It startled me first and I let out a bit of a shriek as I veered hard to port to avoid splattering all three of us on the road. I think I scared the crap out of them. They did likewise to me.
The bottom line is that lights matter. So does situational awareness. I was thinking deer tonight but teens are just as much of a hazard. Don't leave your lights or awareness at home. I may upgrade the 650, which I previously thought was plenty of light. Tonight it was enough but barely.
Everyone should be thinking safety, but the bottom line is that Looking Out for No. 1 is best done by No. 1. Don't count on others to be thinking about your safety. Or their own. I did stop and call LAPD and told them someone should counsel those teens. I hope someone did so. Next bicyclist might be running a 100 Lumen Saturday Night Special. That's the problem with bike lights--no standardization. Don't outrun your illumination.
2 comments:
Hi Khal
Seems I'm the only person who comments on your writings these days :-)
On 3 occasions during recent years commuting home form work well after dark, I have encountered an adult male walking north (back to traffic) in the middle of bike lane along the golf course. Like your incident, this person appeared suddenly requiring evasive action by me to avoid an accident. This guy always wore a black or dark gray jacket, black beanie, dark pants, and black gloves. He seemed to be asking to be hit as he was nearly invisible in poor light. All 3 encounters were at 30+ mph and I had to swerve to the white line or further to avoid hitting him. I often thought someone with a low powered light would eventually nail this guy.
I rode home on the MC last night. Passed three bicyclists at about five thirty, when it is pretty dark. Only one had lights.
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