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I almost got hit on my bike
I came within 6 inches of getting hit by a car during my commute home yesterday.
I guess after a year of almost daily bike commutes, and another six or seven years of once-a-week commutes, it was bound to happen. It sure scared the heck out of me.
I was traveling north on West Avenue, between West Fifth and West Sixth Street. Lots of cars were parallel parked along the east side of the street, across from Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar.
Just as I approached an alley, a car popped out, not even slowing.
I smashed my brakes, my bike lurched onto its front wheel and I ended up, somehow, on my feet next to it.
The woman driving the car seemed horrified. She apologized profusely. She knew she hadn’t looked carefully to the left. She’d only glanced quickly enough to see that no cars were coming.
My bright fluorescent yellow vest was concealed behind the row of parked cars.
I wasn’t hurt at all, but the near miss sure got my attention. I had to pull off on the side of the road and let the adrenalin dissipate before I continued home.
Heads up, people.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment Categories: cycling
Comments
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By leslie luciano
March 23, 2011 10:45 AM | Link to this
That’s terrible! I’m so glad you are okay. Bet your heart is still racing!
By MICHAEL
March 23, 2011 10:59 AM | Link to this
Sorry to hear about the close call! Hopefully you trained a driver to be a little more aware of cyclist while driving.
By John Adams
March 23, 2011 11:05 AM | Link to this
Close call! Glad you’re OK. I read somewhere that most cyclists have some sort of “incident” about every 4500 miles, give or take. I still cringe at cyclists w/o helmets… maybe there’s a story to do here, about what we’ve learned from our crashes (yes, I’ve had a few)… :)
By CO2creator
March 24, 2011 11:17 AM | Link to this
Riding a bike with nearby cars entering, exiting, merging, parking in city street traffic is very risky. Strongly suggest you use a Suburban for daily commutes….
By Cole
April 5, 2011 1:49 PM | Link to this
Sorry to hear that, I’m not from Austin but I was just surfing the web. I almost crashed head-on into a Durango while I was doing 40 Kilometers per hour (about 25) and the Durango doing about 40 miles an hour. The woman cut into my lane during a corner (It was a tight corner and I was about two feet from the edge) then I glanced up and saw a big grille about a foot, maybe 15 inches from my face. You gotta be careful out there, You’re just not responsible for your actions; you’re responsible for everyone else. Stay safe.
By Cole
April 5, 2011 1:49 PM | Link to this
Sorry to hear that, I’m not from Austin but I was just surfing the web. I almost crashed head-on into a Durango while I was doing 40 Kilometers per hour (about 25) and the Durango doing about 40 miles an hour. The woman cut into my lane during a corner (It was a tight corner and I was about two feet from the edge) then I glanced up and saw a big grille about a foot, maybe 15 inches from my face. You gotta be careful out there, You’re just not responsible for your actions; you’re responsible for everyone else. Stay safe.