No error in reading the charts.
Actually quite healthy, no underlying conditions. Just have had some exciting moments. Eating right and daily actual work not only keep you healthy, when it hits the fan you might have the edge to survive and even heal faster.
The first time you think you are about to die time really does seem to slow down and your life flashes before your eyes. Second round time slows down, but you only get an update. Third go, time slows again, no update. By the fourth or fifth event you actually can take advantage of the extra time to prepare yourself.
Last time was recorded by a truck's dash camera. Police were surprised by how fast I reacted. To me it seemed like minutes.
Very few people take me for a tough guy. When the image is needed I just ask them "When was the last time you killed a guy?"
It isn't the movies version of reality, when injured recovery takes time. Posterior shoulder dislocations take two years, crushed foot as fast as six months, three months in bed a few years to get back in shape.
Done falls, flash flood, auto accidents, earthquakes, and a few more interesting events. Only fire was a small ground fire, easily put out.
Don't you ever do anything interesting?
Last major event was flying over the top of someone's hood on my helmet when someone turned left in front of me while I was on my bike doing about 30 going down hill. Made my back ache and cut my finger, that was the extent of the injuries but if you looked at my bike you would have thought it was much worse. Would have made a great TV stunt if it was on film and on purpose. I just wanted to survive. Two broken wheels, broken seat and a broken set of bars and destroyed derailer for the bike. The old man who hit me was the one going into shock, I had to calm him down and ask him to go into the store he was turning into and get me a bandage for my hand.
Lady said I was going too fast (on a bike in a 35 mph zone). Her insurance company was rather more willing to write me a check and put her at-fault. Fortunately, other than a slightly torn trapezoid, I was fine. It did subsidize a new bike for me, however.
Yesterday was a close call, and I'm sure that would have ended very, very badly for me. (Lady blindly gabbing on her phone turned right in front of me: I had to split the two lanes since there were cars passing me on the left)
I'm still mad about the last one.
City buses, too. And we have bike paths on most major streets.
But, on the out of the city limits country roads, it's every man for himself.
It's unusual for drivers NOT to be looking at their phones here.
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Had virtually the same experience on a Honda 125 motorcycle going closer to 40. Didn't have a chance to touch the brakes.
Was a 16 year old girl who had taken her mother's car (big Pontiac station wagon) and went on a joy ride with her sister and some friends.
I went about 15 feet in the air up over the car. When I hit the pavement rolling, I remember thing to put my arms out to stop, but I had so much momentum going, my arms would just get slammed on the pavement.
Made it without any broken bones. But was on crutches for a week. The left side of my left foot really got whacked by something. Could have been the hood of the car, I don't know. I had a patch on my left hip that was like hamburger from a crushing type wound to maybe it was when I hit the pavement.
I can still remember the girls in the car shrieking bloody murder for about five minutes afterward. Hope they needed to change their panties after that.
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That was a couple months back. Three cars in front of me hit the same bicyclist. I stopped and called the emergency services. Guy lived.
He was dressed all in black just at dawn. No lights. Was wearing a helmet.
Safety gear is probably why I am still here.
Now two wheel vehicles have two issues. Harder to see and many riders weave through traffic. Had one pass me on the left and then turned right in front of me. Actually has happened twice. Both times I managed to miss them. One thought he had the right of way!
Myself, only driven off the road once. Only broke one finger.
This town being a triple river valley is not real good for flat straight roads. But there now are lots of bicycle lanes.
For those in the know about Pittsburgh, I have bicycled up Negley hill several times.
I for one always wear bright bike clothes except for my shorts or leggings when it is cold and have a bright lime green helmet. At night I have a reflective vest like a road worker would wear, bright orange or lime green. I have a rear flashing red light and both a bar mounted and helmet mounted white light, 15 watt spots that can easily light someone up at a good distance at least 1/8 mile. I see people wearing all black like Ed just noted and think they must be crazy myself, why would you do that on a bike at night? Many have no lights, not even a reflector and are riding on the wrong side of the road, I assume they are stupid or suicidal.
Think that towards the end of life, they also get noisy (recall a paper indicating noise level is a means of detecting degradation of performance). Just mention this in the case that the LED is a component of a current source, rather than a visual indicator (and, as I recall the blowtorch avoids LED indicators).
recent image (hopefully, not highjacking this thread . . .)
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In a company I worked for years ago, we used to make industrial annunciators and used at the the time HP LED's (bar type). Since the earlier versions used incandescent lamps that we would run at about 1/3rd (IIRC) of their rating to get long life, we were naturally keen to understand the full potential of the LED solution. HP told us '100 years to half brightness'
I'm talking late seventies here BTW.
I'm talking late seventies here BTW.
In London they've had to enforce new bylaws on trucks to cover the wheel arches. 7 or 8 people killed in 6 months. Seems cyclists on the kerb side of truck drivers end up under the wheels as the truck turns left. A lot of trucks (vans) have signs on the back saying 'if you can't see the driver in his rear view mirror, he can't see you'
I did 3 months in London 2012, I think some of them got killed in the wider London area in that time frame, it seamed like every day there was an incident, mainly trucks turning left and cyclist going up the inside. had one go through a red light onto the main road, then he hit my car because I nearly hit him the other week, we discussed the highway code
Cycling in London has become a battle ground. As someone who has cycled to work all their career I despair at the weaving, red light shooting, track standing organ donors that you see. That's not to say that there are not a few truck drivers to blame (at least one has killed 2 cylists in the last 2 years).
Glad my current commute is on backlanes.
Glad my current commute is on backlanes.
I don't know how people dare cycle these days, its bad enough in a car with all the crazy people on the roads, to much traffic and to many people in a rush to get to work... me I never rush going to work
Then there the obligatory skin tight Lycra for the 40+ male cyclist, I would not look good....
Then there the obligatory skin tight Lycra for the 40+ male cyclist, I would not look good....
Trailers and long-wheelbase vehicles need to position to the left to maneuver a right turn. Some "slow learners" take that to mean they're being given more room curbside. It's never a good idea to pass on the right, especially at intersections.
edit: This is USA-centric. Reverse L/R as needed.
edit: This is USA-centric. Reverse L/R as needed.
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