Nearly Hit by Driver Running a Red Light

[info4johng]

550 miles now on my Lectric XP and loving it. I ride it daily including commuting to my gym at 5:15 am every morning to swim laps. I am very cautions as I ride on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach, Ca. I have flashing lights front and rear and a mirror that is a big help in avoiding traffic from behind.

I do have a tendency to slow but ride though stop signs after checking for traffic but always stop for red traffic lights. This morning I was approaching a "stale" green traffic light that crossed PCH and proceeded through. All the traffic was slowing to stop however I could see a guy in the far lane was not slowing at all actually ran the light at high speed. I panicked stopped in the intersection nearly missing getting "flatted" by this car broadside.

I don't know how to avoid all accidents but we all need to watch out for the other guy. Be safe out there Y'all.

John G

 

[fooferdoggie]

yep some people are so stupid. we were stopping at a red light on our tandem with a motorcycle goes flying by on a 30mph main street it was doing over 60 I bet a lot over. a few seconds later two cop cars right behind. if we had the greenlight we would have been toast.

 

[DaveMatthews]

550 miles now on my Lectric XP and loving it. I ride it daily including commuting to my gym at 5:15 am every morning to swim laps. I am very cautions as I ride on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach, Ca. I have flashing lights front and rear and a mirror that is a big help in avoiding traffic from behind.

I do have a tendency to slow but ride though stop signs after checking for traffic but always stop for red traffic lights. This morning I was approaching a "stale" green traffic light that crossed PCH and proceeded through. All the traffic was slowing to stop however I could see a guy in the far lane was not slowing at all actually ran the light at high speed. I panicked stopped in the intersection nearly missing getting "flatted" by this car broadside.

I don't know how to avoid all accidents but we all need to watch out for the other guy. Be safe out there Y'all.

John G

Yup, it's critical to keep our wits about us. We don't have a car to absorb impact, it's just us. Glad you were paying attention!

 

[reed scott]

550 miles now on my Lectric XP and loving it. I ride it daily including commuting to my gym at 5:15 am every morning to swim laps. I am very cautions as I ride on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach, Ca. I have flashing lights front and rear and a mirror that is a big help in avoiding traffic from behind.

I do have a tendency to slow but ride though stop signs after checking for traffic but always stop for red traffic lights. This morning I was approaching a "stale" green traffic light that crossed PCH and proceeded through. All the traffic was slowing to stop however I could see a guy in the far lane was not slowing at all actually ran the light at high speed. I panicked stopped in the intersection nearly missing getting "flatted" by this car broadside.

I don't know how to avoid all accidents but we all need to watch out for the other guy. Be safe out there Y'all.

John G

I developed severe caution bordering on abject paranoia during my motor cycle days. And that was before cell phones. I know people are still texting while driving. My friends do it. I may never ride my bike on the road as I don't have to. There's lots of other places for me to ride. We live in an irresponsible age.

 

[BigNerd]

Yeah... PCH is scary. It's the only way to get from Back Bay to Crystal Cove and even that short time is hectic.

I want to try to get to Laguna Beach from Crystal but don't trust those drivers.

 

[Dallant]

I see stupid people...every day.
It doesn’t matter what you’re driving, people are running red lights far more often than just a year or so ago. I’m counting to at least 2 and sometimes 3 seconds before I enter most intersections. I wont go near lighted intersections on my bike.

 

[sc00ter]

Get a GoPro. Prices are very fair and easy to use. That way no argument if something happens. Glad you were paying attention and avoided a accident.

 

[Over50]

I panicked stopped in the intersection nearly missing getting "flatted" by this car broadside.

I was almost flattened by a construction vehicle running a stop sign today. Residential 25 mph street. I had no stop sign. He had the stop sign. Cursing at me and flipping me off after he slammed on his brakes and as I was pointing at his stop sign. I've almost been hit by stop sign runners a bunch of times just within a few mile radius of my house - with numerous elementary and middle schools as well as churches around. And much more frequently I see folks running stop signs (and red lights) when I'm not at risk. And I'd guess that most I get a good look at are holding their phones in their right hand, low over the passenger seat, as they look back and forth from road to phone. Local Police enforcement of basic traffic laws pretty much nonexistent where I live.

 

[Dallant]

There are a ton of in-car cameras to record traffic both front and rear. I keep mine running all the time. Cameras wont do much for you to prevent getting hit.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

I don't run stop signs on my ebike, though I may not come to a complete and utter stop. Sometimes I've seen bicyclists run stop signs in the name of maintaining their momentum. (40 years ago I actually got a ticket for running a stop sign on my bicycle on a Sunday morning when there were ZERO cars on the road, except for that pesky cop car hiding around the corner...) But on an ebike, momentum is less important. And here's another thing: most ebikers are older (even though perhaps wilier) and our eyes are not as good as they were. Don't assume they're working perfectly and that you are always completely aware of every moving and stationary object in your environment. You're not.

 

[Hectors Ghost]

550 miles now on my Lectric XP and loving it.

I have over 20K miles on my ebike now and wish I had a dollar for every close call I have had due to humans in cars. No one is going to worry about you but you. Stay safe.

 

[Kivis]

Been hit once and almost hit once. 1st time, no biggie because there was no traffic but I got knocked into the air about 10 feet. Very sore, a chap drove up in a pickup truck and offered me and my bent bike frame a ride home. But only after arguing with the EMT's that I would not go to the hospital to get checked out. Second time was far worse. Going down quite fast on a mountain forest road when a four wheel drive truck passed me and drove me off the road. I crashed into a concrete culvert. Lots of broken bones. Both times I would probably be dead if without a helmet. Wear a helmet!!!

 

[Hectors Ghost]

Get a GoPro. Prices are very fair and easy to use. That way no argument if something happens. Glad you were paying attention and avoided a accident.

Maybe if you had 3 GoPros running all the time, on forward, one back, and one helmet-mounted... I just ride as safe as I can for the areas I am in. There are no guarantees in life... or love so I just keep riding in both. Haha... get it?