majesticdubs

Hello all,

I've commuted daily for the last 11 months and had my first dangerous encounter yesterday.
While in the bike lane, a vehicle entered the lane and their passenger side mirror contacted my left handlebar. The mirror snapped off, making a loud, frightening sound. Somehow I stayed on my bike, no idea how I didn't fall off. I raised my hand and screamed "WTF?" and the person kept driving with no intention of stopping.

A person pulled up next to me and said that they saw the whole event. In a state of panic, I told them to follow the car. In hindsight, I should've asked them to call the police instead. All of this happened so fast that I never got the vehicle make/model or the license plate number.

When I arrived at work, I called the local police station and asked if anyone had filed a hit and run report in the last 20 minutes. The officer said that no calls were received in that time. They then asked if I would like to file a report. I told them the whole story and the fact that I had no concrete info about the vehicle. I declined the filing of a report. The fact that no witnesses called in pissed me off even further.

Any advice or recommendations, if this were to happen again? I am thinking about buying a GoPro camera for video documentation. Thanks for reading the long post. Hope you all had a lovely holiday.

10 Wheels

I use a mirror to see what might be coming behind me and a very bright strobe tail light.

firstsporthub

i think the best thing to do is to stay off the vehicle road and ride on the safer side, no point getting a recorder if you got seriously injured or maybe a fatal accident. So safety comes first, at least to me.

majesticdubs

10 Wheels - I have both a mirror and a strobe. The mirror didn't help because they swerved into the lane while next to me. I also ride with bright clothing.

vol

Was that their mirror that snapped off? So they left without the right mirror? Wonder if that's legal?

10 Wheels

Driver must have been cell phoning.

majesticdubs

Yes, their mirror snapped off. It was loud and obvious. They would've noticed unless they were playing music obscenely loud (I heard no music from the vehicle).

Chris516

I definitely agree with you thinking about getting a GoPro camera.

I also think, that it was actually smart to have the other driver tailed by the good samaritan. The only disconnect between potentially catching the driver, and calling the police, was not giving the good samaritan your cellphone number so they could tell you what happened with getting the plate number.

B. Carfree

I fell down in the shower once. I don't shower anymore. I heard about someone getting struck by lightning; I don't go outside anymore.

Not to worry, though, since I'm not alive anymore, what with being scared to death of living.

firstsporthub

totally out of the subject.

Solid_Spoke

Get a video camera! It will be the best $200-300 you could ever spend.

dynodonn 

One reason why I installed front and rear HD cameras, and I was able to capture frame by frame images of one unsafe passing motorist's license plate numbers, vehicle model emblem, rear window decal, and the motorist looking at me via his side rear view mirror as he sped by at a 40 mph "differential". Needless to say, I informed law enforcement of the incident, along with the detailed info.

turbo1889

It appears we have another new addition to the "Get off the road !!!" and "If you ride on the road you get what you deserve !!!" crowd on the bike forum. The "blame the victim" logic currently insinuated will soon go full out. Wonder how long this one will last.

benjdm

I would call back and file that report. The person you asked to follow them might have taken longer than twenty minutes to report it themselves.

Chief

What exactly is a "vehicle road" and how does one ride on the "safer side"? How can the OP put this advice into real-world practice?

Chris516

The first time I saw this, I chose not to respond. Reading it again, I can see the reasoning behind it, pursuant to what the OP said.

wphamilton

Just another non-cyclist trolling.

To OP, I don't know how effective a camera really is in practice - from what I read here and in the news the cops are as likely to disregard the video as they are to accept it. On the other hand I understand the impulse and feel the same way sometimes. At least you can prove what you say, even if the cops disregard it, and there's something to be said for that.

turbo1889

Can't be sure about that considering how many cyclist I've met in person who are even to the point of physical violence against my personage highly anti-road-rights for cyclists. It's really weird but I've met people who ride bikes who believe its illegal to ride on the road (any road, but especially anything more then a quite neighborhood road) and believe that bikes can only be ridden off road or on side-walks or bike paths and who have physically attacked me for stating otherwise and riding on the road myself even when I mention that if possible I'll shoulder edge ride on high speed roads if there is a shoulder edge to ride on and they still think that's illegal.

phoebeisis

OP Majesticdubs-

What city are you in ?
Is there much bicycle vs car ill will there?

SNAPPED his mirror off???
Very very odd -since most cars have spring loaded mirrors-they will flop backward when they hit someone-probably for safety reasons.
A 35 mph rigid mirror- WOW- amazing you weren't dumped.
Your bike skills-or luck-or both-served you well.
Did it appear to be an older car-probably since 2000 or so the vast majority of mirrors are spring loaded?

Did you pick up the mirror? If not go get it-might be able to determine which car it came from-track down the owner??
I would not give the mirror to the cops-they won't do anything with it-since chain of evidence-found in road.
Yeah-get that mirror-you might see that car again.
Good luck-miracle you weren't dumped.
Charlie
PS Get that mirror!

JanMM

How can an auto's mirror hit the handlebar end with enough force to break off without causing the bike to go down right now?

wphamilton

Could have been already cracked or had loose bolts. Or was ductaped on, who knows. It might not be all that unusual for that particular driver to hit things with his mirror.

JanMM

Hard to say exactly what happened.

firstsporthub

In certain country, vehicles have road to drive on, bikers have bike road to ride on, pedestrian have foot path to walk on it. But there is always a time that one will cross each other. With patient n politeness, each people will find their safest route to their destinations. Give way & u can avoid shouting n yelling at strangers, which both ended gaining nothing in return. Give a little more care n love & u will find more Peace n joy in your rides !

6

majesticdubs

I have NO IDEA. Totally shocked. The mirror remained attached to the vehicle by a cable, it didn't fall into the road. I am extremely lucky. I called the police back a few times in the last 48 hours, no reports were called in.

Totally bummed. But at the same time, I am not letting this sway me from commuting.

phoebeisis -
I am located in Chandler, AZ ( i just updated my profile, hehe). In just under a year, I haven't received more than honks/unfriendly comments from drivers until this incident.

Thanks for all the feedback, still learning about the bike community and trying to be a positive participant.

Scott

CB HI

firstsporthub lives in Singapore and it sounds like that is the only place he has cycled.

Big experience difference from the 99% of the rest of us.

Plus I think he is using us to practice his english.