Oh, Paul, this is so sad. And relatable. If I had a close call like yours, I might be very tempted to put the bike away. I got banged up hiking 2 weeks ago and being injured is no joke - and the older you get, the more terrifying it is. I’m in my 30s, but that’s my theory. Top fears: hitting my face. Breaking my teeth. I know there are worse things.
I make drivers look at me. I won’t go through an intersection unless I’ve made eye contact. That’s my #1 tip. If they are looking at me, I have some hope of them paying attention and not finding myself under their wheels. My boys know this in their marrow of their bones; we take a MUP down the artery of our canyon to school and there are several neighborhoods that empty out into that artery. At every single crossing, we look and if the driver doesn’t make eye contact we don’t move. I don’t care how much momentum we lose on the hill or what time it is, we’re at a dead stop if we aren’t staring into the eyes of a human piloting 2 tons of steel in our path. You have to make the choice for yourself, but don’t feel like you have to ride everywhere you go or that you have to ride in unsafe parts of town. Just ride where you can feel safe and where there are protected bike lanes or MUPs. Maybe just start by biking to a coffee shop? Coffee soothes most anything. Best, Leah -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/36202faf-9651-4f5f-8e4e-329ecc475e41%40googlegroups.com.
