new found respect for the road

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molzor
Posts: 113
Joined: 21 Dec 2014, 12:34pm

new found respect for the road

Post by molzor »

a few months back i got hit by a van whilst minding my own business cycling down the road. the driver decided to pull out and plough into me! it was the middle of the day but apparently he didnt see me.
suffering a broken wrist and a little bang to the head. luckily i got off light.

ive always been very confident in riding everywhere, london, france wherever. a no hemlet fool.
so following the accident i had a severe blow to my road confidence and bought a tonne of new highvis/hemlet/gear.

anyway i decided yesterday it was time to give it a go again. and dressed in my luminous clothing, youll never guess what happened...i had a car fly past me and clip me with its wing mirror, knocking me down again! i managed to protect my fragile wrist and land on my elbow/hip instead. only getting a few scrapes.

I love riding my bike more than anything but im starting to wonder if the roads are truly just really unsafe.

im sure most of you are very careful on the roads but i thought id share this for anyone who was like me, or the whole of amsterdam, and thinks its a good idea to go riding without a helmet.

it appears there are a number of truly useless drivers out there!

KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED
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gaz
Posts: 14649
Joined: 9 Mar 2007, 12:09pm
Location: Kent

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by gaz »

As the snow flies.....



Sorry to hear of your incident, hope you make a swift recovery and summon up the courage to venture out again soon.
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
molzor
Posts: 113
Joined: 21 Dec 2014, 12:34pm

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by molzor »

ill be back soon dont you worry! im using the time to plan a big tour for summer.
HebdenBiker
Posts: 71
Joined: 9 Sep 2011, 10:33pm

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by HebdenBiker »

Hi, you've been very unlucky. Best wishes for a swift recovery.

With respect, the moral of your story seems not to be "wear hi-viz and a helmet"; rather "it doesn't matter whether you wear hi-viz and a helmet; if the moron in the metal box hasn't seen you, you'll still be kissing tarmac".
maxcherry
Posts: 664
Joined: 22 Mar 2011, 5:53pm

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by maxcherry »

Are you sure your OH hasn't attached a ACME magnet to your bike :shock:

Take your time recovering, so the universe can tally up how much luck it owes you.
Honestly chaps, I'm a female!
Valbrona
Posts: 2696
Joined: 7 Feb 2011, 4:49pm

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by Valbrona »

If this driver knew that he/she had been in collision with you they were committing a criminal offence by not stopping. If they didn't realize they hit you at the moment the collision occurred, they would have quite probably worked out what had happened when they got home and found their wing mirror was missing.

Had your injuries have been more substantial or had your bike been mashed up there perhaps would have been more of a case for picking up the wing mirror and reporting this hit and run to the police. It is exactly scenarios like these in which people have lost their lives.

If witnessed by other people, sometimes they drive home, have a think about such things and then report such incidents to the police.
I should coco.
PRL
Posts: 607
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 9:14pm
Location: Richmond upon Thames

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by PRL »

Had much the same experience in December. I saw the car at the junction and pulled out to make myself more visible but he pulled out anyway. As I was already well out into the road I steered right and nearly avoided collision with just a push on my left shoulder that sent me sprawling across the road ; amazingly with no significant injury. Had something been coming the other way ....
A following car brought back the culprit who "didn't realise he had hit me !" . I didn't think that the police would be interested in the absence of damage or injury.
I wonder if being clipped in, and so attached to the bike, kept me safer than flying loose ?
Moral - take all reasonable care but if people in heavy metal boxes are being careless expect to get hurt. :cry:
molzor
Posts: 113
Joined: 21 Dec 2014, 12:34pm

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by molzor »

Hi, you've been very unlucky. Best wishes for a swift recovery.

With respect, the moral of your story seems not to be "wear hi-viz and a helmet"; rather "it doesn't matter whether you wear hi-viz and a helmet; if the moron in the metal box hasn't seen you, you'll still be kissing tarmac".


i think the moral of my story is maybe wear helmets/highvis but dont assume it makes you completely safe haha. the driver yesterday saw me enough to drive around the side, but clearly didnt have ability to judge the width of their car!
Valbrona
Posts: 2696
Joined: 7 Feb 2011, 4:49pm

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by Valbrona »

If that were me then, and I thought the driver knew full well that he/she had knocked me off my bike, I might have collected up that wing mirror and contacted the police.
I should coco.
Steady rider
Posts: 2749
Joined: 4 Jan 2009, 4:31pm

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by Steady rider »

A 1m or 1.5 passing clearance may have saved you from one accident, wearing high vis may also help. Requiring drivers not to park within 10m of a junction may have helped the driver to see you. Helmets will tend to increase your overall risk but may provide some protection.
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mjr
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Re: new found respect for the road

Post by mjr »

molzor wrote:im sure most of you are very careful on the roads but i thought id share this for anyone who was like me, or the whole of amsterdam, and thinks its a good idea to go riding without a helmet.

it appears there are a number of truly useless drivers out there!

KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED

It IS a good idea to go riding without a helmet. They're a pain in the neck (literally for me) and a nuisance to carry around safely. Some say they encourage the wearer to take more risks (it did for me) and drivers to think you're the sort of experienced road warrior who can cope with close passing. (Even if I am, ready to use emergency turns and stunts like that, I don't want drivers to know! ;-) )

I do have a handlebar camera, though. Have you considered that? It might help get the number plates of some of these drivers you've met who need to be removed from the roads - understandably, you've got other concerns during the incident besides taking their number!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
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gaz
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Location: Kent

Re: new found respect for the road

Post by gaz »


Somehow I knew where this thread would end up :wink: .
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
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