. They’re already in the zone, I’m sure you’re capable of waiting until they finish their turn to cross.
To this day I have horrible anxiety with cyclists on the road, especially if they’re near a right turn I need to make. Ever since that incident, I cannot find a way to shake the crazy anxiety i get when i see them on the road. I am careful, but I am definitely angry about some of the stupid things I see cyclists do that endanger all people on the road. This is coming from someone who used to go on 20+ mile cycling treks on backroads. If teenage me knew better, so should the middle aged folks. Do better.
How the HELL are you to keep 3 feet from bicycles ???
Drive in the opposite lane of traffic and have a head on collision? How about if there are bicycles on either side of the street and both cars have to stay 3 feet??
Have a head on collision and the riders will laugh and flip you off.
Yes. I stop Behind the cross walks. Every time. And look before creeping forward. I’ve had close calls involving myself, friends and strangers. Trusting they were seen. At stop signs I always waved the cyclist through, but I guess now I will just wait and see. That is why I asked the distance of legality. 20, 30. 10 feet?
With all the impatient people now rolling through in their autos, I can imagine the mayhem. So, who is coming up with these stupid ideas?
Did you know that if you wave someone through, and they get hit by another car, they can sue you? By waving them through, you are telling them it is safe for them to proceed, making you liable if something happens to them. I read this somewhere a long time ago, so I don’t know if it’s really true, but in a sue happy state like ours, it probably is true.
Thanks for the input Dawg. These days I don’t know what to believe either. As for safety, parking lots are crazy too. Look left, right, left again and sure enough a person apears 6 ft from your rear bumper.
I think we should do away with stop signs, stop lights, cross walks, and lines to separate lanes. All of that is getting in the way of progress.
Bicyclist here. Recently I was run off the road, and almost hit, by a car when I was already more than halfway through a crosswalk and they had a stop sign, which they ignored. Years ago I was slammed by a drunk driver who turned into me. Now I mostly stick to the canal trail.
It surprises me, though, to read the angst drivers have for bicyclists. As a rider, I dont mind doing whatever is necessary to share the road. I ignorantly thought most drivers felt the same.
I agree with several comments here. We should share the road, but cyclists, needed to
show some responsibility as well. Stop at stop signs if there is traffic, signal if they plan to turn left or right. Many European countries have strict rules for cyclists, and they get cited if caught.
Well the easy answer is that if I’m biking the driver is at fault and if I’m driving the cyclist is at fault 😉
Seriously though, there’s only one time I’ve come close to hitting a pedestrian and it was a guy in a wheelchair who came flying out from behind a parked van at a light that was red for him and green for me. I am really thankful that I had already slowed down because of the blind spot behind the van (I’m paranoid about stuff like that) or I would’ve run him completely over. I stopped with about a foot to spare and he didn’t even look over at me.
As a kid cycling I once hit a van when they right hooked across the bike lane in front of me without signaling or looking. I broke some spokes and dented the van but walked away without a scratch or bruise fortunately. What I learned from this was that I should be in the vehicle lane before crossing an intersection if I want to be visible, especially when there’s a right turn / slip lane.
Fault is less important that survival, and when cycling I always assume someone else is going to do something dumb if I don’t stay hyperalert. As a driver I assume cyclists and pedestrians may act unpredictably. Most cyclists and most drivers know what they’re doing most days, but everyone has an off day now and then, and some people are scofflaws. Drivers are just as bad as cyclists at rolling stops, especially on right turns. The ones who are disobeying the law stick out in our perceptions disproportionate to their actual numbers.
If you look carefully at the vehicle code there’s some discussion of unmarked crosswalks. Jaywalking is narrowly defined as crossing the road outside of a crosswalk between signalized intersections. If there’s no signal on either intersection the pedestrian is allowed to cross where they please. Obviously best done with caution.
How many lives were taken by drunk drivers last year? Almost 10,000.
How many were taken by drunken cyclists? Under a dozen.
You people lose sight, you lose perspective. A cyclist breaking the law does almost nothing to endanger you. If he goes through a light only he gets creamed and dies, the buick that hits him gets a dent and a cracked windshield.
Every cyclists on the road is one less motorist, one less full parking space, less pollution in the air, less traffic for you in your car. You should encourage everyone to cycle, even if you have zero intention of every cycling, as it objectively best for us all.
Again, how many lives were claimed by law breaking cyclists, and how many by motorists? That should end all this argument.