Driving the Right Hook

Two days ago a friend whom Smiley knows as Dancing Nathen wrote about being hit by a car while biking. Everyone and both vehicles are okay.

I confess that I have a bad reason for being a wary driver who avoids the Right Hook.

Once, when living in a city with very few bicycle lanes, I was taught to hug the right curb when making a right turn so that no kids on bicycles could scoot in beside me while I was stopped and hide in the vehicle's blind spot. For years I drove that way.

In Eugene, with its many bicycle lanes, I of course cannot do that. But I still think about it, which has the beneficial side effect of keeping me alert about my right side when at a stoplight.