Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.

After learning to ride, have you been in a collision while cycling? (choose 1st one that applies)

Poll ended at 12 Nov 2014, 9:17am

Yes, shared fault with motorist
1
1%
Yes, came off, motorist fault
51
58%
Yes, came off, other road user fault
6
7%
Yes, came off, my fault
7
8%
Yes, but I didn't come off the bike
8
9%
No, no collision as far as I can recall
11
13%
Other / it's complicated (explain below...)
4
5%
 
Total votes: 88

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mjr
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Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by mjr »

If you've had multiple collisions, please pick the highest option which applies to you.

This is another one of my occasional attempts to get a bit of confirmation/refutation of idle chatter. This time, it's a claim that any enthusiast cycling regularly for more than a few years will have been knocked off by a motor vehicle. I'm aware of general population statistics on cycling (which makes it look pretty safe, although there's room for improvement) but I'm wondering how it looks to this forum's participants. Poll is open for 30 days and hopefully I've not screwed anything up this time, but feel free to call me rude names below :twisted:

Thank you!
Last edited by mjr on 13 Oct 2014, 4:14pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Psamathe
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by Psamathe »

There is being "knocked-off" by a collision. There is also being "knock-off" by being forced into the kerb/verge/lose gravel by a vehicle that drives-on (not slowing, not pulling over properly, etc.). No contact but still you are on the ground thanks to the vehicle.

Maybe another option(s) where "came off due to vehicle but no contact" (or expressed a bit better. If such options are relevant to your survey.

Ian
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by beardy »

I wonder if collision with other cyclists is a far more frequent occurrence?

That is the only thing that has bought me off, both of us thought it was our own fault which was rather handy in not leaving us feeling bitter towards the other. As it was a low speed cycle collision there was only scuffs and a few drips of blood.
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mjr
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by mjr »

Psamathe wrote:Maybe another option(s) where "came off due to vehicle but no contact" (or expressed a bit better. If such options are relevant to your survey.

I think that sort of "no contact but came off" isn't so relevant to the headline question, or my secondary interest in bike-with-non-motorist collisions, so would be best under "Other / it's complicated" if that's OK and no option higher on my list applies. Thanks for the reminder, though.
Last edited by mjr on 13 Oct 2014, 10:41am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by mjr »

beardy wrote:That is the only thing that has bought me off, both of us thought it was our own fault which was rather handy in not leaving us feeling bitter towards the other.

I'd like that sort of thing as "Yes, came off, other road user fault" please. Thanks.
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NUKe
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by NUKe »

Over 40 odd years I could probably answer all of the above. Worst accident I have had though was from a wheel touch whilst cycling in a group, end up in hospital having 2 of my fingers pinned back on. Fortunately all incindents with cars I have managed to either not come off or land well, and walk away .


.
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ANTONISH
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by ANTONISH »

I've only once been knocked off and that was when I was "track standing " while pedestrians were walking over a zebra crossing. My rear wheel was hit by a motorbike. The motorbike was sliding along the ground - the rider having lost control after braking at the last minute. Apparently he hadn't noticed me or the pedestrians in time :?
I wasn't hurt and my bike was undamaged.
I've had a few falls in group riding though :(
beardy
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by beardy »

mjr wrote:
beardy wrote:That is the only thing that has bought me off, both of us thought it was our own fault which was rather handy in not leaving us feeling bitter towards the other.

I'd like that sort of thing as "Yes, came off, other road user fault" please. Thanks.


You can not let me off the hook that easily, we both felt it was our own fault rather than the other person's fault. However I think it was possibly not significant enough an accident to be in with the others, it was more of a "cleat moment" type severity.
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by Vorpal »

When I was about 10 or 11 years old, I hit a parked car whilst cycling with a friend. That's the only collision I can recall ever having with a motor vehicle. I have never come off as the result of a collision. I did have an off when I was a teenager when the driver of a motor vehicle forced me off the road. I did not have any physical contact with the vehicle, but it was my belief that the driver deliberately forced me off the road, or at the least meant to intimidate me.

I have had several *very* near misses, and have been forced off the road by a motor vehicle twice (including the incident noted above). Those have all been the fault of the motor vehicle driver, although in a couple of cases, I probably could have prevented them or at least made them less likely, through my own actions.
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mjr
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by mjr »

beardy wrote:You can not let me off the hook that easily, we both felt it was our own fault rather than the other person's fault. However I think it was possibly not significant enough an accident to be in with the others, it was more of a "cleat moment" type severity.

Well, I've goofed and put no "yes, came off, fault shared with other non-motorised user" option. It doesn't matter too much for my purposes, I think.

On the severity, that's your call and I'm happy with whatever you decide. Thanks for giving it some thought.
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AlaninWales
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by AlaninWales »

Head on collision with a car turning right through me. According to the lorry driver following me, I was doing about 30mph at the time. Hit and run, fortunately into a cul de sac, which the lorry driver blocked with his trailer. Driver still made off before police arrived, but details had been taken.
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by andrewk »

Having to pick only one is a problem...
I've been knocked off with it being: my fault, motorist's fault, dog's fault, pedestrian's fault....fortuneately nothing more serious than some scrapes and bruises, bike usually needed replacement parts though.
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by 661-Pete »

I wasn't sure how to pick one only, either, so I selected my most recent incident, which was knocked off, motorist's fault (which seems to have the most votes anyway). I wonder if there ought to be an option 'deliberately pushed off by car passenger' or something similar? That happened to me once (many years ago), I wasn't badly hurt luckily but I didn't get the offender's details. :evil: I know that other cyclists have experienced that level of nastiness too.
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by mjr »

661-Pete wrote:I wasn't sure how to pick one only, either, so I selected my most recent incident, [...]

Please pick the first-listed option which applies to any of your incidents. That's what I was trying to express in the first paragraph. Sorry it wasn't clear. I've edited the question because that appears before the explanation.

So as it happens, 661-Pete gave the intended answer anyway, while andrewk should pick one of the first two, depending on whether any of his collection has been both his and a motorist's fault.

Pushed off by car passenger would probably be "other road user fault" wouldn't it? Just in case any other forum participants have suffered that one :-( but none of those listed before :-)
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Re: Have you been knocked OFF in a collision while cycling?

Post by RickH »

I've put came off motorist's fault as that is the highest on the list but that incident was between 1975 & 1977 as it happened when I was cycling to school. I was also run into from behind in that time frame when I stopped at a red light but the car following didn't in time & reshaped my back wheel.

The most recent incident was in the early 90s when a large dog ran out into my path when I was cycling home in the dark & caused me to come off. Would that be an "other road user" incident?

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