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Never been knocked off but plenty of close shaves. 2 things to think about come to mind reading all this stuff.
1. Often its an accident. So ride defensively, assertively, make no assumptions whatsoever about what a driver might do next, be very observant and assume the worst and get ready to act on it. As my mum was taught when she learnt to drive in the 50s. Assume everyone else on the road is an idiot and drive accordingly.
2. Some people will attack you/go at you directly. Stay out of their way. Don't get angry or provoke them. Yes they may be in the wrong but they clearly have issues and as you're on a bike, you're vulnerable and unlikely to come off well in a fight with a chunk of metal driven by a psycho!
I'd rather be alive and fully able than 'in the right' and in a wheelchair
A car reveresed around a corner and knocked me off 7 or 8 years ago, he then drove off and parked his car up, totally unaware of what he had done, or so he said.
I got up legged it down the road to where he had stopped only about 30m or so and had a chat with him.
Since then i've hated riding on roads, and any ride that envolves going on a road, so cycling has been less appealing for me since then.
only been clipped by a car once, but not enough to knock me off
but I've been knocked off by a scooter and a pedestrian
and I've glanced 3 other pedestrians
few near misses with vehicles, but nothing that would have resulted in serious injury
.
I count myself lucky that I commute in one of the most conjested parts of the country where cars don't really get above 20mph - it means you can anticipate most idiotic manouevres (sp)
.
friend of mine moved to London and after lots of coaxing him and telling him that he would be ok on a bike, first day out he gets taken out by a taxi and breaks his arm
Yep 2 years ago,was going downhill came round corner car coming other way and BANG ambulance back and a week n half in hospital,month off work.a nice scar on leg.. 😕
got hit a couple of years back on the way to work. Ironically by a guy who said HE cycled to work about three times a week. Was so shook up that when a VERY pretty lady came up and asked me back to hers for a cup of tea, to calm my nerves, i said NO 😯
got back on the bike and cycled the remaining 5 miles to work. Rang the ex when i got in and told her. She went mental that i hadn't gone to hospital to get checked out. she then came to work and said if i didn't come out for her she would get my mum down to do the job. I was 34 FFS!!!!!
That was three days before i was due to have a vasectomy. As the accident didn't give any medical reason for me to avoid the snip i had to go ahead with it. Not the best week i ever had 🙁
Knocked off properly once.
Must be about 26/27yrs ago now. Going around a multi-lane roundabout aiming to take the 3rd exit & indicating left as i cross the lanes. Car behind me gives me space & time to make the manoevre, the idiot in the Volvo coming from a left-turning slip road doesn't. I see/feel him coming up hard behind me 7 brace for impact. He hits my back wheel & tumbles me down the road amidst the squeal of car brakes.
Sit up, check limbs etc & see bike all crushed up under the wheels of the Volvo. Walk over to car, tap on drivers window & he hits the electric window button (mid-80's remember). For some reason i lost it, grabbed him by the lapels & headbutted him through the open window! Just about to punch him when a copper arrives on foot... 😳
Driver admits he didn't see me and drove into the back of me - new bike time rather than face prosecution.
3 x for me.
Once on the way to college (many years ago) got overtaken by a woman who then turned left in to her drive, I ended up on her roof.
Second, riding through a small Town Centre a couple of days before Christmas, again, got overtaken by a woman (bit of a theme here ... )who then jammed the brakes on as she spotted a parking space, as I went to go down the inside she chucked it in reverse and piled in to me, I'm surprised I didn't go through the back window of her Golf! 6 Stitches in eyebrow.
Third time was the most spectacular, taken out on a roundabout by a dick (male this time!) on the phone, A road, Dual carriageway, got chucked about 15 yards landed on my arse going backwards so head was slammed in to the road too. 11 stitches in my head and severely 8uggered ankle. But I did get an ambulance for me and one for my bike (it was toatalled anyway £1,300)
3's enough for me!!!!! They seem to be getting worse each time!
3x
Twice hit by lorries and one by a car, one of the lorry incidents result in a fractured skull I still have the scar across my forehead - now my hair line is moving 😯 It's becoming visible.
I have hit a cyclist in a car and seriously injured him - black ice and new driver and a railway bridge 😥
Hit off by a postie opening the door .Court case pending
I had a couple of scrapes as a London commuter. A guy in a Jag squeezed past me at a point where the road was partially blocked by a Transit trying to nose its way out of a side street, forcing me into the side of the Transit, on Upper Street at Camden Passage. Plenty of sympathy from the van driver. Not even a backwards glance from the Jag.
Had a woman disembarking from a taxi late at night open a door just as I was cycling past, which I sailed straight into, and over. She got a far bigger fright than I did.
The best one was on the big roundabout on the south side of Westminster Bridge. Not hit by a car, but the intention was there. Was threading my way through the gaps in two or three lanes of gridlocked rush hour traffic when a guy in a gleaming 4x4 with blacked out windows spots me doing it and spurts forward, closing up the gap in the traffic in front of me and forcing me into an abrupt halt behind a flat wheelbed truck. Never remonstrated, just muttered a few expletives while I sat waiting for the traffic to get moving again. However, in his eagerness to close the gap, he had moved too close to the truck. The tip of the "LONG VEHICLE" sign hanging off the back of the truck somehow managed a small overlap with front wheel arch of the 4x4. So when the traffic started moving again, the truck took off - and took a chunk of wing of the 4x4 with it! 😀 Laugh? Let's just say I was glad I was wearing black lycra shorts. Talk about putting the kar in karma...
Sorry, not read the rest of the thread for the interesting stories yet, but just thought I'd chime in with my one time.
Guy driving a Ford Galaxy people carrier wasn't looking where he was going, and turned across the road whilst I was riding the other way. Hit me side on, I went up the front of it, then hit the floor.
Amazingly no real damage to the bike (think the wheels needed truing slightly, but that was about it), and only a few bruises and slight loss of skin for me. Shook me up though to be fair. At least the guy who hit me was wholeheartedly apologetic about the whole thing, have heard plenty of people who have received the "cyclists shouldn't be on the road" treatment before!
Lots of near misses (should that be near hits?) here. Been tapped, brushed but not bruised. Hit by bus once too. I wasn't even moving...
Was knocked off years ago by a car at a roundabout as I was trying to turn left. They turned left as well and took me out. To start with I thought it was a genuine mistake until I saw the rear passengers laughing as I hit the deck.
Friend and I were knocked off by when a BMW pulled out onto a roundabout and sent us flying. I had seen the car as we approached the roundabout and then, just as we were on the roundabout, I sensed something on my left hand side only to look and see the bonnet about a foot from me. Just about had time to think 'this is going to hurt' before they ploughed into teh pair of us. I woudln't mind but we were lit up like Christmas trees and in hi-viz clothing. Must have cost their insurance company a fortune. Two new bikes at £2k each, months of physio and about £5k in compensation for the pair of us.
Also sufferd a dog strike when a St Bernard just wandered out into the road. Owner admitted responsibility at the time but later claimed that he was not liable becuase 'we were chain-ganging and not in control of our bikes'. Eventually agreed to pay half though.
Also had a kid open a door in front of me 'because they couldn't wait in the traffic jam and had to get to work'. At least his Mum paid for a new front wheel. Didn't enquire if his poket money was stopped to pay for it.
Had too many near misses to list.
Jeez. If all you cyclists stayed off the road think how many less accidents there'd be. Bloody menaces, the lot of you.
Over the bonnet of a woman that pulled out of a side road once in Bath. Luckily I wasn't going that fast. Then the silly women decided to blame me for not braking hard enough. Normally I'm such a calm person........
Oh and I forgot number 4.
4. Stationary in road/queue of cars and dippy cow in posh audi edges forwardand starts nudging my back wheel, pushing me forward and nearly over (one foot clipped to bike you see). When I realise I turn and utter some explitives but ride off before I lose control completely....the headlights very nearly got an spd shoved through them.
I'm guessing the car was an auto and the dozy cow wasn't paying attention and lifted off the brakes a little.
hits 3 and 4 have been london, 1 and 2 (the more serious) were Bristol. London has had many, many more close shaves though in far less years.
I was hit in edinburgh by a woman in a mondeo. I was riding along the cycle lane and she was turning on to the road and swung too wide, forced me into the kerb and ran over my front wheel with her back tire. She waved sorry and drove off and unfortunatly, I was too dazed/bleeding to get the plate and had a front wheel shaped like a pringle so couldn't follow her.
It was also really nice the way lots of people saw it and all continued driving rather than check I was ok.
The bloke a couple of pages back riding on that dual carriageway must have a deathwish.
Four years back a women came straight out and used me as the give way line
and if it was not for the witness that pulled me out the way, she continued to moving out and would have crushed my legs.
After that she continued to add that she thought I had gone pass and it was ok to come out then I said it was your mum the passanger that told you, that you hit me.
She was following her brother and he came back to appologise and then said Sorry but shes a nervous driver you know what I mean? What the F@ck!!
Just the one, many years ago.Another woman pulling out of junction on the left for me.I swear I got eye contact but she must have been looking right through me.
Went through her window, made a real mess of the car and me.
A farmer ran me over in his 4x4, just after he put a gun in my face and said "get orf moi laarnd.
I hurt him.
Me.
My fault. Riding on the wrong side of the road a la UK (tired/light fading/no road markings/I'm a muppet) down an Alpine pass. Absolutely hooning. Head-on with a car.
3 damaged vertebrae, massive gash on leg (where the broken frame went through 😯 ) and some insane road-rash. Made a full recovery, so count myself pretty ****ing lucky.
A thousand near misses for me. If you ride fast you'll get this a lot.
Lots of actual impacts too. I think my favourites (in retrospect) are:
1. A woman overtook me and then immediately turned left in front of me. I braked hard enough to endo, then slammed into the side of her car. The rear wheel axle/nut dragged right down the side of the car leaving a massive scratch. She just drove off leaving me wobbling about. I chased her into the industrial park she'd driven into and when she stopped, started shouting at her. She absolutely reeked of alcohol. Then loads of massive blokes from her work came out and stood around me so I squeezed between them and rode off.
2. Riding along quite happily at night. Guy in a volvo coming the other way turned right in front of me. I braked and swerved but hit him. I got flipped up in the air and when I came down I purposefully slammed my elbow into his bonnet leaving a massive dint. I also managed to scratch his bumper and wingt with my shoes and bike. My light fell off and goit crushed. He got out and started apologising so I told him to **** off. He got aggressive so I faced him backed him against his car, told him to **** off, nice and quiet like. So he did.
forgetme name= legend
2 notable ones for me. Firstly going down hill in a 30 limit, just breaking the speed limit myself, somebody decides that they're getting held up by me and overtakes. Only to notice the hitch hiker at the side of the road just as they've overtaken me and slam on the anchors to stop and pick them up. I had time to swerve around them if I wanted, but didn't fancy my chances with the blind brow, so did some full on braking, resulting eventually in an endo and hitting the back of the car with my back as I flipped over (was an old type Beetle, so a fairly smooth surface to hit).
Then on New Year's day on the millenium I got the classic take out on a roundabout by somebody pulling on not having seen me. She was a midwife on her way home having just finished a night shift and was very upset that she'd hit me and happy to admit fault (including to the policemen who turned up). Apparently had the sun in her eyes. All things considered I couldn't feel too much ill will towards her. Other drivers also stopped and were helpful as I rolled around in pain in the middle of the road - somebody asked if anybody had a mobile to call police/ambulance, at which point I reached in my back pocket! Refused the ambulance ride as I felt it would be wasting their resources, and in any case not sure what would happen to the bike - instead called gf out of her work (she was on millenium bug stuff), given she worked right next to the hospital the driver had just come from half a mile away! Despite the driver not being awkward, the insurance company still were, but I eventually got paid for anything with a scratch on it (much of which I carried on using) plus a nice bit for pain after threatening to take them to court.
Got hit by a Ford Cortina 26 years ago. Was on bike, local lunatic pushed me out into the road (long story). Went over top of car and woke up to find my right leg had rotated 90 degrees anti-clockwise.
Broken femur, spent 2 months in traction (entire summer school holiday!). Had my 11th birthday in hospital. Depressing experience but actually a key point in my life; I have lived every day to the max ever since.
Worst was 22 years back when I was a student.
Bounced over the front of a car, dents in wing and bonet, my fault for going the wrong way up a one way street. Lots of blood and an evening in Kingston Hospital, apparently freaked the driver out by acosting passing mates and getting them to inspect the size of the pool of blood I'd left. Also lectured her about not looking both ways when turning onto the road, my logic being if I was a pedestrian she could have killed me. Got confined to the A&E cubical for chastising other people in the A&E, seem to remember there were an assortment of people who'd had comedy accidents and apparently its bad form to take the piss out of them.
From what my mates said I was generally out of it but supposed thats what a whacking great blow to the head does. Wasnt wearing a helemt, now have small round scar on side of head and boney keel on my skull which causes all bike helmets to sit slighly skewed to the right.
woman in a 4x4 passes me and then decided she was going to park on the left.
I braked , endo-ed and smacked into the back of her.
Bent my rear mech , few bumps and cuts.
After i calmed down the woman was sobbing and howling.
I had to console her! I told her she would have to replace the mech.
Fair play to her, she took me and bike to the bank and gave me £100!
I had asked for £50 for the mech.
I then straightened the mech and continued the commute.
I did buy a new mech with the cash though.
J.
Hit by pizza delivery driver who was turning right from a side road. Bruised ribs (which really hurts).
"My people, they say, Romano, you are fast but safe."
(To be fair to the guy he gave me a pizza, plus the council had installed special bike-hiding railings nearby).
Long thread, so I'm just making up the numbers here, but yeah, I was hit a few months ago.
Young mum with Kiddie in the back of their Corsa.
She goes by, just as we're approaching a roundabout, so she pulls into the curb to get into lane and my bars hit the side glass of the rear door.
brakes on and the left foot down hard, prevented me hitting the deck, few !.
She didn't even stop to look at what the noise was for, assuming she heard the bars of my bike [i]clack[/i] against the glass of her car.
She just drove on.
Lazy driving and lack of respect for cyclists, from the driver I'm affraid.
I do a lot of driving too, unfortunately, and so have seen a lot of stupidness from all and any who even go near a road.
I'm pretty much convinced that you can't change the behaviour of, or educate these people.
I also believe most really do know what to do and what the dangers are, but that they just don't really care until its too late.
I reckon the only way they'll change is if they actually choose to.....
So, the madness will continue. I just hope that we all stay safe out there.
😉
Luminous.
which one you refering to? And is it the described riding style you dissapprove of or just being on a dual carriageway?The bloke a couple of pages back riding on that dual carriageway must have a deathwish.
2.5 years as a messenger in Copenhagen, hit by cars 6 times. 2 broken carbon forks and a pair of front wheels.
Don't get me started on pedestrians who walk into the bikelane, hit a couple of them to..
Two episodes from me..
The worst was a female driver who pulled across in front of me when I was about 20 mtrs away, I was doing a fair lick as it was the bottom of a hill, I got the brakes on but face planted the car all the same, honestly thought I'd broken my back...
that was 5 years ago and I'm still nervous of the junction 🙁
the other was more comedy.. I hit a sheep ?! again at the bottom of a big hill whilst on my road bike.. as I was lying in the middle of the road a car ran over my bike that I was still attached too 😯
Yes, its not all one-sided, ime.
Just last week I saw a bloke riding along the hard shoulder of the M11 !!!!
😯
L
A mate got cut up in Edinburgh a few years ago (changing lanes on exit to Seafield r'bout, heading west). Van driver stops and seems reasonable then assaults him, then asks him into back of van for lift and to "sort things out" (bike is damaged). Mate refuses...turns out guy is known to the Police as having committed murders!
I tend to avoid confontation when I can, sometimes worth asking "did you see me", "is my safety worth anything to you?" etc rather than "**** off" etc
3 for me
1) tracking standing and turning right just going when a car (going too fast) appears, brake but car knocks the front wheel. Hit the deck hard, no real damage to me, bike or car.
2) T-boned on a night ride, bar stewards coming out from their work car park just went straight into me and drove off. E****ed rear derailleur and usual cuts/bruises. Tried to report it to police at the sub-station not interested told me to go to main police station; I had no lock, police station full of scrotes so went home.
3) Commuting home a car pulled out on me. It waited so long at the junction I was certain she must have seen me, but no. Smeared myself down drivers side. Damage to front wheel, brake/gear levers and mostly my right hand. Now it means no DIY (i.e. hammering - the scarring on the knuckle joints is too bad) and aches like the proverbial on cold/wet days. It was a filthy night, she had kids in the car so a genuine accident. The driver behind her had spotted me, lights, hi vis rain jacket etc.... My wife's a PI lawyer so got ok compensation for my hand.
Twice (sort of...) when a post-grad stoodent in Manchester.
The first one was when a car pulled across me into a side road. Went across the bonnet. Driver gets out and says "Sorry, I didn't see you in the sun glare". Which as it was a sunny day and he was driving into it was fairly plausible. But he then .ucked it up by saying "I thought you were signalling to go left" 🙄 Soooo... he didn't have an answer on how he saw me signalling if he couldn't see me.
The second (sort of) bike-car interaction was a similar car-turning-right-into-a-side-road across my direction of travel. This time I had time to cut round the back of him (it was a him). Trouble was, he had a car on tow behind him. Result: comedy-ish moment of me spotting the rope as I went flying. 😯 Ho hum.
All character building.
Once only.
I was riding along a dual carriageway on a tour across Turkey a few years ago. It was a fast road, but pretty empty. I was riding on the nice wide hard shoulder. The first time i noticed the bus that hit me was also driving on the hard shoulder was when it's indicator glass smashed on impact with my bar end. I got spun off into the gravel at the side of the road and was quite badly cut up, but amazingly the bike was fine and managed another 3000 miles on the trip. The bus driver felt guilty enough that he detoured from his route (with a full complement of passengers) to show me where the nearest hospital was for a check up.
clipped by several busses, knocked off by a van, "nearly" hit by a BMW, driver then got out and hit me properly, which was nice. Last time I was clipped by a big merc, but didn't fall off, driver stopped and got out, I unleashed a torrent of abuse and the guy was just trying to apologise and ask if I was ok, which made me feel really bad, cos he's the first person to ever apologise, and probably has a really bad opinion of cyclists now. luckilly I've never had any significant injuries, though a colleague had a fractured skull after a <5mph T bone incident, and she was wearing a helmet!
worryingly there have been at least 6 serious cycle accidents on my commute route in the last two years, one fatal.
Keep safe out there people, better slow than squished!
While commuting in London:
Had a big white panel van pull out directly into my path, I went bang right into the big flexy side panel, wrote off the bike and I was unharmed, the van driver drove off but fortunately a witness got his number plate so I was able to nail the sod.
Then my fault I was riding up the inside of a stationary queue of traffic, too fast up the inside of a bus, into a car that was turning right off the road through the queue... oops, dented the car but I was fine. Fortunately he thought it was his fault!
And finally, riding along near St Pauls when a Van overtook me so close he rapped the end of my handlbar with his wing mirror, made an loud bang but fortunately nothing more... phew...
[i]The bloke a couple of pages back riding on that dual carriageway must have a deathwish.[/i]which one you refering to? And is it the described riding style you dissapprove of or just being on a dual carriageway?
I used to do it a lot. I worked for a catering agency on the school and uni holidays and used to cycle about 30 miles a day to various places, and tended to take the quickest, most direct route. I can't say dual carraigeways were my favourite roads, but you get used to the speed of the cars quite quickly, and there's an argument that I was safer on them than I was on country roads (despite personal experience to the contrary!) More room, more vision, fewer corners, more predictable traffic...
I got knocked off in 2005 by a man who flung his door open as I was passing. I broke my collar bone and some ribs. Luckily I had a helmet on, because I remember the back of my head hitting the road and thinking "Lucky I've got my helmet on".
I didn't realise I had broken myself. It was hard to get up out of the road and I was afraid that I was going to be hit by another car. Happily a police patrol turned up and blocked the traffic so I could get up. They took a statement from the bloke and called the ambulance. I was hurting, but not much, just thinking "I'll just take some painkillers and go to work on the train tomorrow". The cop passed me her book and a pen to sign the statement she had written, I reached out with my right hand, but it wasn't working, I had thoughts then. The ambulance man told me I had broken my collar bone. On the bright side, I got to do the piano joke!
"the piano joke" ❓
Patient to Doctor "Doctor, will I be able to play the piano after?"
Doctor "Yes of course"
Patient "That's great, because I can't play it now"
Oh I forgot, I was SMIDSY'd in 1984 by a Mercedes van at Holborn Circus. Was off work for months because I hurt my back so badly. I couldn't walk properly, in huge pain. It took years to get over that one and loads of money paid to osteopaths/chiropractors. I was a temp then so no sick pay either. That was a very expensive accident! I didn't get any details from the driver so could not sue.
Oh I forgot... It took years to get over that one
How could you possibly forget about that? 😯