Got hit on the commute, driver drove off but then got stuck

[sore thumb]

The next bit is dramatised, presumably unintentionally, by speeding up the action to reduce time taken by the bit in between, but it does tend to heighten the drama.

It does however explain the greatest irony of the whole affair: despite his anxiety to get moving, the driver was unable to stay ahead of the bicycle anyway. What a wasted risk.

Just as an addition to this, I am becoming more and more obsessed with the well-proven theory that the human eye does not see an entire panorama but intelligently fills in the gaps. If this is the case, the driver or his passenger may well have "seen" a continuation of the field and fence in the place of a cyclist. I don't think this need to look is properly explained to new drivers and was certainly new to me when raised on the forum (sorry, cannot find the link).

You are quite correct that we do not see everything and our brain fills in the gaps.

However the eye is drawn to movement in the peripheral vision. This is why I use a exposure joystick on flash on my helmet.
If I am not moving that fast the driver might not register me, but what they do see is this powerful flashing white light. This flash will make the driver focus in on this stimulus of light in his peripheral vision. This is why emergency vehicles have flashing lights.

So the driver should see the flashing light and then me as a cyclist. However it looks like this did not happen in this case.

[Mr. Viking]

Just as an addition to this, I am becoming more and more obsessed with the well-proven theory that the human eye does not see an entire panorama but intelligently fills in the gaps.

This is entirely true. We learnt about it in GCSE biology. The "blind spots" you are supposed to worry about when learning to drive aren't just because of the shape of the windows and mirrors, there are certain angles to your eye that objects can hide in and not be seen. However, moving your head and eyes about can fix this. Sadly, though, a number of road users (myself included at times) will take one gaze in each direction then go, rather than have a good look

[sore thumb]

I've watched the footage a few times and every time I'm amazed there wasn't a much more serious collision. The space at the nearside of the car during and immediately after that right turn manoeuvre appears so narrow that there seems to be no way for the bike to remain upright. A very narrow escape,and not thanks to any skill on the part of the driver.

This doesn't excuse the driving at all, but I'm surprised that people think that the driver saw the cyclist. If he did see the cyclist, he must have been relaxed with the idea of killing somebody, because he did nothing to prevent that happening.

It looks to me like a place where drivers waiting to emerge feel they have to take the slightest opportunity to do so. The video at that stage isn't clear enough to see the occupants of the car just before it emerged but I suspect the passenger was looking to the left for a gap in the traffic and the driver was looking to the right. I think the driver has decided he had just enough time to beat the lorry approaching from his right and a misguided "clear" from the passenger (or possibly poor observation on his own part) has had him moving straight out into a non-existent gap in the traffic. If he had been driving out in spite of the approach of the cyclist, surely he would have left more room, and then when he realised that the lorry was coming he'd have pulled across to his nearside. The right turn was just one continuous curve.

The next bit is dramatised, presumably unintentionally, by speeding up the action to reduce time taken by the bit in between, but it does tend to heighten the drama.

I did not intend to dramatise the footage. I felt that there was a need for continuity from the incident to when I caught up with him later. I did not want to cut out any of the footage in between. However it did take me quite a while to catch him up. I did not think that someone would be prepared to watch all of this footage of me trying to catch him up. So I just speeded the footage up in between (I can't really go that fast).

You can see that the pas anger noticed me clearly after he hit me. But they still decided to drive off.

I did know there would be traffic ahead and had a good chance of catching him.

[thirdcrank]

.... I did not intend to dramatise the footage. I felt that there was a need for continuity from the incident to when I caught up with him later. I did not want to cut out any of the footage in between. However it did take me quite a while to catch him up. I did not think that someone would be prepared to watch all of this footage of me trying to catch him up. So I just speeded the footage up in between (I can't really go that fast).

You can see that the pas anger noticed me clearly after he hit me. But they still decided to drive off.

I did know there would be traffic ahead and had a good chance of catching him.

When I said "presumably unintentionally" I meant it. Another poster commented on the subsequent confrontation. What I was trying to convey is that when watching your footage, the speeding up - and I'll repeat unintentionally gives it all the air of a police pursuit. For my own part, I was telling myself that it's just the effect of the editing, but there's still a bit of the subconscious playing the William Tell Overture. So, I wasn't having a go at the editing, just trying to alert others not to repeat my subconscious error.

FWIW, I don't think much is gained by trying to point out to people what's happened, especially if you think they already know. Some people will be truly sorry anyway without having it rubbed in, but at the other end of the scale, the type of person who isn't sorry is more likely to be even more antagonistic if their driving is criticised, even in the most polite manner. (This is why I've rarely stopped somebody to warn them about their driving: even when stopped by the police many drivers are ready for an argument. I'd say that if something is worth enforcement, that's what's needed, and if it isn't then "advice" is risks ratcheting things up. You are then in a position where they go away feeling vindicated or it's a report for little more than failing an attitude test.)

Whatever, I'm glad that you emerged from this relatively unscathed, although I suspect that this will leave you with worries about what other drivers are going to do for quite a while. I was knocked off in a SMIDSY where the actual impact was slight and it was a long time before I regained my confidence approaching junctions.

[Deako]

This is entirely true. We learnt about it in GCSE biology. The "blind spots" you are supposed to worry about when learning to drive aren't just because of the shape of the windows and mirrors, there are certain angles to your eye that objects can hide in and not be seen. However, moving your head and eyes about can fix this. Sadly, though, a number of road users (myself included at times) will take one gaze in each direction then go, rather than have a good look

It goes much further than that. When you're concentrating on another task you can fail to see what is right in front of you.
This has been posted here before, but is enlightening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

Greg

[Revolution]

I would say without doubt that the driver was aware of you as he pulled out. The passenger is clearly looking your way all the time. I should imagine it unlikely that as a passenger in a car you wouldn't mention to the driver that he was about to collide with a bike. My guess, backed up with 30+ years cycle commuting experience is that he assumed that you would avoid him - very bloody minded but we all must have experienced extremely horrible car drivers at one time or another. The reason I am writing this comment is to say well done for being so calm when you confronted him. Sometimes, with adrenaline pumping after an encounter with a reckless car driver, I have been less diplomatic - and always regretted it. I do take the point mentioned earlier in this thread

FWIW, I don't think much is gained by trying to point out to people what's happened

...... Reproaching drivers for their bad driving is rarely beneficial; in my experience men in particular consider it tantamount to suggesting they have a small willy - unlikely to agree with you and quite likely to get aggressive. The main thing I take away from this post is that as the incident was captured on a helmet camera the police will have to take action if you take it to them. It may have also subdued the driver somewhat when he realised he'd been filmed and he may think twice about treating cyclists with such contempt in the future.

[nez]

You don't think you could have been further into the carriageway approaching a right turn/road emerging? Obviously mr Citroen misjudged it, then finding a truck bearing down on him squeezed you. If you had been a bit further out it may have discouraged this. Vehicles approaching from behind you would also have ideally been cautious about overtaking you in the mouth of a junction. Of course 'may have discouraged' isn't a certainty... But every little bit helps. I might be covering the brake anyway, even with a car on the far side of the road. Perhaps you were.

Experienced London cabbies and bus drivers specialise in squeezing up the space a bit to discourage those sort of emerging manoeuvres. It's a sort of low level defensive driving. May even be unconscious in them.

I wouldn't have followed him up to discuss it.

[meic]

I thought that he got the balance between assertiveness and self preservation perfectly right.

[TonyR]

Look on the bright side - his passenger was wearing hi-viz

[thirdcrank]

... The main thing I take away from this post is that as the incident was captured on a helmet camera the police will have to take action if you take it to them. ...

Based on the reported experiences of others who have been fobbed off at the initial report stage, I don't think that that is necessarily so. There are also some legal twiddly bits.

A prosecution for careless driving needs a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within 14 days

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/53/section/1

If I've understood this correctly, it's now some three months since the incident occurred. There is an exception to the NIP requirement if there was an accident:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/53/section/2

The issue then arises as to whether there was an "accident," within the meaning of the legislation. Because it's a get-out-of-gaol-free-card, there's a lot of case law as to what constitutes an accident in this context. I can't see anybody testing the legal precedents over something like this after several months.

While I'm on about accidents, whatever the driver's moral responsibilities here, since it seems there was neither injury nor damage, the driver was under no legal requirement to stop etc.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/170

[nez]

I thought that he got the balance between assertiveness and self preservation perfectly right.

You may be right. It's hard to tell from video. They're just things to consider.

[RedfishUK]

Just had a look at the video and as I see it. He almost certainly saw you, but figured he only had a small window to get out before the truck on the other side stopped him.
He calculated that you would give way. Many drivers joke that they give way because the other vehicle is bigger than them, and unfortunatley they assume you will do the same. For a while we hade two cars, a large Mercedes 4x4 and a small Audi A2, you would be surprised at the number of drivers prepared tp pull out infront of the Audi but not the 4x4.

You did reamin very calm and civilised when you caught up with him, not sure I would have been so polite...

[TonyR]

For a while we hade two cars, a large Mercedes 4x4 and a small Audi A2, you would be surprised at the number of drivers prepared tp pull out infront of the Audi but not the 4x4.

I've had the opposite experience. The number of small cars that took chances with the Discovery we used to own was amazing. We peeled a few off the sides of it over the years with the satisfaction of seeing self inflicted serious damage often to their cars with nary a scratch on the Disco.