Good thread to place my experience from yesterday afternoon, especially considering all the talk about front/rear breaks.
I was coming down main street at speed limit, looking to turn left at the next set of lights. There were cars stopped to my right because of a red light, but because I was going past them with the intention of turning right and not going straight, I kept my speed at the limit and made my way to the lights.
However, one of the stopped cars waved a car through from the right, that intended to make a left turn onto the street at proceed North (I was heading south).
He couldn't see me because of the cars blocking his view and the same goes for me. I saw him at the last second as his car pulled in front of me. I literally had milliseconds to respond and instinctively grabbed the front break too hard, causing the forward motion and the sudden stop to kick me right over the handle-bars where I fell right in front of the car with the bike on top of me.
I've gone over the situation in my head countless times and the only way to avoid a similar situation in the future is to ride more defensively. Knowing that stopped cars may wave a driver through who cannot see anything until it is too late, I can slow my speed next time and do what I can to ensure that the coast is clear before proceeding to the light to make my turn.
I hope this was explained well enough. The driver was charged in the incident and I was hauled to the hospital. Originally, the EMS feared a broken hip, but X-rays showed nothing but some pretty bad bruising. I'm limping but I'm alive and I'm thankful for it.
Any insight as to what can be done in the future to avoid this would be greatly appreciated.
