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Right-Kangaroo-169@reddit

This thing with people coming up behind you and running you over or turning in front of you is the reason I only drive the wrong way so I can face all of the traffic and not get surprised by someone not paying attention. I mainly drive on the side walk but I drive in the opposite bike lane too. Contra Flow. Its the only way to survive in Austin. You can see the people turning towards you and you are in their face too. Its much safer. Do not care if someone else does not like it. They will figure it out soon enough or get killed or wind up in hospital. BTW Bike helmets are not good enough for ebike speeds.

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tobiasvl@reddit

I drive in the opposite bike lane too.

And... What happens when you meet a bike who's riding the correct way?

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Right-Kangaroo-169@reddit

I yield by getting on the side walk or if I am on the side walk which I am most of the time I get on the bike path. If its not easy to do like on the Congress bridge then I ride the correct way and change back after the bridge. Its super easy to be courteous.

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tobiasvl@reddit

Is it legal where you live? In my city there's way too much bike traffic for that to be feasible - it's also hard to get onto the sidewalk from the bike path because of the curb, and crossing the entire road to get to the opposite bike path would be pretty dangerous - but even if I could do it, it'd be very illegal

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Right-Kangaroo-169@reddit

I can see how its not doable in dense traffic but I don't care if its legal. I am getting run over and I already have hospital bills from riding the so called correct way. They have advocated for pedestrians to walk this way for decades but its not safe on a bike and more unsafe at ebike speeds.

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trtsmb@reddit

They probably try to force the other bike out into traffic.

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wlexxx2@reddit

wrong way riding is dangerous in so many ways

1 - at a cross street, drivers are not looking your way

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Right-Kangaroo-169@reddit

Everyone is looking your way. The right turners and the left turners and you can make eye contact before they turn. There are still risks but its easier to see them and the problem is when you right on the correct side you are actually in the lane with the traffic and don't realize it. They can turn in front of you at any time. I have had several accidents riding the correct way and none riding the opposite way.

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

The reason why I didn't do that is because of the intersection I have to go through, there's also no sidewalks to go on

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Mitrovarr@reddit

How the hell were the cops no help there?

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atlasraven@reddit

Cops just take a report. They don't immediately punish a hit and run. Best case, OP can give them video or a license plate.

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ArmchairPancakeChef@reddit

Cops are just there to put on a show and always AFTER the fact. In 85% of instances, they are completely useless.

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chrispark70@reddit

The OP's story makes no sense at all. Particularly this:

"I had a bad feeling and when I looked behind me there was a car 15 feet behind me, so I jumped off and a second later my bike was gone and ended up getting dragged since the car didn't stop, the cops weren't any help either."

Did he jump off a moving bike and leave it in the road rolling with no person controlling it? Did he lay it down in the street? None of this makes any sense at all.

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Mitrovarr@reddit

I didn't know it was a hit and run. OP didn't mention that in the post.

That's rough. I wish OP had a cam so the driver could be caught. I hate hit and run drivers...

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sumptin_wierd@reddit

Op did not explicitly say "hit and run"

You cant read so knock off and understand it

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atlasraven@reddit

They said their bike was hit, their bike was dragged, the car didn't stop. That's definition hit and run since they didn't stop.

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Mitrovarr@reddit

Well, it wasn't clear they meant "at all", I thought they meant "until they hit the bike".

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ronnyk5@reddit

OP omitted a few important facts

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sumptin_wierd@reddit

Because cops don't give a fuck about you. They are only protecting people with more money than you.

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Suit_Responsible@reddit

What do you mean you left it? And the cops weren’t any help?

You called the cops at the scene? Did they come? Did the drive flee? Drives insurance?

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

I called the cops and they said they didn't have enough officers to come out and yes the driver kept going

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Suit_Responsible@reddit

The cops actually said they don’t have enough cops to attend a hit and run… either you got a big complaint or this is BS

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

the operator said there wasn't enough units to respond which is insane, so my advice is to carry a pistol with xp rounds since no one cares

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Suit_Responsible@reddit

Where do you live? This is absolutely insane

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

Tucson Arizona

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JerichoXL@reddit

Cool! I just moved from New Orleans to Arizona

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ihave11butts@reddit

Now you get to see why people praise a dry heat

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JerichoXL@reddit

Yeah, I worked in the French Quarter as a tour guide.. heat, 100% humidity, and there are more trees in my backyard than there are in all the FQ. The only shade to be found was in a bar. Yep! I’m actually looking forward to the dry heat.

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

This town is known for being dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists

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flimflamman99@reddit

Boomers, Cataracts, and too many drinks at the golf course.

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Suit_Responsible@reddit

I have been to Tucson, you guys have amazing bike trails

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The_Grungeican@reddit

i live in a city where they don't always show. especially if there's no injury or death.

had a friend actually get hit awhile back. driver was drunk, told my friend to walk to the hospital. they ended up getting evidence from the car parts he left at the scene. another friend helped solve the case.

in the end nothing really happened. the guy who hit him was a military vet, and the city decided not to prosecute.

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jedadkins@reddit

Acab

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JerichoXL@reddit

No.. Maybe he lives in New Orleans. They are notorious for not responding to hit and runs unless there are fatalities. NOPD=Not Our Problem Dude

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Dr-Sloppenheimer@reddit

yeah my sister’s car was destroyed by a stolen box truck that a couple crackheads abandoned and it took NOPD almost 12 hours to finally send an officer out. Truck just sat there blocking an entire street and running the entire time.

Cops in NOLA are uniquely useless.

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Mitrovarr@reddit

They're really good at human rights violations.

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Taiyoryu@reddit

That's a hit and run. You should file a police report. You'll need the report anyway for any insurance claim whether it's with the driver (if you ever track them down) or your own insurance company.

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Schemeckles@reddit

(Not victim blaming)...

But i dont get why more people dont have a set, or at least 1 mirror on their bikes...

You can get a cheap set off Amazon for less than $20.

I put some on my bike and even though its been the cheapest upgrade, its definitely one I love the most.

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trtsmb@reddit

I ride protected bike trails 90% of the time and I have a mirror. Next to my helmet, I think it's the most important piece of safety equipment every cyclist should have.

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Schemeckles@reddit

Exactly.

It only takes a second for something to go wrong infront of you.

Turning my head back around not seeing what's infront of me is terrifying to me.

And like I said.. they're probably the cheapest upgrade you can make.

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TerryFelix@reddit

For this specific reason I am purchasing a gopro

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hike2climb@reddit

Garmin Varia or Cycliq have bicycle specific cameras integrated with lights and radar.

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blammergeier@reddit

I've not heard good things about the Varia light/radar camera (specifically the camera).

I am a fan of radar, though.

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

I planned on getting a gopro but I only had my bike for two months

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TerryFelix@reddit

Yeah had my segway for 2 months, and as I see how scooters and cyclists are treated I won't be riding again till I get a gopro. We are currently getting snow so I am in no rush I don't ride in the snow or rain learned my lesson lol

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bradyanderzyn@reddit

You had a bad feeling?? So you jumped off the bike in the middle of traffic and caused an accident?

Please someone tell me what I’m missing here.

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whattteva@reddit

Yeah, I thought I was the only one that thought this. You have a bad feeling,t he best thing to do there would be to try to swerve out of the way vs jumping off. Unless you can leap like a tiger, you're not covering that much distance and staying on the bike and swerving is likely to cover a lot more distance than jumping off.

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jttam@reddit

"He had a bad feeling" then looked over his/her shoulder and saw a car coming at him/her. They were in the bike lane, normally a lane next to the curb or parking in a city. So your "swerving" options are into a curb or car or into the rest of traffic not in a bike lane.

You don't need to run a marathon to avoid a car, generally when you ditch like that it's because you step off your bike and onto the curb or between two cars, which may only be 2 feet of distance but they make all the difference.

The fact the car was unable to swerve, slow down or stop and presumably took some damage should be signal enough that at best this was inattentive driving and at worst attempted murder.

A bicycle has a right to travel in the bike lane, a car does not. Don't blame the victim.

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whattteva@reddit

A bicycle has a right to travel in the bike lane, a car does not. Don't blame the victim.

Please do elaborate where in my post did I say he doesn't have a right to travel in the bike lane and where I blamed the victim. I merely thought that maybe he panicked and didn't really need to bail out.

Reading comprehension much?

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jttam@reddit

When you instruct them to swerve out of the bike lane?

Taking the stance that the victim should have done something differently to avoid the crime is victim blaming.

Ad hominem not appreciated.

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whattteva@reddit

When you instruct them to swerve out of the bike lane?

To avoid mortal danger? Do you just stay still in a crosswalk when there's a car running a red light vs jumping out of the way? Who in their right mind considers that victim blaming? I mean, that mental gymnastics you're performing is something.

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jttam@reddit

Straw man aside, they did avoid mortal danger. Ad hominem aside, I am glad they are safe and hope the driver is found.

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whattteva@reddit

I think you mean baseless accusations aside.

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

There was too much traffic and no sidewalk, the car was feet behind me

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marquis_de_ersatz@reddit

Right it sounds like they yeeted their bike under a car

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dd113456@reddit

In the US?

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Such-Importance-9253@reddit

Of course, in Europe there's actual bike lanes

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therealcopperhat@reddit

Europe has many different countries with very different bike setups.

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Such-Importance-9253@reddit

_"Yes, a significant and growing portion of Europe, particularly in Northern and Western regions, has extensive protected bike lanes, though infrastructure varies by country. Cities in countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and France are leaders, with some (like Paris and Helsinki) boasting over 40% protected infrastructure. Key aspects of European bike infrastructure include:

High-Quality Networks: Countries like the Netherlands and Denmark offer widespread separated, safe bike lanes.
Major Urban Investment: Cities such as Paris and Utrecht are heavily investing in expanding protected lanes and increasing bike parking.
Regional Variation: While Northern/Western Europe leads, other regions are catching up. However, not all of Europe has the same level of protected infrastructure; some areas still rely on painted lanes or mixed traffic.
Safety Priority: Many European cities are reducing speed limits and creating dedicated, separated bike paths, rather than just painted lanes.

According to a 2025 City Ranking, Paris and Helsinki lead with 48% of their cycling infrastructure being protected."_

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thewimsey@reddit

my point still stands.

No. And you don't even seem to understand the point. There are places in Europe with separated bike lanes.

There are places in the US with separated bike lanes.

There are places in Europe without separated bike lanes.

There are places in the US without separated bike lanes.

People who write "Europe" are usually really just thinking of "Denmark", and not, say, Italy or Poland.

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Such-Importance-9253@reddit

So would you argue, that US has the same amount of micromobility than in Europe, collectively?

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therealcopperhat@reddit

There are some great places like NL, but there are many less than great places such as I, IRL, BG, RO.

The US has some great places for cyclists and many less than great places.

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Purple-Food-9829@reddit

I’m confused the car was in the bike lane ?

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

Yes

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chrispark70@reddit

"I had a bad feeling and when I looked behind me there was a car 15 feet behind me, so I jumped off and a second later my bike was gone and ended up getting dragged since the car didn't stop, the cops weren't any help either."

Can you explain this? It sounds to me like you jumped off your moving bike leaving it in the street, possibly moving. If so, you are the one at fault.

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tobiasvl@reddit

That's not good. I don't quite understand the situation though. There was a car behind you, so you jumped off your bike in motion, the bike obviously immediately fell over, and the car didn't stop in time so it hit the bike? Am I understanding it correctly? So basically you brake checked the car?

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jamerTag@reddit

OP was riding home from work so I'm betting they were riding on a normal road with no bike lane that had potentially a fairly high speed limit and the car from behind was 15 feet away and still not realizing that OP was in front of them and going far slower than the limit so OP decided to bail. Possible the car would have noticed and moved but thats a hell of a gamble

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tobiasvl@reddit

OP said they were riding in a bike lane though.

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trtsmb@reddit

That was my takeaway too.

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Cucoloris@reddit

check the stores around where you were hit, they may have video that could help you find the driver.

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ArmchairPancakeChef@reddit

My head is ALWAYS on a swivel. I live in Florida and I'm from the Midwest originally and I hate to say it but people down here a stupid as fuck. I don't trust em.

I always surrender the right of way since in a Bike/Car accident, we know who's gonna lose.

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trtsmb@reddit

Florida too and you aren't kidding. I get confused when I see a polite driver.

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ArmchairPancakeChef@reddit

I can only imagine what Alabama and Mississippi must be like.

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JSSOnTheRun@reddit

If it’s not a sidewalk or bike path I’m not riding it. Learned my lesson after a friend was killed while riding on the “bike” lane!

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Johnixftw_@reddit

either this is BS or you undersold you story to the police, theres no way you almost got ran over and the cops went "oh well, it happens"

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PickleAlly@reddit

Go back and pick up your trash ffs!

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IndependentTrust4594@reddit

Glad you made it off!

Just got a quote for insurance this AM. Considering it’s $75 a year and includes medical and theft insurance, already sounded like a no brainer!

Going to finalize tomorrow!

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maximumpynk@reddit

Who with?

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IndependentTrust4594@reddit

Progressive

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TTTigersTri@reddit

What company?

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IndependentTrust4594@reddit

Progressive

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Inciteful_Analysis@reddit

Instances like this is why I advocate of riding on sidewalks provided the pedestrian usage is sparse enough, and the sidewalk wide enough, to accommodate bicycles. Those painted white lines don't stop a vehicle. A student at UC Davis was killed a few days ago in the bike lane of a high speed road on his way to class.

(I realize OP did not have the option of riding on a sidewalk where he was)

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veeeecious@reddit

Front/rear cameras are a must on bikes.

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MasterChiefette@reddit

Get yourself a cheap action cam. Wear it on helm or attach it to chest mount of some kind. or get a 360 cam and attach that to the left hand of your handle bar to get license plates of cars approaching you from behind as your are riding on roads. That way you he have a record of everything that occurred on your ride.

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Prestigious-Royal-82@reddit

Hmmmmm!!! Happy Friday!!

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Spacecad90@reddit

You had an action cam? Because yep its getting wild out there today while i was waiting in a middle lane trying to cross to the other side theres a part you can use to make a u turn or turn into the opposite plaza I was using it to turn into the plaza just doing as I done a dozen times before to leave work suddenly this lady in an suv decides to cut through the wrong way causing all kinds of mayhem and almost hitting me thankfully I got it on camera in case something happened

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Mitrovarr@reddit

Did this just occur? I just had a thought...

If it is recent, you should go to any businesses or homes in the area of the accident and see if they have video. Even if the cops never ever do anything, you can sue in civil court if you identify the driver. Or the vehicle, actually - that is enough to sue over so long as it wasn't stolen and maybe even then.

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canned_pho@reddit

Please file for a hit and run. That's a felony. Driver cannot get away with attempted murder. You almost died and justice needs to happen.

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Droidstation3@reddit

And yet the narrative will be, "ebike crashes are increasing. We have to crackdown on them in order to keep people safe"...

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tpelliott@reddit

If you have a good description of the car, the police should be on the lookout for a car with damage consistent with the hit and run. If this was in the US, or any civilized country, it's alarming that the police refused to respond to a serious accident.

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hike2climb@reddit

Tuscon is a pretty rough town. It’s especially hostile to bicycles in both thefts and violence towards cyclists.

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wturber@reddit

True. Arizona bike laws favor motorists in a big way.

This blog tracks many cases of bike/car accidents and the actions taken by police and other law enforcement.

https://azbikelaw.org/

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Treesham@reddit

Put me in the category of folks wondering whAt the fuCk the cops were doing?

It's a hit and run. Is that not something that even gets investigated anymore? Are they going to wAit until that shit Bag kills someone?

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Tomj_Oad@reddit

What city did this happen in?

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Spiritdiritcel@reddit (OP)

It happened in Tucson and no I don't have insurance, I don't ever want to ride a bike again after that

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PierogiCoyote@reddit

I went through this feeling on a regular bike once. Its perfectly rational and I'm sorry that happened to you.

I eventually got another bike a few years later and started riding cycling paths and off highway exclusively, then later I found a cycling group that did party rides on the road. I worked up the courage to ride in the road by myself again, and it was later on in this process that I bought my first E-bike.

I'll never forget my close calls, and I hope you don't either. I hope one day something changes and you can enjoy riding again in some capacity.

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