I almost t-boned a truck on my recumbent whilst riding out of the north end of the market this AM.
OK that is overstating just a bit, I had plenty of stopping time because I saw him darting between the cars, the parked cars.
You might say
Wait a minute. Did he say Truck, Darting, and Parked Cars in the same breath?
The answer is yes. I am low enough that the delivery driver didn’t see me as he exited the storefront and darted quickly across the street with his unloaded hand-truck.
Which I would have t-boned, if I wasn’t paying attention.
I am giggling about it now because I think I scared him. I recently had new brake pads installed and when I hit my rear brake it yelped and squealed loud…like a frightened dog. I think he got one of those pinched off, mini-squirts of adrenaline that could body-double as your morning coffee.
It is really loud too and I tested it at the very next intersection. I used it like a horn for a car whose driver was looking the other way…her head snapped around when I gave an extra squeeze on my dual purpose horn-brake.
That really tickles me.
blief 
Being quick on the reflexes is something for which your Grandpa Z has always been proud; I’m glad (for your safety!) that you have that talent as well.
But the “yelping” brake is something else! Now your same Grandpa, who is a graduate Mechanical Engineer and confessed “fix-it” freak, would have probably put some Silicone on the malignant pad to stop the noise upon its first occurrence, never realizing the ultimate value of such.
On the other hand, be thoughtful of the poor motorist who may have hurried from their place of work without stopping at the restroom on the way out, and is just desperate to get home where they will make a mad dash for their “home facility”. You could spoil their whole day —
To say nothing of their drivers’ seat.
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Sounds like it was a “near miss” day for the extended family. I was driving down the street in front of Maplewood Heights going about 15 mph in after-school traffic. A little family was walking down the street and their little 2-year old boy ran right out in front of my car and would have been killed if I hadn’t been paying attention and had wonderful brakes on my new car. Scared the tar out of me and probably took some time off my life span (take about a [bad] rush), but at least the child is alive to see another day. Whew!! TGIF.
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