TechAltarNov 19

Damn, while biking to the studio I was looking at a car to make sure it didn't drive in front of me and I missed a lady who decided to cross the zebra ... so I rode into her. Thankfully just a light bounce, no damage and she just walked away after some well deserved yelling at me. But I just... didn't see her at all even though I know this zebra well and always make sure to not be an asshole to pedestrians.

Not even sure what conclusion to draw because I was paying attention, normal speed etc.

Show threadTechAltar
100% my fault and I'm not trying to deflect, but I am wondering how it could be avoided since I don't think I did anything *intentionally* wrong. It feels like the brain is just an imperfect tool and every now and then something like this becomes inevitable. So I guess just... Better infrastructure? Raise to zebra crossing so I'm forced to slow down more? Better illumination on the zebra so the pedestrian catches my eye better?
Nov 19 at 3:38pmWeb
Show threadKoos SwartNov 19
@Techaltar
It is still on a pedestrian to pay attention when crossing a zebra.
She can't just assume everyone pays attention.
Show threadPeter BrownNov 19
@koosswart @Techaltar that doesn’t make it permissible to hit a pedestrian at any time, especially not on a zebra crossing. Idiot.
Show threadAllpointsNov 19
@peterbrown @koosswart @Techaltar I once had to alert a fellow pedestrian to not step in front of a moving car. They simply weren't paying attention. Did they have the right of way? Yes. Would it have been the driver's fault if they hit the pedestrian? Yes. Should the pedestrian have looked before stepping off the curb? Also, yes.
Show threadSimon K-KNov 19
@koosswart @Techaltar maybe in your country, but at least in Austria, that is not true.
Show threadLiv 💝Nov 19
@Techaltar it is just really difficult to pay attention to everything at once

Too much stuff is going on at once on roads
Show threadanthonyNov 19

@Techaltar good of you to take the blame. This is always difficult as it's easy to put part of the blame on anyone involved. At least you know if you were in a car it would have been much, much worse.

I think you're right in that infrastructure to make this safer and force cyclists and drivers to slow down is the best solution here.

Show threadDaniel GomesNov 19
@Techaltar there needs to be clear separation between rider and car so that the rider does not have to worry about the possibility of a car hitting them. In which case your eyes can be fully ahead of you and looking out for pedestrians. Any system where a driver could potentially be hit by a car is faulty.
Show threadWouter 🛰️Nov 19

@Techaltar "...I was looking at a car to make sure it didn't drive in front of me..."

Well, there's your problem.
Protected bike lanes would allow you to focus on the zebra!
The car is the issue, you are the proxy.

Still, this sucks. I know the guilt of running in to someone even if you did everything to avoid it.

#orangepilled
@notjustbikes

Show thread賢進ジェンナNov 19

@pa3weg
@Techaltar @notjustbikes

My thots exactly - you were in a bad situation to begin with. You could have clocked the crossing and started barking pre-emptively while you were attempting to protect yourself from a potential collision and possibly have avoided "clobberin time" by coming to a potentially unnecessary stop, but intersections and other infra should be developed such that you can convey your vehicle normally with minimal distraction.

Show threadMartin NeumannNov 19
@Techaltar I think in the end it is all about better infrastructure - making sure you actually don't have to worry that much about cars cutting your bike lane in the first place. However, I have also been there: it feels really bad when as a bike rider you inconvenience pedestrians.
Show threadlgspNov 19

@Techaltar

There is no way to avoid 100% human error, without huge investment, probably not worth it. But at least on a bike you are not life threatening dangerous, at least most of the times.

And I'm sure you have learned something new, and you won't fall in same error again.

Show threadBernd HerdNov 19

@lgsp @Techaltar Humans are unable to be permanently concentrated. I'm an engineer and when we design a machine we are not allowed to design it in a way an unconcentrated worker can be seriously harmed.

If you'd hat hit that pedestrian with a car, the consequences would have been more severe, so biking is more error-forgiving than car driving.

But riding speed matters where pedestrians and bikers can interfere. Maybe you were too fast?

Show threadMallory's Musings & MischiefNov 19

@Techaltar Our brains don't work as well as it might seem. They glitch all the time.

This sounds like a case of inattentional blindness

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inattentional_blindness

Inattentional blindness - Wikipedia

Show threadjunkmanNov 19

@Techaltar Accidents happen every so often, I'm not sure overhauling existing systems would be the solution either.

It's important to give grace too. It was an accident, it doesn't make you an asshole biker.

Show threaddelolzerNov 19
@Techaltar Sometimes people just fuck up, one of the reason I read that biking>car is that when you do hit someone, they aren't dead. Obviously we want to improve but sometimes its about minizing damages as well!
Show thread07_SevnNov 19
@Techaltar brains are weird and people make mistakes. You were both able to walk it off because it was a light bounce on a bike. If you made the same mistake in a car or heaven forbid, a pickup truck, that could have ended way worse. Keep on cycling and ride defensively.
Show threadTed LemonNov 19

@Techaltar

Actually it's not 100% your fault. It's a bad road design. You shouldn't have to split your attention like that.

Show threadAllpointsNov 19

@Techaltar I once saw a presentation where the audience was asked to watch a video of two people passing a ball quickly back and forth. They were asked to count how many times the ball was passed.

In the middle of the video, someone in a gorilla suit walks across the court.

At the end of the video the audience was asked if they noticed the person in the gorilla suit. A significant portion had not.

The take away is, intense focus can cause you to miss obvious things. Part of being human.

Show threadgunstickNov 19
@Techaltar better infrastructure means separated bike path. And then pedestrians will look for cars on the street and then for bikes on the bike path.
Also bicyclists won't need to divert their attention to car drivers cutting them off as they are on a protected lane.
Show threadLucas TreffenstädtNov 20
@Techaltar maybe the conclusion is that it's great you weren't in a car, because then a moment of distraction would probably have caused that woman a lot more than annoyance. People are imperfect, as you say, so choosing a mode of transportation that has less potential to harm others goes a long way towards preventing serious accidents.
Show threadDMTomNov 20
@Techaltar it’s getting awful to use e-transport:/ I mean weather-vise. I still use my e-scooter, but at +1c - going over 25kmh is…. let’s just say I miss my last winter’s 6month adventure in southeast Asia. And will be switching to car-sharing more and more :/
Attention is a bitch, and random things happen - not everything is a teachable moment;)
Show threadHomo ParticepsNov 20

@Techaltar
Sometimes unlikely things happen—worst-case or near worst-case scenarios. Its important to have multiple layers of safety. In this case, driving at appropriate speed was the final layer that ensured nothing happened.

Of course, it could have ended badly if it had been a child or an elderly person, but that scenario was very unlikely if you were paying proper attention. And in the end, we can never eliminate the possibility of accidents 100%. That’s just reality.