So it finally happened, 6 months of cycling around Edinburgh's busy streets and I got wiped out. Was cycling home from a first aid (yes, I note the irony, thankyou) meeting when I got passed on the right by a car. No problem, she's past me and off into the distance, thinks I. Check her again, she's signalling left, again, no problem. I'm a little irritated that she passed me, just to make a turn, but hey, these things happen.
No, she's not making the turn. She's stopped in my lane, blinker flashing to make her left turn (bear in mind this is in Scotland, where we drive on the left, she's not waiting to clear oncoming traffic)
I'm moving fast, blow my horn, hit my brakes, but end up smashing into the back of her. Bike went down on her right hand side and I went with it, slid along the road with the bike between my legs. Smashed up the connective tissue in my left wrist and got some reasonable bruising and roadrash on my calves and ass.
After I lay in the road swearing for a while, she helped me and my bike to the side of the road and said "I'm sorry, I didn't turn in because I thought you'd pass me on my left". Regrettably, I was so pumped with adrenaline and relieved at not being turned into strawberry jam under her wheels, my mouth just said "Ok, no problem, I understand" before my mind could say "GET HER DETAILS!". So she drove off (she did offer to call an ambulance for me, which was sweet, wish she had now, it would have got the police involved and it would have been properly reported) and I replaced my chain and cycled home (not realising that I was bleeding!).
That was Tuesday last, I got back on the bike yesterday for a gentle bike-path ride and feel confident in my abilities as a cyclist still, but passing traffic scares me now. Any tips in getting back into the saddle? I want to commute to work again, but the thought of rush-hour makes me feel teary just contemplating it.
Kal
Tom_The_Bikeman
03-22-04, 03:59 AM
Regrettably, I was so pumped with adrenaline and relieved at not being turned into strawberry jam under her wheels, my mouth just said "Ok, no problem, I understand" before my mind could say "GET HER DETAILS!".
Hey man, sorry to hear about this! Remember...ALWAYS call the police. Of course, this I say after doing something along the lines of what you did...got nailed going circa 40 kmh into a car, flew over the hood/bonnet and was thankful for a ride home. Fortunately, this is insurance paradise (Switzerland) and although it took forever to get the money for my bike (didn't pay replacement costs :mad: ) I was patched up for free.
You might want to think about getting yourself a cell phone JIC. I know I did.
Allister
03-22-04, 05:54 AM
How far ahead of you did she get before stopping? Why didn't you go round her on the right? Sounds like you had plenty of time.
Left hooks are a pain, but you can generally avoid a collision. The most common attempt I see are when cars are slowing down as they come up beside you. That's the first warning. A flashing indicator is the second. In these cases I generally move further into the lane. Even if they're beside me, they get the hint and back off.
If they get far enough ahead to actually turn across you, you will have seen the early warning signs detailed above and be ready to either weigh on the anchors or pull around them on the right if you have room. There's no shame in stopping even if you have 'right of way'.
Still, my condolences, and I hope you're healing up ok. You'll be a little shy of traffic passing for a while (I know I was when I was rear-ended once), but the best cure for that is to keep riding. You're confidence will return, and hopefully you will have learned how to avoid such incidents in the future.
Kalshassan
03-22-04, 08:02 AM
Must admit Alister, to not being entirely blameless. It was on the flat with a stiff headwind and I had my head down and my legs thumping away, she passed and I put her out of my mind, looked up again and there she was!
J
MichaelW
03-22-04, 12:13 PM
Ive had people overtake me, downhill in the rain, then stop suddenly- to let a car make a turn across the lane. Its one of those things that is so frequent, we need a name for it. Any offers?
Over-stopping?
John E
03-22-04, 01:31 PM
Near-side hooks are a problem which screams for better training of both motorists and bicyclists. I have often encountered scenarios similar to Kal's, in which a motorist pulls up alongside me and waits for me to cross his/her intended turning path. It would be SO much better, safer, and less ambiguous if they would simply tuck in behind me, since they are slowing or stopping, anyway! I have had other situations in which motorists attempted to hook me, even as I moved well toward the center of the road. On a Vintage Bicycle Association ride two years ago, Jim and Susan "CyclArt" Cunningham and I had stopped for a red light in a through lane adjacent to two right-turn-only lanes, only to have a motorist try to turn right AROUND us. This person apparently could not fathom the concept of driving to the outside of a group of bicyclists, such that each party was in the correct lane for its intended direction of travel. What the world needs now is a book and course on Effective Motoring.
jfmckenna
03-22-04, 03:09 PM
I don't see how getting the police involved would help you out? It was your fault rite? I mean if the lady had stopped there b/c of a pedistrian or dog or what ever it is her rite to stop. Glad to hear you made it through in one piece!
Allister
03-22-04, 05:24 PM
Must admit Alister, to not being entirely blameless. It was on the flat with a stiff headwind and I had my head down and my legs thumping away, she passed and I put her out of my mind, looked up again and there she was!
J
Must admit I've done something similar myself. I was on a long flat boring ride and sort of fell into a daze and wiped out on the gravel verge. I picked myself up and as I started riding along I was looking at my chain trying to get it on the correct cog, and ploughed into the kind lady that had seen me fall and stopped to offer assistance. I felt like a right goose.
Anyway, a wise man admits when he's made a mistake and learns from it. I suspect you'll be keeping you head up from now on, even in the wind ;)
sidewinder
03-23-04, 11:23 AM
Get right back on the horse that threw you.
After I crashed last month (my own fault as well), I was a little skittish about getting back on the road, but after healing, lifted my leg over the saddle and set right back out. I even took the same route that I had crashed on this last Sunday.
I was a little nervous when I approached the gravel patch that I gone down on, but rode around it (smarter this time) and went on my way with a big smile on my face.
trekkie820
03-27-04, 09:06 AM
Ive had people overtake me, downhill in the rain, then stop suddenly- to let a car make a turn across the lane. Its one of those things that is so frequent, we need a name for it. Any offers?
Over-stopping?