Wrong Way Looking: Remedial Driver’s Ed

So, let me ask you a question. Is it just me, or have you also noticed that many drivers pulling up to an intersection tend to look to their right, and then back to their left after they start to move into the intersection?

I can’t find any definitive statistics about whether the driver’s side gets hit more often in side-impact collisions than the passenger’s side, but based on my observations, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn it’s the former…simply because drivers are engaged in that peculiar behavior.

It’s not an academic question from my perspective. It’s not unusual for us to spot this kind of strange driver behavior when we’re out on our bicycle, and trust me when I say that inattentive drivers are a cyclist’s biggest nightmare. I can’t count the number of times we’ve had cars pull in front of us (or begin to do so) and then spot us at the last second, simply because they looked right and then looked left only after starting to move into the intersection. (To be clear, in all of these instances, we’ve had the right of way.) Cyclists are always advised to try to make eye contact with drivers to increase awareness, but it’s hard to make eye contact when they don’t look at you until it’s too late.

My firm recollection from driver’s ed was the admonition to “look left, look right, then look left again.” That was good advice back when we were riding mastodons, and it’s still good practice. I’m dismayed that more drivers don’t seem to be aware of it.