Near Miss

Are bicyclists really invisible? On my way to work this evening, an SUV driver came very close to plowing into me as I legally and cautiously ventured across a controlled intersection. I'm not sure what they saw, but obviously didn't see a 6'-7" whiteboy wearing a light colored vest on a bicycle with a flashing headlamp right in front of them in waning evening light. The dark tinted windows did not allow me to see the driver. Could it have been the illegally tinted windows that impaired this person's view, or were they engrossed in themsleves and their own little cell phone world? I didn't even want to know.

When I saw the vehicle accelerate into the intersection as I was crossing, my feet became more heavy on the pedals and ass lighter on the saddle in preparation for a leap onto their hood. I'd much rather dent their hood and get bruised a little than get fully smacked. They can always buy me a new bike. They did manage to stop about three feet from me when the realization hit them that there was some dude about to jump onto the hood of their vehicle. We mustn't get our paint scratched, or our hood dented.

I did glance back to see them having made a left turn after the near miss. It seemed that they were shaken, not stirred because people usually haul ass up the street they turned onto and they were creeping along. Good.

JD