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Vehicle Accidents
updated: Oct 27, 2012, 11:16 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

Does anyone else feel like there's a marked increase in accidents that are vehicles vs. bicycles and/or pedestrians lately? Is it just because of better reporting by Edhat, or are there more of these accidents happening lately?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 336153	2012-10-27 11:26 AM
No! You are just more aware of this because edhat tells you.....Would you know of these accidents if it wasn't for this website and roger!? But the other argument is this! Gas prices are high, so more people are riding there bikes. That means more people on bikes with not so much experience riding in traffic. In my opinion you are much more aware that there are idiot bike riders on the rd.
COMMENT 336154	2012-10-27 11:27 AM
Not a week goes by that I don't have a bike swerve into my lane, from their sufficiently wide enough bike lane...at least once.
COMMENT 336158	2012-10-27 11:33 AM
I was just thinking of that earlier today, almost everyday an accident. Wear Helmets Stop at Stop Signs and obey ALL vehicle laws, for your own safety. Do not ride side by side, for goodness sake, let the vehicles safely pass you! Walkers, get OFF the bike paths, Bikers, get off the sidewalks. PLEASE be safe and dear Police Department, Highway Patrol and Sheriffs ticket these unsafe bikers running red lights and blowing through Stop signs!
GILBERT	2012-10-27 12:05 PM
As a person who spends a lot more time in my car than on my bike , I must say drivers of motorized vehicles need to exercise much more caution. Anyone who rides a bike in traffic will agree. I've ended up on the pavement when a careless driver opened their door without looking behind(several near misses as well). I observe all the same traffic laws when biking as when driving my car and yet I've been cut off , sqeezed, pinched,etc numerous times. Be careful people , cars are heavy and deadly .
COMMENT 336171	2012-10-27 12:06 PM
To 154: Bike riders have to swerve into the traffic lane because all the crap and debris from the road ends up on the shoulder or bike lane. It is very rarely cleaned up. Also, the shoulder or bike lane is often maintained or repaired far less than the traffic lane, so you might be seeing bike riders swerve to avoid wheel eating cracks in the road surface. Plus, it's your responsibility as an approaching and passing vehicle to give space for the vehicle that you are passing. Share the road !!!
COMMENT 336176P	2012-10-27 12:20 PM
I stopped riding my bike on roads because of close calls with motorized vehicles.
COMMENT 336189	2012-10-27 12:52 PM
As a bike rider I found that city buses are the worst hazard. They stop frequently so they do not get ahead or behind. They are extra wide so passing can be a serious problem. They give a bike rider less respect than most automobiles.
COMMENT 336191	2012-10-27 01:05 PM
STOP TEXTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
COMMENT 336193	2012-10-27 01:08 PM
Gilbert: A thank you comes from a daily biker and car driver. To those who think bikers simply choose to ride in the middle of the lane, here are a few of the hazards we face: Glass, tree branches/limbs, sewer grates, parked cars in bike lanes (oh there are TONS of those on the busy streets in SB), joggers, other bikers, construction signs, and buses. I do my best to stay in the bike lane if I can (why would I want to take on a car, honestly?) but keeping an eye on the road, looking back to see if a car is there, and judging whether the car will speed past me before the next parked car and try to pinch me off is not always easy to judge. I'm not going to hold my brakes all day waiting for every car in traffic to go by simply because they can't be patient. It's a two way street.
COMMENT 336198	2012-10-27 01:30 PM
It's not just the drivers. On Thursday when I was driving my son home from his cub scout meeting on the eastside, on two separate occasions pedestrians practically jumped out into the crosswalks without warning. One was a jogger hidden behind a stone wall who ran out into intersection without hesitation, the other was a woman who darted out half way then turned around as if she was under the influence of something. In between I stopped at cross walk to let a mother with kids and a stroller cross who was waiting until it was safe. Drivers are supposed to drive "defensively", and perhaps walkers need to practice more "defensive walking"...
COMMENT 336206P	2012-10-27 01:51 PM
I've said this before, but De la Vina is the worst street for bikes to use. Go two blocks over to State or two blocks the other way and use Castillo. They both have bike lanes.
COMMENT 336212P	2012-10-27 02:24 PM
I treat bicyclists like I do big rigs -- stay as far away from them as I can.
COMMENT 336215	2012-10-27 02:42 PM
Higher fuel prices = more bikers and peds. More drivers distracted by electronic devices. Growing number of senior citizens who should not be driving but still are. Increased population density. More powerful automobiles with bigger blind spots. Not many cyclists (or drivers) signal turns and lane changes or obey traffic laws. Jaywalking, road rage, everyone is in a hurry to jump into their grave.
COMMENT 336217P	2012-10-27 02:48 PM
Hey, I just remembered. Since I turned 62 this year, I can get a 10-ride bus pass for just $5.50. And it doesn't expire. Might be a fun way to go exploring.
COMMENT 336227	2012-10-27 03:21 PM
191 has a point...too many distracted drivers looking down, fingering their phones and not paying attention to the road. This has to be the most under enforced rule on the books. You can't drive a block without seeing half the drivers (more?) on the road not looking at the road. That being said, cyclists bear responsibility as well. We exercise extreme caution when driving because we can't count on the cyclists following the rules of the road they share. Drive real careful on a 2-lane roads because cyclists have problems with single file riding. Halt at stop signs only to see a crowds of bikers blow through intersections while cars wait. I've seen the one-finger wave because I had the audacity to pull away from a stop sign when I got in the way of a cyclist who didn't want to stop. So yeah, there are good/bad drivers, good/bad cyclists. Drivers, put the phones down. Militant cyclists, holster your finger. Sharing the road is a two way street
STRAY	2012-10-27 03:45 PM
California has been such a car-centric culture for so long that old motorist habits take awhile to change. In foreign countries where gas prices are double what they are in the US of A, like the Netherlands, motorists are much more aware of cyclists because riding bicycles is an accepted way of transportation, not an after thought, and cyclists are as common as cars. City and rural planning takes place in the Netherlands to promote more cycling, not less.
COMMENT 336232	2012-10-27 03:47 PM
Bikies will never learn. Even tho many are injured or killed, these workout warriors STILL ride two or three abreast, ignore that there is a bike lane, blow through the stop signs and red lights, randomly swerve into a random direction and generally make life more difficult for everyone. Sure it's tough riding a bike in the sea of morons aka drivers. But no one is making you do it. It's nutty to think drivers will ever get it any more than bikies will. What to do? Look out, just like I have to do as a driver and believe me it's a full time job. And another thing- just because someone invented bike shoes that are bolted into the bike pedals does not give a bikie any excuse to not stop. Your workout is not my problem. Stop or take your chances.
ROGER DODGER	2012-10-27 04:05 PM
I look older than 62 do they ask for ID or can you get one that cheap being disabled also and MTD Bus pass?
EMUWREN1	2012-10-27 04:28 PM
As a bike rider, bus rider, pedestrian and sometime vehicle driver, all I have to say is two things: Drivers-----SLOW DOWN And to everyone who is enslaved by their motorized vehicle: Get out of your car/truck/SUV and walk, bike and ride the bus. It will make you a happier person.
COMMENT 336247P	2012-10-27 04:35 PM
The Europe analogies from those who think you can draw a lineation, sure if you compare cities with far greater density and narrow streets in many cases and were built hundreds of years ago then you have a point. Otherwise so very glad you took a vacation but your two weeks in Europe is not a degree in traffic planning. Bikers need to stop whining if they can't ride single file and have ever blown through any stop sign (90%+). If you can't respect the laws then don't be upset others are not either. Drivers its a extra couple of seconds share the road with others and pay attention that text, email or call can wait and so can you. Skaters you are the only group not made up of incessant whiners nice job!
COMMENT 336253	2012-10-27 04:59 PM
I can't believe more than half of the comments here have so many negative things to say about bikers. At one point it was an encouragement for people ride than drive and now they're a nuisance? I totally blame drivers texting and talking. If they are going ten miles an hour and your going anywhere from 25-55 it's kinda hard to try and blame the bike. Its definitely the cars responsibility to take caution. And for all of you that think bikers only bike because they want to your dead wrong. Some cant afford gas or a car. When I used to ride bikes I almost got hit several times from cars turning right on a red when it was my green. Share the road! Use the bike! Simple.
COMMENT 336255	2012-10-27 05:06 PM
I merely want people to look at the individual, and stop perpetuating misinformation that all or most bicyclists are out to ruin someone else's day. I drive a car, I have to get to work, I have stuff to do as well. It really sucks when you are trying to enjoy a ride on the weekend and some idiot decides to yell, throw something, or leave a few inches as they drive by because they have the notion that all bicyclists are jerks. 232: Nobody is making you drive or sit in traffic either, you do it our of your own free will. Drivers will never learn, same reason there are over 30k auto related deaths a year in this country. You knowingly endanger yourself every single day and say cyclists are stupid?
COMMENT 336257P	2012-10-27 05:07 PM
If you're disabled or have a Medicare card, you can get the 10-ride pass for $5.50. The standard ticket fares and 30-day passes cost less, as well, if you're 62 and older, or are disabled or have a Medicare card. http://www.sbmtd.gov/
SHOREBIRD	2012-10-27 05:52 PM
Advice for bikies. 1. We (drivies) are all crazy and out to get you. 2. "He swerved into traffic to avoid a twig in the bike lane" is not something your loved ones want to hear at your wake.
COMMENT 336275	2012-10-27 05:58 PM
Gas prices contributed.
COMMENT 336283	2012-10-27 06:15 PM
I spend a lot of time driving. While I'm not saying drivers are faultless, I will say that the peds and cyclists have really been blowing it lately. I'll agree that there is an increase for economic reasons. The police have made it appear that anytime someone even thinks about walking across, crosswalk or not, that every car should just "freeze". Sometimes, that isn't practical or safe. Nobody "looks both ways" anymore. And cyclists, particularly the weekend warriors in bright spandex, think they have the right of way, that they are entitled to motorways, and that they are exempt from traffic laws. Bottom line is, right or wrong, the car will always win.
COMMENT 336304	2012-10-27 08:49 PM
Accept it .... the millenial generation are the worst drivers EVER. And they are also the most inconsiderate bike riders hence all the near collisions or outright crashes. The more stupid people you concentrate in the area what do you expect to happen? It's just the odds, ma'am.
COMMENT 336313P	2012-10-27 09:38 PM
In an effort to both save on gas an increase my physical activity levels, I was out on my bike on Monday last week at Fairview and Hollister around 2pm, riding as far to the right as I could without my tire scraping the curb, and I was almost (I'm talking less than an inch of clearance) clipped by a cement truck. Since then, I've been sticking as much as possible to the areas where I get a seperate bike path. It makes my route longer, but I have no desire to leave my young daughter or husband without me. Not all bikers ride inconsiderately and not all drivers are paying enough attention. Since I can't do anything about the drivers that suck, I'm taking the actions that I can take, personally, to increase my own safety. It does kinda suck though, to be perfectly honest, and isn't a problem I'd have in some other parts of the country or world.
COMMENT 336333P	2012-10-28 01:45 AM
Every driver should get down on their knees and sing skyward praises (to whatever powers that be) for all of the walkers, bike riders. skateboarders and bus riders. Not only are these non-drivers helping to keep our air cleaner, they are all leading by example. The message being: life without driving everywhere, all of the time, is more natural and fulfilling. How did this happen, where the motorized vehicle has become such an obsession? To those of you enslaved by your gasoline/deisel/ hybrid vehicles, take a good, hard, cold look at how dependent you have become on your polluting transportation. The bus riders, the bike riders, the pedestrians and skateboarders are all deserving of utmost respect and gratitude. All drivers: Get out of your cars and evolve into happier beings.
TRAVELIN	2012-10-28 07:19 AM
I agree with 6158 that bike riders must learn and follow the rules of the road -- doing so can save their lives. We are very often confronted by cyclists (always male) riding on the white line of the bike lane, which puts their left shoulder and pedal into the automobile lane. We all know that there also are too many unaware and inconsiderate drivers out there. The combination makes for inevitable accidents. I'm unable to ride a bike, but if I did I'd be very careful and do everything to avoid an accident.
LUCKY 777	2012-10-28 07:28 AM
I had some major surgery recently, and while enjoying a hiatus under the influence of Percoset I thought I'd enjoy walking to do my errands, not being in any condition to drive a vehicle. To my dismay in a one mile walk downtown I was almost struck three times by young Mexican men on bicycles racing down the sidewalk. In two cases they ripped around a foliage-obscured corner and missed me by an inch, swerved, and raced on. I thought about the stats, how I do seem to read here of an almost daily vehicle vs bicycle or pedestrian accident, and I can understand why someone might think riding on the sidewalk is safer. But it made me realize it is unsafe for me to be walking on the sidewalks my taxes pay for.
COMMENT 336364	2012-10-28 07:55 AM
You will all be blaming each other forever.
COMMENT 336368	2012-10-28 08:00 AM
We all could slow down a little...bikes and cars. People seem so obsessed lately (myself included) with getting to where we are going and not paying attention to the journey or that around us. Getting there a few minutes earlier isn't worth the stress it causes ourselves nor the others around us. Please remember that some of our "bike paths" are technically shared use paths for horses and pedestrians not to mention kids walking to school. They have signs stating as such (unless someone took them down) but some cyclists still seem to get irritated by having to slow down for others. Stopping or slowing down at the stop sign at Nogal where the crossing guard is helping children to school also seems difficult for for some cyclists. So... it does seem to be more of a question of the person driving the car or riding the bike and not the vehicle in question. Being considerate of others on the road should go for everyone.
COMMENT 336384	2012-10-28 08:54 AM
The only practical thread we should be following through these comments is basic: the road rules apply to cyclists and drivers alike. Drivers don't have special entitlements because they have the larger vehicle; in fact they need to exercise greater caution because of that. Cyclists don't have special privileges or exemptions from road rules because they ride instead of driving. Sharing the road means sharing the responsibility of using the road. All users need to be aware of their surroundings. And though these posts make it seem unlikely, a judicious application of common courtesy would make it more enjoyable no matter how you use the road.
COMMENT 336404	2012-10-28 10:48 AM
There seems to be more such accidents the last year or two. Not surprising because more people are riding bikes mostly for recreational excercise. The biggest problem with all of the urging by P.C. officials and politicians is they do not understand that the roadways are irreconcilably in conflict between bicycles and motor vehicles. No amount of physical configuration, or striping or other silly ideas will change this fact. The two (bikes and motor vehicles) do not belong on the same streets at the same time !
COMMENT 336407	2012-10-28 10:56 AM
404: You do not get to decide who gets to use the road and who doesn't. I pay my taxes and contribute far less to the decay of roads with a bike than any car does. I'm sure if you were forced to walk everywhere, you would be complaining about substandard walkways for pedestrians.
COMMENT 336424	2012-10-28 12:54 PM
Roads are paid for by the gas tax....sorry bikes don't you gas thus you have no reason to complain. Get off the rd and find a bike path! safer for all... Do you walk IN the street? Do you walk ON the bike path? Do you drive ON a sidewalk? Do you drive ON a bike path with a car? NO! Ride a bike in areas where cars drive you and you will lose, even if you were in the right. Common sense prevails.
COMMENT 336434	2012-10-28 01:32 PM
Roads are not paid for simply by gas tax. Sorry. State sales tax also covers this. It is also just that motorists pay more in taxes/registration, because as stated, they contribute more to road decay than bicycles.
COMMENT 336453	2012-10-28 02:34 PM
There are some rude, inconsiderate, careless, low-skilled drivers out there who seem to think they own the road ... and they seem to all be posting here on Edhat.
COMMENT 336460	2012-10-28 03:10 PM
There are some rude, inconsiderate, careless, low-skilled bikers out there who seem to think they own the road ... and they all seem to be posting here on Edhat.

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