Safer to ride bike on the left side of the road in the country? (Page 3)

bwahahahahahahaha!!!!!!    Good one.  Where is this "obligation" written?

This is one of those "what do you all think about this idea that I am going to do anyway no matter what you say" threads, isn't it???

Could you show it to me?  I am genuinely curious.  I'm not out to do things my way, or be unsafe, my goal is to be as safe as possible which is why I am bringing this up in the first place.

My 7 year old uses your same methodology for thinking - we the parents (the law) are unjust and unfair and he goes out of his way to prove his way is better/correct.  Inevitably he loses, either by learning the hard way, or dealing with the wrath of his parents.

By the way, I think this is a big troll post to begin with because no-one is that.......

Overwhelming evidence strongly points to yes.

You're probably right. 

Almost all laws are subject to rational basis review.  If there is no rational basis for the law, it should be struck down.  If a safety law led to greater accidents, that would not pass rational basis review.  

Actually it's not, if someone can come up with a good reason why I'm wrong I would gladly listen.  I conceded that force of impact is a good reason, it would just have to be weighed vs probability of an accident.  I'm not out to justify any kind of behavior, I'm trying to be safe.

By riding on the left side of the road you are dramatically reducing the reaction time for a driver to avoid you.  If you are going down a hill, over a crest, or rounding a corner you may leave almost no time for a driver to avoid you even if they are attentive.  No way to look at this other than a bad idea.

Also, what do you do when you come up on a cyclist that is traveling on what would be their right?  You are potentially creating a situation where you have three folks deciding at the last second how to occupy the same space. 

brooklynpatriot -

I see that you recently joined BT, welcome.  I also see that you have added some workouts to your training log and some long-term, tri specific goals which shows that that you plan to stay around for a while - great.  BT is an awesome community for triathletes and can be very valuable to new triathletes especially.  

Every once and a while a topic gets out of hand as members jab back and forth with differing views.  This thread is quickly heading that direction.  You should accept that no one has given you what you clearly believe to be the correct answer to your question.  The members you are currently arguing with might be the ones with helpful answers to triathlon questions in the future.

Hook'em

Yes because if our roughly 250 year history as a country proves one thing it's that THE LAW IS ALWAYS RIGHT.

Oh wait...

In the early 1900's Congress passed extensive labor laws designed to promote safety.  The Lochner era courts struck down those laws on the basis of substantive due process.  Tens of thousands of workers were injured or developed illnesses as a result of THE LAW.  Just because something is the law doesn't make it right, and it doesn't make it safe.  The law of the land was you could work over 60 hours a week in factories that exposed you to dangerous fumes.  By your logic, we should not question the law, but blindly follow it because it is the law.

Road bike or triathlon bike?

I ride on county roads almost exclusively, sometimes at very early / late hours in the days with proper bike lights.  However, very early Saturday / Sunday mornings when I see cars I immediately think they are heading home from partying too much the Friday or Saturday night before and I watch them very closely in my helmet mirror. 

That being said, if you are on the right side and a car comes up from behind you but cannot pass you because of another oncoming car, at least the driver can slow down until it is safe to pass.  If you are on the left side, heading into traffic and that car sees you but can not move over enough to avoid you because of oncoming traffic the driver has a couple of options:

1.  Slam on his brakes: probably won't

2. Swerve into oncoming traffic:  better not

3. Force you off the road:  most likely

4. Rely on the other driver to slow down: never going ot happen

All of these options frankly suck and I would not risk it. 

However, when I'm running on county roads, I always run on the left side because I want to see what's coming at me and running is easy to stop and get the heck out of the way.

How fast do I need to ride before I get the benefits of a triathlon bike?

I would like to hear your view on running with scissors...

It depends on if you are riding in the Northern or Western hemisphere.

Is it really that hard to figure out?  With the low post count and how blatantly idiotic this reasoning is I have to believe this is a "sock"

GoFaster,

I have not weighed in on the topic yet, but your above post makes you look like a tool.  The OP is not trying to prove one way is better or correct, and I don't believe he has commented on the fairness of the law.  He is asking an honest question of what makes the most sense on a country road.  You are the one with the troll reply.

Yes, bad laws do get struck down - however, i live in another jurisdiction from you and we have the exact same treatment of bicycles.  So far, this law sticks.  It's been around for a long time.

Listen, the overwhelming number of posters here are with you on trying to be safe. But pretty much everyone is not with you on this specific thing.  Many of us on this site have logged many many many miles of outdoor riding and do not think that your logic holds.  I ride in a big city where there are many many many more way stressed out drivers and would not do this. 

While there is a danger from cars - not all are distracted - and i certainly hope that if you're riding in the country you're dealing with much less traffic so already your chances are lower.  Keep your wits about you, look around and follow the rules.

Calling something idiotic without providing reasons and engaging in baseless ad hominems doesn't make what I'm saying idiotic.  

If the "danger" is being hit from behind, should tractors and all other slower moving traffic drive on the wrong side of the road?

Or you see the car coming when you are on the left and see  that he can't get around you and you just break and pull over for a second.

Roadies all the way!!  Until I can afford a sweet tri bike that is.