So I had a close miss last night with a cyclist

Dark large industrial estate roundabout where the speed limit is 40mpg on dual carriageways, I was driving, looking to my right at the car approaching the roundabout, I decided I had enough space to go (straight over the roundabout).

I didn’t see him at all- my partner did (sat in the back) and said ‘the cyclist’!- in one split second I turned the wheel to aim me over to the immediate left exit- it was VERY VERY close. Cyclist swore etc- I pulled in half a mile up the road and jumped out/waited for him and thoroughly apologised to him. Without the extra-wheel input he’d have been in my front wing (or infront of my offside headlight).

The SCARY thing is- he himself said ‘he had loads of lights etc etc’ and I just didn’t see him. Shook me quite abit as I have upto date prescription glasses, I was well hydrated, alert and not tired.

If I had hit him, in the very least he’d have had life-changing injuries but to be honest I think it’d been terminal. Only two weeks earlier a cyclist was rear-ended mid-roundabout there. 🙁

If you are on here fella, please buy a lottery ticket.

Probably concentrating too much on the car

Not every accident is caused by someone looking at their phone, or not paying attention, or too old to be fully in control – sometimes, sh*t just happens. Glad this one had a happy ending.

Probably concentrating too much on the car

Yep

Take it as a lesson learnt.
We all occasionally make mistakes, luckily this time with no consequences.
At least you apologised, most people don’t.

I applaud you Mark for stopping and apologising to him.

Well I didn’t want to just drive off. I thought I owed him an apology for that. If it was a lesser potential incident I think I’d have hit the hazzards and raised my hand.

sometimes, sh*t just happens

No – his fault:

not paying attention,

When I read the title, and the op, I thought this thread was going to be about dogging. 😯

Just learn from it or let your partner drive seeing as they noticed

Possibly in your A pillar blind spot? People forget there’s a huge great blockage there, stops you from seeing stuff if you are at the right trajectory/speed etc.

maybe sit your partner on the roof where she will have better visibility.

Good point, its a Citroen Picasso.

maybe sit your partner on the roof where she will have better visibility.

Shes wife number 1 so gets to sit in the back, wife number 2 and 3 don’t leave the cellar 8)

Glad nobody got hurt. But have a look at this. It makes interesting reading. http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/%5B/url%5D

possibly scanned too quickly thinking you could get across before the car & missed the cyclist, always worth taking the extra time & obeying the look left look right look left again mantra

Well done for apologising OP, this is an absolutely classic example of poor driving though. Why are people so desperate to go straight over a roundabout rather than slow down and take it safely? To save a few seconds? I see it loads and loads; It’s what makes me really nervous about roundabouts (on my bike) to the extent I’ll make detours to avoid them if possible.

A good time to trawl out this link again, should be required reading for all motorists (& cyclists!) http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/%5B/url%5D
EDIT: Beaten to it!!

I totally agree– these roundabouts are very quick flowing, even whilst you are on the roundabout people will pull out on you at speed.

(Trafford Park at evening rush hour if anyone knows them). Towards the Eccles end its at best organised madness.

Glad nobody got hurt. But have a look at this. It makes interesting reading. http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/

this is an excellent article – it should be taught to all drivers

Well done for apologising OP, this is an absolutely classic example of poor driving though. Why are people so desperate to go straight over a roundabout rather than slow down and take it safely?

So the OP was going too fast? He doesn’t mention it in his post.

The first thing I thought of when I read the OP was that article linked above – almost a classic example of what it talks about – you didn’t fail to see the cyclist because he wasn’t lit up, or because you didn’t look, but most probably because of the WAY you looked.

A comprehension test on that article should be a mandatory pass/fail element of all driving tests imo.

And respect for stopping and apologising etc.

Someone will be along to point out there are no such things as accidents!

Glad everyone is ok and you had the stones to pull over and apologies and come on here to say you made a mistake. Whatever the cause mistakes and accidents do happen. It is not always because someone is driving like a c0ck.

So the cyclist was on the roundabout and you were approaching it?
And you didn’t see him?

This is why I avoid riding around big roundabouts at all costs, they are bloody lethal!

So the OP was going too fast? He doesn’t mention it in his post.

He didn’t make sure the roundabout was safe before entering it. Pretty sure that’s in the Highway Code somewhere. 🙄 so, yes, he was going too fast

This is why I avoid riding around big roundabouts at all costs, they are bloody lethal!

This one does have a cycle lane on the path round it and for a mile+ eitherside in all directions. This is in no way a defence for me- I should STILL have seen him regardless.

Possibly in your A pillar blind spot?

^^^ This, I reckon

Easily done by any driver. Would have been your fault without a doubt, but no one is perfect 100% of the time.

As a cycle commuter who somtimes has to drive to work I’m very aware that no matter how well lit I am if I’m in a blind spot at the moment the driver looks my way, or if my lights get lost in the car headlights behind me, I may still get hit.

Fair play apologising to the guy, and also for posting up on here. I daresay that those who feel that they are without sin will be along to throw stones shortly…..

He didn’t make sure the roundabout was safe before entering it. Pretty sure that’s in the Highway Code somewhere. so, yes, he was going too fast

Clearly he didn’t ensure the roundabout was safe before entering it but I think that it a different matter to his speed.

Hw could ensure its clear and enter at 40mph safely or could enter at 5mph and hit someone.

I wasn’t trying to be awkward but you seem to be taking it that way so I will make this my last response.

Easily done by any driver. Would have been your fault without a doubt, but no one is perfect 100% of the time.

This attitude is exactly why people walk away from court scot free after killing/maiming cyclists.

I wasn’t trying to be awkward but you seem to be taking it that way so I will make this my last response.

and I’m not trying to be awkward with you but you haven’t read the OP properly. He clearly states his priority was going over the roundabout without having to slow down. So he was going too fast to look properly (or at all).

This is why I avoid riding around big roundabouts at all costs, they are bloody lethal!

My default is to just ride on the inside of the roundabout rather than the outside. You get side swiped on the outside of roundabouts by drivers who haven’t seen you. You only get side swiped on the inside of roundabouts by drivers who haven’t seen the roundabout.

I shudder when I see those cycle-paths following the outside perimeter of the roundabout, neatly feeding you into pretty much all entrance and exit traffic.

Them Roundabouts on Trafford Park are fast flowing with them having good views either side.

Sounds like Mark just concentrated on the car, possibly looking too far to the right judging its speed, and the cyclist was just unseen or covered, as previously said, by the A pillar.

Good on him for holding his Hands up and waiting for the guy.

Very easy to do if you give way, but dont necessarily stop at a junction or more likely roundabout (usually easier to see around).
I reckon if roundabouts and junctions actually had STOP signs+markings rather than GIVEWAY and they were enforced, maybe a few of these accidents would be avoided.

+1 for having the nuts to apologize.

Had a close shave this morning, driving to work in the murky dawn light, come up behind what I thought was a single cyclist with a small rear light.

Just as we’re approaching a large puddle in the road another cyclist with no reflectives or lights who was riding directly in front of this guy suddenly appears and swings out 2/3rds of the way into the lane to avoid the puddle, didn’t look, didn’t indicate (not that I’d have seen it) it was only the glint of my headlights on the inner rim of his back wheel that allowed me to see him in time.

Proper heart in mouth moment, swerved and missed him by inches, if there’d been a ‘solid’ central island as there is for most of that road then it’d have been game over, I’d have never stopped in time in the wet.

Keep alert out there.

This is why I avoid riding around big roundabouts at all costs, they are bloody lethal!

Couldn’t agree more. I avoid them like the plague. There is one on my commute which is unavoidable. A busy motorway sliproad/duel carriageway/A road intersection. I pull up before it, get off my bike and use the pedestrian crossings to get past it. I wouldn’t even contemplate riding it, as its lane switching chaos. As are the ones on Trafford Park

Oh…. nearly forgot…..

There is a lot of badly designed roundabouts out there. The design of many roundabouts allows cars to go virtually straight through without reducing speed. The correct design should require a sharp enough turn to mean vehicles need to slow to an appropriate speed. This allows drivers more time to check for traffic and also means if it goes wrong speeds are slower and consequences less serious.

Cyclists account for 15% of roundabout accidents despite being less than 2% of the traffic.

Excellent article from the fighter pilot. Good call to stop and apologise. An ex advanced instructor here and though I have fortunately not had any close misses with fellow cyclists recently I have had a near miss with a Pedestrian. This time of year, dimsey light, rain etc and everyones going too fast!

When Im on a roundabouts whilst cycling, I always assume cars which are waiting to join the roundabout haven’t seen me and I expect them to pull out. Yes my right of way, but this reminds me of the phrase ‘dead right’.

I sympathise with the OP, sounded like a terrible accident was narrowly avoided.

Bit like this then at 1 minute 10 seconds in, he really didnt even slow down AND HE DIDNT STOP EITHER.

Well done for apologising,perhaps it will make you more careful now.Alwys slow for roundabouts.

Possibly in your A pillar blind spot

How? The A pillars are at 10 and 1 o’clock.

Whatever the cause mistakes and accidents do happen. It is not always because someone is driving like a c0ck.

If there had been a collision here, you are saying it would have been an accident, i.e. no one’s fault?

Zilog – I wasn’t suggesting those who cause accidents shouldn’t be punished. The fact is it only takes a moments inattention or distraction for a tragedy to happen, it could be any of us, which I would suggest is the point that hora might want us to take from his experience.

I spent several years in a previous career dealing with the unpleasant after effects of vehicle accidents, I don’t take the subject lightly.

However, anyone who thinks they are the perfect driver 100% of the time needs to be aware that the sun shining out your backside may well be dazzling the driver behind.

If there had been a collision here, you are saying it would have been an accident, i.e. no one’s fault?

FFS, not this again! The word “accident” does not mean, or imply, that no one was at fault, it means it was an unplanned, unintentional event. Look it up in a dictionary, look up the definition on the ROSPA website, or save yourself the bother and look it up on previous threads on here where it’s all been gone through in unnecessary levels of detail.