I read an article in the Business Section of The Los Angles Times of how a man ditched his car for a bicycle to combat paying high fuel prices. The man griped about the dangers of riding a bicycle on the busy streets of Los Angeles. He’s noticed how drivers don’t pay attention to anyone else but other drivers, or their cell phones, or applying make-up, or eating breakfast, etc.I read an article in the Business Section of The Los Angles Times of how a man traded his four-wheeled vehicle for a two-wheeled bicycle to combat paying high fuel prices. The man griped about the dangers of riding a bicycle on the busy streets of Los Angeles. He’s noticed how drivers don’t pay attention to anyone else but other drivers, or their cell phones, or applying make-up, or eating breakfast, etc.

The man’s testimony immediately made me think of a specific incident where I was commuting to work on my XLC 1200 Sportster Custom and the traffic was pretty thick. In California, splitting lanes is legal and saves time, but you need to do so with extreme caution!

While splitting lanes between two cars, I noticed a very large minivan directly next to me, veering in my direction as if he didn’t see me. I had to brake and then swerve behind the other car that was directly next to me just a split second before. The man came to his senses and swerved back into his lane but he came within inches of hitting both me and the other car. If I were in between, I’d have ended up the filling in a car sandwich. Luckily, I was paying attention. I sped up next to the violator and noticed he was reading a book. I stared at him in disbelief until he noticed me. He put the book down but this idiot was completely oblivious to his surroundings. I was shocked, angry, upset, and confused. I had to pull off the road. I could have been killed.

Let us know your thoughts or share with us a similar story of how you’ve encountered a near death experience on your bike.