1st Car accident today! :Fire:

[MONMIX]

Originally posted by noxen
i get SO irritated when a biker is almost in the middle of a road and THERES A FREAKIN SIDEWALK..i bike but i mountain bike outta the way of everything..they should just stick to PARKS!!

It's illegal to ride a bicycle on the side walk.

 

[noxen]

ive never heard of that in my life..thats a bit ridiculous if true

 

[Texplorer]

Guess what? All a brush guard and bumper guard will do in a wreck is collapse and damage your vehicle even more than if you didn't have them.

Yep. In a fender bender.

I will have to disagree with you on this one Jason. With all the little bumps that you get everyday here, a brushgaurd is the way to go. I have been hit countless times(many while I was in the car) and the only reason nothing happened is because of my brushgaurd. My backside is protected by a hitch. But in a normal accident I agree, a brushgaurd will only cause more damage.

 

[RoadEnforcer]

MonMix where I am from Bikers are suppose to be on sidewalks if there are some. Thats what confuses me.. IN Valley Forge park bikers ride on the road when they have a HUGEEEEEEEE SIDEWALK/BIKEPATH! I mean crap its worse enough with deers we dont need more obsticals.

 

[Crankcase]

In B.C. Canada, riding on the sidewalk with a bike is illegal if your tire size is more than like 12 inches. So kids can ride on the sidewalk, but adults can't

Of course, bike helmets are the law here too

 

[ok89]

Technically here in Texas bikers are supposed to ride in the street. Sidewalks are for pedestrian traffic only. Now in downtown that would make sense because there is heavy pedestrian traffic but other places it wouldnt. The only time bicyclists are not supposed to be in the main lanes of a road here is when there is a designated Bike Lane.

 

[yob_yeknom]

Originally posted by Jason_25
Yep. In a fender bender.

I know a guy who drives a, well, lesser quality vehicle than an Explorer, that has a Manik brush guard on it. Hit a deer, would have tore the heck out of the vehicle, but no damage at all due to the guard. They're not all that weak.

 

[hornz2000]

My friend with an X has a WAAG grille gaurd and he rear-ended a beater going about 50...no damage whatsoever to his car not even the brush guard her trunk was crumpled to the back seats..I know this because I was riding with him...Best part is he didn't have to ever pay anything because she didn't have any insurance.

 

[drmoore71]

One thing you all have to remember is BICYCLES HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS ON THE ROAD AS CARS DO!!! (except on limited access highways) That also means that they have to obey the same laws as cars. Those of us who do bike on the road would appreciate it if you remembered that. Are there idiot bikers out there that do stupid things like cut across traffic, run red lights and stop in the middle of the road??? You bet. Are there idiot drivers out there that don't give bikers enough room, pass us on blind corners, shove us off the roads, throw things at us and generally act ignorant as hell because they are in too much of a hurry and can't spare 10 seconds to pass safely?? Yep. Has happened to me more times than I can count. It works BOTH ways!!! Don't lump all bikers into one category and we won't dump all drivers into one category.

i totally agree wityou. jdraper. bikes have the same rights on the road as cars. when i read this thread, a got more and more po'ed as i went. i have also had rocks, sticks, and bottles thrown at me. an egg actually hit me in the head. i was riding on the sidewalk at the time and some a$$ decided to be cool. with him driving 45 mph and me riding (not even on the street or in his way at all, mind you) about 18-20 mph, try to imagine how much it hurt!

Hey Jeff bring your bike up to Valley Forge and I will do a drive by with twigs to see how long you can stay on . If you stop in the middle of the road im putting the 4x4 HIGH on and running you over

that is not even the slightest bit funny.

i get SO irritated when a biker is almost in the middle of a road and THERES A FREAKIN SIDEWALK..i bike but i mountain bike outta the way of everything..they should just stick to PARKS!!

in many places bikers can actually get a ticket for riding on the sidewalk. and i can vouch for the fact , as an avid cyclist, that bikers are alot of the time some of the rudest people on the road. they will dart in and out of traffic and disobey road rules of ettiquette, but if you see one on the road in the future, just give 'em a little extra space, cuz i can guarantee you that if you do have an accident with a cyclist, he is going to lose. end of story. then you will pay for it forever, guaranteed. bottom line tom, you screwed up. you were following too closely, and you are now going to pay for it. i agree that the biker should not have stopped in the middle of the road, but likewise, you shouldn't have been following so closely. sorry, i had to vent. cycling is a passion of mine and i am very vocal about these things. i do not, however, under any circumstances ride on roads anymore. too many stupid drivers there to suit me.

 

[jasonb]

Originally posted by MONMIX

It's illegal to ride a bicycle on the side walk.

this is true most everywhere (i don't know any place that the law is otherwise). it is very dangerous for a biker to ride a sidewalk, even moreso than a road full of uncourteous (is that a word) drivers. i've seen this happen on more than one occasion: a bicycler is cruising down the sidewalk when a car pulls out of a driveway/connecting road/whatever and hits the biker into the road or the biker swerves into the road out of instinct. luckily none of the times caused the guy to hit on the road by a fast moving car, but imagine if it did.

there is a difference b/w a sidewalk and a bikepath.

the problem in most places is that people are in such a d@mn hurry and don't pay attention or care about others. just slow the hell down and pass when it's acceptable. its a shame at how bike unfriendly people are now. this seems to be the only society i know where people are looked down upon for riding bikes. its rediculous. i have ridin my bike to work on many occasions. i've had stuff thrown at me, people yell at me, and someone even pass me and slam on brakes in hopes that i would run into them. like drmoore said, i don't ride on the road anymore either thanks to all the people that "hate bikers."

it just pisses me off to hear people complain about bikers on the road. just because they aren't in a hurry doesn't mean you need get pissed at them. if you paid attention to the road you wouldn't have to slam on brakes or anything.

yes there are assh0le bikers too but there are far more assh0le drivers. its a guy on bike. your in a big metal vehicle. you know you would win so give it a rest.

end of rant...

 

[JDraper]

Thanks for supporting me guys. I stopped posting on this one because I was getting too pissed to be polite, and some of those involved just don't seem to get it.

Doug, I know what you mean about avoiding the road. I stopped riding on the road for about 5 years when we lived at our old house because the area was flat out too dangerous for bikes. We lived on a busy two lane, and the 18 wheelers made it too dangerous. We now live out in the country, and I ride on the road about every other day after dinner. Fortunately, I've had no problems out here(yet). I was out last night and only had 2 cars pass me in an hour . I DO NOT miss living in the Philadelphia area!!!

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by jasonb

it is very dangerous for a biker to ride a sidewalk, even moreso than a road full of uncourteous (is that a word) drivers. i've seen this happen on more than one occasion: a bicycler is cruising down the sidewalk when a car pulls out of a driveway/connecting road/whatever and hits the biker into the road or the biker swerves into the road out of instinct.

My Stepfather and a bicyclist can attest to this. A bicyclist was hauling a$$ through a parking lot and tried to swerve in front of my Stepfather's lifted '85 Chevy 4x4 to get on the sidewalk as my Stepfather was pulling up to the sidewalk. The numerous witness all stated that the bicyclist was going very fast and that my Stepfather had no way to have seen him coming from the angle he was coming from. The bicyclist went airborn over the truck and is now sueing my Stepfather for injuries. The police report did not cite my Stepfather but Statefarm will probably settle out of court due to the uncertainty of lawsuits. The guy was originally asking for $250,000, Statefarm declined, so he lowered it to $50,000. I haven't heard where it stands now.

 

[JDraper]

Originally posted by JDraper
Fortunately, I've had no problems out here(yet).

I knew I shouldn't have said that!! I was out tonight and some old (75 or so)lady in an Explorer decides to blow a stop sign because she sees no cars coming. Totally missed seeing me on the bike. I just about nailed her in the driver's door. I yelled "stop" pretty loud and scared the stuffing out of her. At least she probably got a wet spot on her seat. She was in a hurry to get into her driveway across from the stop sign and just couldn't wait that extra 5 seconds to come to a stop and look a little better.

 

[RoadEnforcer]

Yeah Jeff man you set yourself up for that one... I remember I replyed to a thread about accidents like a week before I got in mine saying something like "havent got in one yet and dont plan on it" .....

 

[drmoore71]

glad you're okay, jeff! you should have knocked on some wood or something. be careful out there, pal!