Transports of Delight

I had a narrow escape today. Returning home from what proved to be an eventful 31 mile ride to Lockerbie I was almost side swiped by a lady driver at a crossroads close to home. As I approached the crossroads I was debating whether to take the easier and quicker road home by going straight on or to turn right and climb for a mile or so around the back of Chapelcross power station. I took the more demanding option. The crossing is slightly staggered from left to right and visibility is excellent especially for someone approaching from the left.

About 40 metres from where I was to turn right I observed a silver grey Vauxhall Corsa coming from the road on my left. Other than that one car the other three roads forming the crossing were devoid of traffic. I pulled to the centre of the road and stuck out my right arm indicating that I intended to turn right. Before I had reached the point where I could turn, my peripheral vision saw a car coming directly towards me from my left. I grabbed for the handlebars with both hands and turned violently to the right whilst braking as hard as I could. The rear end of the trike skidded to the left about half a metre or so. The Corsa and I ended up within 100mm of, and parallel to, each other, facing up the wrong side of the road that I had proposed taking.

It had been a very close call and I was quite shaken up. The horrified looking lady apologised and said that she hadn't seen me. Visibility, as I have said, was excellent, I was flying my flag, wearing a fluorescent jacket and giving a hand signal. Had I taken the quicker route home, and therefore been closer to the left hand side , she would have hit me broadside on.

Was this near miss due to the tricycle's configuration (though sideways-on the machine and I form a substantial profile) or to a lapse of concentration on behalf of the motorist. It was the first time that any other vehicle has given me cause for concern or threatened my 'comfort zone' in any way. Past experience of this particular crossroads would indicate that accidents are not unknown here though it is difficult to see why.

My instinct tells me that the low slung nature of the tricycle did not contribute to the incident. I might have been less positive had been I narrowly missed by a vehicle approaching from either the front or back but not from the side. This experience leads me to believe that in an emergency, as at most other times, three wheels are better to two.