August 2, 2015 by Bruce Wynkoop
Let’s be careful out there!” is one of my favorite lines from an old police television show, Hill Street Blues. The roll call sergeant ends each day’s roll call briefing with those words. The show was on for several years 20 or 30 years ago but that line came back to me last week as I was biking around my neighborhood.
I was just finishing a ride and was two blocks from home when I came to a 4-way stop intersection through which I have ridden hundreds of times. I saw three vehicles approaching, one from each direction other than the one from which I was approaching, and arrived at the stop before the others. Thinking that if I stopped to wait for the vehicles there would be confusion as to who should go first and at least one, if not all, would come to a stop and not be sure if the guy on the bike (me) would start, I started into the intersection. A black Dodge Ram Charger pick-up was approaching from my right and I watched it carefully as I entered the intersection. Making eye contact with the driver was not possible but the truck braked fairly hard approaching the stop sign so I figured the driver was stopping. As I continued across the intersection the Ram Charger made what is called in the police world a “genuflect” stop, which is not really a stop at all but slowing to almost a stop, then continuing through the intersection. These “stops” are usually made when the driver is in a hurry. At any rate, as I reached the middle of the intersection the pickup slowed, then accelerated through the stop sign right at me. I put out my hand in the direction of the truck (as if that would have helped) and could almost touch the Ram emblem on the grill before the truck screeched to a stop. Woo!
A friend who was standing on the street a quarter-block away told me he had thought I was a “goner.” I told him I had thought that, too. It reminds me of a line from the routine of one of my favorite comedians, Ghallager, “Some things don’t make any sense at all. On the other hand, it makes perfect sense to have the word “Dodge” on the front end of a pick-up truck coming right at ‘cha.” Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to dodge. Fortunately, the truck stopped before hitting me.
I think this is what happened: As the driver of the Dodge approached the stop sign, he saw the other two large vehicles approaching and figured if he stopped for the sign he would have to let one, or even worse, both go before he could continue. As his scanning of the situation was hurried, and as he was obviously in a hurry, he saw the cars but failed to see the small vehicle (me) entering the intersection.
My point here is cyclists really have to watch out for themselves while riding and shouldn’t take anything for granted. Don’t assume drivers see you or are going to stop for stop signs or stop lights. Remember that some drivers run stop signs and red lights, cut corners so short that they are well into the wrong lane (the one you are in, perhaps) as they turn, talk on the cell phone, text, eat, drink, and fail to pay attention in a hundred different ways. Keep in mind drivers often don’t look to their right as they make a right turn, as they are not used to doing so, so they aren’t going to see you as you approach from their right on the bike trail (and don’t ride on the wrong side of the street!). Many times a driver has failed to stop for the crosswalk while looking to the left and turned right, never seeing me approaching from the right on a bike trail.
Rest assured I understand that most cyclists know these things, but I’d like to remind all of you to ALWAYS keep them in mind as you’re riding; doing so could save your life.
While I’m at it, let me remind everyone that as most of us are also drivers, we all need to remember to watch for pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists as well as other motor vehicles. Stop behind crosswalks, even if we are in a hurry, look to our right even if we are turning right, don’t cut corners short, don’t text and drive, and drive as if someone else’s life depends–it just might!
