Right-Turning Cars

Often, cyclists will blithely ride past a driver who is signalling a right turn. These cyclists should be aware that collisions in which cyclists are cut off by right-turning drivers are a common occurrence. If you are cycling toward an intersection, you should pay particular attention to the lead car; if the driver is signalling right, you should slow down or stop and let the car make its turn!



I think cyclists should put themselves in the place of drivers making right turns at busy intersections. When I drive, I often find right turns trickier than left turns. Consider: When I'm making a left, the field of view that I have to be concerned with is actually quite small: just a pie slice ahead and to my left; when I'm making a right, the field of view I have to take in is almost a complete circle. Depending on whether the light ahead is green or red, I have to worry about cars either crossing my path or making lefts into the lane I am intending to drive into. At all times, I have to be aware of pedestrians. Aside from watching for pedestrians crossing at the proper time, I also have to consider that some pedestrians might jaywalk. For that matter, I also have to watch out for drivers trying to be the last to slip through on a very stale yellow, or even a fresh red light. Also, I have to watch for any bikes coming up behind me. They can be tricky to see. Sometimes a glance in the rear-view mirror will not show a cyclist who happens to be in my blind spot at the moment I check the mirror. A shoulder check is necessary.



Perhaps what makes right turns trickiest for drivers is the element of time. All the above factors have to be visually taken in in a fast-sweeping arc of attention, and all the changing information has to be processed, with a decision to turn arrived at within a few seconds. Quite daunting, actually! No wonder cyclists are so often cut off by right-turning drivers.



Remember, a cyclist will always come out on the losing end of any bike-car collision. Don't take any unnecessary chances!