You may remember the President's Column by Rob Wilt a couple of issues ago entitled "The Sense of a Goose" that made a number of very good points about how we can learn from the ways of our feathered friends. As they do, we draft to reduce the load and allow for longer, more enjoyable bike rides. As we should, they never abandon a fellow goose that has problems and cannot stay with the formation.
But there are some things that birds do that we should not emulate, but frequently do. On occasion I have witnessed flocks of birds that will swoop low across a highway, each bird blindly following the one before it, oblivious to any approaching danger. Not infrequently, the last bird in such a formation will wind up firmly implanted in the grill of a motor vehicle. If you have ever watched a pack of bicyclists at an intersection, you will be familiar with this behavior pattern. Even when "Car Left" has been called, riders will continue to stream into the intersection, sometimes to the point of making the motor vehicle driver slam on the brakes.
There are two things we can do to break this behavior pattern.
1. When you are the first to the intersection and there is oncoming traffic, even if there is time for one or two cyclists to get across, WAIT until there is room for everyone to cross.
2. When you are crossing a traffic lane, remember that you are responsible for your own safety. If five or six riders have already crossed, don't assume that you can also without looking.
Another thing to remember: When there is oncoming traffic, always assume the rider in front of you will stop, even though you may believe there is room to get through. Though less deadly than the car, the biggest crash risk in this situation is running into another rider–too often you will be concentrating on the motor vehicle traffic and fail to see what your fellow riders are doing.