I almost ran over a cyclist and I feel so terrible?

[michael3478]

I don't think i touched him but he seemed very pissed off i think it was a very close call. I was turning right and saw him on the last second. I feel so terrible and awful know and i probably should have rolled my window down and apologized but i guess im lucky nothing happened. Do you think im a terrible driver and should take a break from driving?

[Anonymous]

Nobody can say for sure if you're a bad driver. But everyone can and should say that nobody is perfect and close calls are likely an inevitability for anyone who has been driving for a notable amount of time.

I'd even argue the fact you're so worked up and thoughtful over the ordeal just shows how considerate of the other person and how cognizant you are on the seriousness of the matter. At lot of people would be like "holy shit. Close call" and probably not think about it too much.

[slatyb]

Where was he? Did you signal a right turn? If he was passing you on the right at an intersection, then it's entirely his fault. I am both a driver and a cyclist. It's suicidal to pass cars on the right through an intersection. We see this same behavior in Seattle from people on scooters -- they zoom on the right at 20 mph without considering whether the car ahead is making a right turn. Drivers check for pedestrians crossing, but cannot look back 100 yards for some oncoming scooter or bicycle.

[michael3478]

He was on the right on the sidewalk.

[slatyb]

Riding at speed into the intersection on the crosswalk, and nearly got clipped by you making a legal right turn? Entirely his fault. A walk sign is for walkers who were at or near the curb when the light changed. They do not protect cyclists moving at 20 mph who were 50 yards from the intersection.

[Abbycado]

If you can’t not run over a cyclist, yeah, you’re a shit driver.

[slatyb]

I'm a driver and a cyclist, and I have seen cyclists to insanely stupid things. Riding into a crosswalk at 15 mph when a driver has signaled a right turn is one of them.

I'm not one of those people complaining because cyclists roll through stop signs. I expect this, and always yield to a cyclist IF I CAN SEE THEM.

[Staximus]

It's your responsibility to look for vehicles in the street, not people speeding down the sidewalk on bicycles who zip out in front of you like suicidal morons. It's illegal in most places to ride bicycles on the sidewalk and they tell you to walk the bicycle across the crosswalk for a reason. If a car is making a right turn and and somebody zips out in front of them, that's not the car driver's fault

[exitseven]

The guy got off easy. Most cyclists think the rules of the road do not apply to them