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by JoeAltmaier 2677 days ago
Here's the thing drivers - if you turn right and don't check over your right shoulder for the bike or pedestrian, then one day you will be that guy that kills somebody. Its just a matter of time.

Always, always glance over your right shoulder when turning right.

3 comments

I'd go further and say that you should always keep track of cyclists and pedestrians you see before the intersection. If you don't know where they went, assume they're in your path. Case in point: I was coming up to an intersection, right-turn indicator on, cyclist comes blasting through in the right as the the light turns. He's lucky I was the first in line and had noted his position two blocks before, because I guarantee that with any other driver in front he would have earned himself a Darwin Award.
This is one of those things that makes it difficult to replicate the traffic safety of the Netherlands elsewhere...drivers are just way more aware of and respectful of cyclists in their environment. It's cultural.
Urban cyclists in USA learn to be hypersensitive to this situation. If the car is approaching the intersection and does anything to make a turn seem possible, don't pass on the right. Take the lane behind the car and be ready to pass on the left, between lanes. Lane-splitting by a cyclist is a totally normal maneuver. In stopped traffic, it is strictly better than riding on the right. In slowly-moving traffic, it's often better.
All true. But I was thinking of the kid on a skateboard or bike, or even a jogger, on the sidewalk.