Frazz by Jef Mallett for September 25, 2018

1) Better safe than sorry. 2) Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.(Couldn’t decide which comment to post.)

“that’s the assumption…” Me too, and I’m driving a car.

Same here, Frazz. it’s an assumption that’s helped keep me alive for as long as I’ve been on 2 wheels.

Works for me…so far.

When I’m a pedestrian crossing a street, I always remind myself that I’m a combatant in enemy territory.

Stuff I’ve personally witnessed in the past couple of months…

7000 lb SUV less than 10 feet from the rear bumper of a 2000 lb compact at 70 mph.

Left turn from the right lane of a busy six lane highway.

Drivers doing anything/everything other than actually driving.

Cellphone. Q.E.D.

I really look forward to robocars, cause y’all can’t drive! At least AI will pay attention.

And I assume the same about bikers, especially when I’m a pedestrian.

I got nearly run over yesterday by a cyclist who was playing Pokemon Go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pIkkzDagsY

Considering that distraction to wreck is a matter of split seconds, one can be amazed that there are still undamaged autos anywhere.

It’s odd that there’s never any mention of how many horrible bicyclists there are and how they contribute to the mayhem. Riding on any side of the street/road that they please; running stop signs and lights; never signaling; riding on winding roads (in Wisconsin, that can include busy state highways) where cars going 55 mph can come up on you with little notice. Sometimes a little situational awareness could prevent a lot of heartache for their families.

I don’t see this as one sided.. I’ve witnessed many bicyclists who seem to think that traffic laws don’t apply to them. They ignore stop signs, crosswalk yields, staying in their lane etc. “Share the Road” doesn’t mean "Rule the Road.

I never fiddle with my phone in a moving car. Occasionally when stopped, but even then only when necessary.

When I used to cycle, I would never trust drivers with their turn signal on. I would always wait for them to either blow past me with their turn signal on or else to make their turn. If a car in front of me was signaling for a right turn, I would always assume he couldn’t see me to avoid cutting me off. With the advent of cellphones, I just believe all the bad driving habits are exacerbated!

Many years ago (just after the invention of the wheel), when my father was teaching me to drive he told me to assume that everyone else on the road was trying to kill me, and to keep a good eye on ‘em. I’ve had a few come close, but they haven’t got me yet.

Safe assumption, whether the driver is in a car, truck or on a bike (motor or not).

On a bike or motorcycle you HAVE to proceed as if you are invisible to car drivers. So, if as a cyclist you’re silly enough to use a cell phone, natural selection will deal with you sooner or later. In my experience, I haven’t seen a lot of cyclists use their smart phones. I do have mine mounted on my handle bars, I use an app to transform it into a speedometer/odometer/altimeter. So, some people may think I’m using my cellphone to communicate, but that’s not the case. While rolling, I never touch it.

The best advice my father ever gave me was when I was learning to drive. “Assume that every other driver is drunk, crazy, and half blind.”

Always assume the worst.

That increases your chances of being pleasantly surprised.

I NEVER use my phone while driving. I always let it go to voicemail and call them back when I reach a place to stop and park.

always drive or ride defensively. no one else is paying attention to what they’re doing or where they’re going.

My favorite statistic: 90% of the respondents in one poll described themselves as “better than average drivers.”

For what it’s worth, I assume all other drivers are crazy and may do anything at any time — whether I’m on two wheels or in four.

Frazz17 hrs ·

A difficult operating assumption, really. Or at least one that collides messily with another of my favorite operating assumptions, which is: when “everybody” is being an idiot, maybe it’s you. But I’d rather the two theories do the colliding than me and some other object in motion, so I indulge both of them.

They are not theories, they are at best hypotheses. Nice when you can do that Jef. I tend not to make such sweeping generalizations. Some but not all is a better fit.

I got broadsided on my motorcycle 1 Nov 2002. She told the cop she didn’t see me. Funny thing about that, the cop gave me a ticket for improper passing. A car was stuck in the turning lane I was using and I went around him and then she hit me. The cop did not see the “Improper Passing” himself, one of the witnesses against me was the woman who hit me. How could she not see me and still see my improper passing before she hit me. Of course she had no insurance, here that is an automatic $1000 ticket. Funny thing the cop let her drive away from the accident. I talked about this to a couple of other cops from the same city and they were outraged that one of their cops could pull a stunt like that.

Caldwell missed the actual statement: drivers who fiddle with their cell phones while driving ARE bad drivers.

It isn’t just bikers and cyclists that need to worry about bad drivers, I was riding on a city bus once, the driver was starting a right hand turn when a driver, trying to beat the bus to the turn, came up next to it in the bike lane. the bus driver wasn’t expecting anyone to do something that stupid and never saw the car on her right before she turned into it.