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Father's Day Road Rage on Rogers Park.com

This was sent to me by a friend.

 

Article link here.

 

Father’s Day Road Rage

Posted by Mike G on June 21, 2011

Last Sunday evening, while driving home with two of my children from a special Improv Olympics Father’s Day show, I learned an important lesson.

Be careful while driving south bound on Sheffield, near Wrigley Field, especially if driving within two hours of a weekend Cubs Yankees game. 

My mistake: While in the left hand lane, I abruptly changed lanes to the right in order to pass the vehicle in front of me preparing to turn left. Before turning I diligently check in my rear view mirror to be sure that no motorist was behind me.

Regretfully, I didn’t check for bicyclists.  My kids noticed.

“Uh, Dad” said my youngest, an 18 year old daughter who, despite her lovely non confrontational demeanor, frequently criticizes me for not routinely activating my turn signal when changing lanes. “You cut off that biker.”

“Yeah Dad,” chimed in my 21 year old son, a young man who only five years earlier I had patiently taught the intricacies of parallel parking and to whom I offered countless driving tips. “You almost hit him.”

As I proceeded south on Sheffield, near Belmont, my repeated glances into my rear view mirror unveiled the image of a young male biker, peddling hard in the middle of my lane, trying to catch me. As he passed me on my right side, I could hear him shout out some unintelligible words, directed towards me.

Being the type of person who always presumes the best of others, I chose to interpret what he said as something considerate. “I think he said ‘massive hole?’ The nice young man must be warning me about a giant pothole next block.”

My son (who is more of a realist) didn’t hear it that way. Within seconds, he rolled down his passenger side window, and offered his response: “Hey dude. Next time wear a helmet. Be safe!”

The bicyclist slowed down, and as I approached him, with him on my driver’s side, he repeated what he said earlier, causing me to realize that though I accurately heard him shout the word “hole,” he uttered only a select portion of the word “massive” immediately beforehand.

I would like to say that at this point, my years of wisdom and my desire to set a proper example for my children kicked in - that, realizing that nothing good could come about from verbally retaliating, I continued driving, ignoring him.

Of course, I didn’t. Picking up on my son’s observation, I rolled down my window and shouted out choice expletives, including something about the fact that he should wear an ‘F-ing helmet,’ which resulted in him responding in kind, and threatening to permanently alter the appearance of my side view mirror.

My kids stopped me before I could respond further. Following their advice, I activated my right turn blinker and turned at the next side street, retreating from harm’s way, my side view mirror in tact, but not my ego.

My children looked at me with dismay.  Both lectured me about my carelessness at changing lanes without first looking for bicyclists, and they also offered their opinion on how ridiculous I sounded mouthing off to the guy.

At first I got defensive, arguing that most drivers like me simply are not accustomed to sharing our city’s streets with so many bicyclists (seemingly more than ever before), and that we often forget about being mindful of bikes, especially when a street does not have designated bike lanes.

Yet, I also realized that “wrong is wrong” and I was wrong. It doesn’t matter how reckless or drunk or ill prepared some bicyclists might be, those of us driving motor vehicles must constantly be on the look out for bicyclists at all times, irrespective of whether the bicyclist is responsible or reckless.

We drivers cannot presume that all bicyclists are responsible. There are those who don’t wear helmets, and if we hit them (or worse, carelessly open our doors as they are passing us), we bear the liability if they experience head injuries, which many do. Whether we like it or not, we must realize that some bikers choose to ride at night without adequate reflective gear, or lights. Many don’t believe in stopping at stop signs or stop lights and many feel comfortable riding on all parts of the road. We might get angry at them, but we have to realize that they are there and we must exert full caution.

No one wants to deal with the ugly reality if a biker - even a reckless one - gets hit by us, even if their injury is aggravated by their stupidity, such as failure to wear a helmet. As drivers we simply have to avoid having accidents with them. Life will be easier that way.

Similarly, those of us who are bikers need to consider that not all drivers all fully cognizant of their responsibility to share the road. Some drivers, like me in this instance, may fail to take adequate precautions. Bikers cannot ignore the danger of riding bikes in an urban area. We must wear helmets. If riding at night, we must wear reflective gear or place reflective apparatus on the rear of our bikes. We ought to install lights.

What about drinking and biking?

In the past thirty years there has been a heightened awareness of the perils of drinking and driving motor vehicles.

Bikers must fully consider the danger of drinking and riding bikes.
The rules are common sense. Stay off of your bike if you are over served. Leave your bike at the bar. Take a taxi home.

Or do the humiliating thing and simply stumble home.

It sure beats having to fend with the likes of me on the road.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jason on July 1, 2011 at 1:28pm

If you're asking where in the law it states that cyclists may merge with traffic (move to the center of the lane) when they are moving the same speed as surrounding traffic, it would be in the same section (a), where it states:

 

(a) Any person operating a bicycle or motorized pedal cycle upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as close as practicable and safe to the right hand curb or edge of the roadway...

 

So one is required to ride on the right if moving slower than traffic, with the noted exceptions granted. But the converse is not automatically true. A cyclist is not required to merge with traffic if they are traveling the same speed or faster. However they may.

So if you're moving the same speed on your bike as the surrounding traffic, the requirement to ride on the right hand side does not apply and you may merge with traffic and ride more towards the center of the lane. (This is preferable from a safety perspective as well as it makes the cyclist more visible and precludes the possibility of being right hooked by a driver whose blind spot the cyclist has been riding in if they had stayed to the right.)

 

Incidentally if there is no other traffic on the roadway at the time, the argument could be easily made that you, as the only traffic on the roadway are creating "the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing" and could therefore ride in the center of the lane. Until a faster moving vehicle approaches, at which time it's "Car back."

 

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by djm on July 1, 2011 at 2:19pm
Melanie said:
My favorite line from someone driving is "you just came out of nowhere" as well as as "sneaking up on me"
While riding in a bike lane I was recently cut off by a car making a left out of a driveway or alley.  It was obvious that he wasnt going to stop since he was only looking in the opposite direction as he slowly pulled across my (bike and main traffic) lane.  I wound up stopping to avoid a collision and told him he had to look both ways before pulling out into traffic.  He rolled down his window and angrily responded that he did look but I wasnt there when he did.
Permalink Reply by Davo on July 1, 2011 at 3:56pm

First problem: Author not signaling or looking before abruptly changing lanes.

The only time you should abruptly change lanes is to miss a pothole you didn't see or if someone ran infront of your car, not when you are approaching a car that is turning left that you had ample time to notice.

 

Second problem: The cyclist allegedly pedaling hard in order to catch up and yell at the author.

"If someone steps on your shoes in a movie theatre... let it slide, You don't want to go to jail because someone scuffed up you pumas."

Anytime I almost get hit, I stay as far away from that car as possible. I have no idea of what they might do next.

 

Third problem: The kid yelling at the cyclist that he should have been wearing a helmet.

The only thing that should have ben said, if anything at all, is "sorry we didn't see you, we need to be more aware.

 

Fourth problem: Only later in the rant did the author mention anything about lights or drinking and riding. I don't see how these or the helmet thing is in anyway relevent to the story being present. If the incident was at night and the cyclist had a beer in his hand, then yes bring up that stuff.

 

It was refreshing to see that the author placed some blame on himself, albeit a half assed one.

 

Most of the times that this has happend to me, while cycling, I have tried to keep a calm head and have had motorists apologize to me. Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Old Tom on July 1, 2011 at 7:52pm

I ride my bike for exercise and fun and do my traveling by CTA or in my car. I'm reconciled to the fact that in certain neighborhoods I have to take care to watch for cyclists---be careful pulling out, watch my right mirror for cyclists passing on the right, expect them to blow stop signs and so forth. That's simply part of city life nowadays, no big deal.

Besides, I'm in no hurry to get anywhere anyway, I can play it cool.

Permalink Reply by Bike Bloke on July 2, 2011 at 10:29pm
Jason said:

"The helmet has nothing to do with it and is just a cheap and easy out to try to shift blame to the victim. Had there been a crash and the bicyclists been injured, the injuries would not be a result of the absence of the helmet. The injuries would be the result of Mike's irresponsible and illegal operation of his vehicle upon the public right of way. It's not anymore complicated than that."

 

Absolutely! Can you imagine if, somehow, you put a motorist not wearing a seatbelt in mortal danger and then chided the said motorist for not wearing the seatbelt? Makes no sense at all!

Permalink Reply by JTO on July 14, 2011 at 10:35am

Regarding passing on the right.  It is only (usually) illegal for vehicles to pass another vehicle on the left.  Thanks to the Illinois Supreme Court, bicycles are not vehicles.  With that ruling, bicycles are exempt from pretty much every section of Illinois Vehicle Code, except where bicycles are specifically mentioned.

 

Therefore, it is perfectly legal for bikes to pass cars on the right.  Some states have gone so far as to specify that bikes *should* pass on the right and, at stop lights, corral themselves at the right of the roadway, just behind the crosswalk or stop line.  Illinois never formally adopted the rule, but recommend it during bicycle safety talks.

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