Advocacy & Safety - Bike Vs Motor Vehicle... How many of you have been hit?

How many of us have hit/been hit by a motor vehicle?

Personally, I've been in more than one collision (in more than one type of collision)...


Left Hook x1
Right Hook x1
Broadsided x1
Cut Off (then collide with side of car) more times that I want to admit
(forced to) Run Into Parked/Stopped Car x1
Run off the road (then assaulted by the motorist (who got away))


(and more close calls than I want to even try to remember)

Left hook for me... double parked car stopped at the crosswalk with 4-ways blinking (and also blocking the bike lane) made a left turn and caught my front tire with the back bumper behind the rear wheel. This was a 4-way stop so I was going pretty slow. Saw the car coming and managed stop just in time and duck-walk 3 or 6 inches backwards narrowly missing the wheel arch.

Motorist fled the scene. Called the police with the plate. No witnesses so my word vs motorists anyway if anything even turns up.

Smashed into the side of a taxi that pulled out in front of me. It was the evening, I was in a bike lane (rare here) and I was lit. I’m far better lit up nowadays :-)

Plenty of close calls though :(

Left hook - 86 year old driver turned left from the oncoming traffic lane on the other side of the intersection, as I was going 27 mph straight (I had the green light). He left the scene, but came back as they were loading me into the ambulance. His first words to me were, "Why didn't you let me make my turn?" I guess he thought that, since I was on a bicycle, I could stop in about a foot or so when he turned in front of me. He was wrong. You should have seen what I did to his rear passenger door.

Was hit by a pickup truck mirror. he was doing about 40mph in a construction zone. wearing a reflective vest on a partly cloudy day the dude had a full lane to his left but would not drive on the new pavement in the center lane. No road markings.
The State police wanted to give me a ticket for failure to stay to the right . I had to dig out the vehicle code book and give them the statute.

Got hit turning left off a main road, onto a side street. The driver of the car who hit me, was turning left off the side street, onto the main road. He misjudged how fast I was actually going. When he first saw me, I was nearly a block away. He looked left to check for traffic coming from the other direction, but forgot to check to his right again to see how much closer I was. He pulled out and nailed me. I wasn't hurt, but the bike was a write off. It all got sorted out in good humor, as it turned out the driver used to cycle regularly in the 70s and was fortunate to be alive. He got hit by a bus while riding his bike.

Never been hit by a car in my many years of cycling, collision avoidance has always been my number one goal while cycling.

My only incident was unusual. I was in the left lane, stopped while waiting to complete a left turn, when hit from the rear by a car moving at about 40 MPH driven by a young woman who had skipped school to experiment with drinking. After the collision she fled the scene leaving her car's front license plate behind. I was unconscious on the road but bystanders took immediate action to protect me from other traffic. Though my helmet was shattered, my body, to the amazement of ER staff, survived without major damage. Although her parent's tried hard to avoid it, the judicial system gave the young woman an excellent opportunity to learn from her mistake.

Though this happened years ago, I still smile whenever I see a Snap-On-Tools truck. A driver used his, pulled broadside in the lane, to protect me from heavy traffic.

I haven't ever been hit by a car, and I've been riding regularly since I was 15.

In over 40 years of bicycling as an adult: The most serious collision I've had with a car was a dooring when a car stopped in the left hand turn lane suddenly threw open a passenger door and nailed me as I passed in the next lane. The impact knocked me across the lane to the curb, which I hit straight on, sending me over the handlebars and I did a nice shoulder roll as I landed on the sidewalk. As I was mid-roll I recall thinking I'd survived the worst of it when my right hip and thigh hit the fire hydrant I hadn't seen. Fortunately, nothing broke but oh, I had some bad bruises.

I've had a couple of what I would call "side swipes" due to lane drifting cars and vans but they were just "touches". Best one was a young woman in a convertible on her cell phone, who was very slowly pulling to the right as she passed me oblivious to her surroundings. I ended up rolling over the side of the car and landing in the back seat- my bike still clipped to my shoes.

Hey, but "bicycling is safe". Just as safe as walking down the sidewalk according to some posters in BF.

I was rear-ended a couple of decades ago while riding my mother's old 5-speed. I've been run off of the road by motorists and have had motorists get angry because they think I should be riding on the sidewalk or in what they think of as being a bike lane.

Of the last two one used his car in a threatening manner. Every time I crossed an intersection he would turn his car like he was going to run into me. The second one actually got out of his car and wanted to fight. In that case I was again on the sidewalk in an effort to put as much space as possible between the motorist and myself.

In both cases I kept traveling to an area where there were (hopefully) plenty of witnesses, in case I needed them.

Been hit twice, both times sideswiped by cars...........

first time car went thru no left turn red light at speed and made left turn....clipped me as I was crossing in crosswalk....hit and run...police never found despite description and partial license plate by witness........ broken/cracked ribs and road burn....light damage to bike..

second time was going up street.....car went thru stop sign at speed and rear fender clipped my left hip as he came up on me and thru me onto pavement......busted collarbone, dislocated shoulder which I popped back in as soon as I got up, and lots of road burns..... also hit and run
had to replace rear derailleur no witnesses, never located

Been riding a bike for over 40 years and have had a few run ins...

Had a car come out of a blind alley and although I could not avoid hitting the car did manage to turn enough to not hit the car straight on and did more damage to the car than I did to myself or my bike.

Got clipped by a mirror from behind and I was riding well into the lane because of the bad road conditions and moving at a very high rate of speed which probably saved me from more serious injury as I was moving at traffic speeds... the impact did send me right and straight into what was more of a long sinkhole (and what I was riding to avoid) and ended up doing a nose wheelie on my fixed gear. Managed to get the back wheel down before I hit the lip on the other side and if I had hit that I would have been launched into traffic at 50 kmh.

Still have no idea how I did not end being road kill on this one... I put it down from reflexes developed from years of riding off road.

Also got clipped by a car that made a right turn and passed behind me too closely and quickly and it kicked my rear wheel out from under me but did not crash... the driver stopped, got out of his car and went after me for being on the road.

I wasn't always the peace loving and gentle soul I am now... I hope this driver remembers that if you clip a cyclist and are at fault, getting out of your car and starting a fight is not a very good idea as the cyclist might be just a little pissed off and have some mad skills off the bike.

Besides that... have had the usual share of close calls and just this morning an older guy who was in the through lane decided to make a sudden right turn in front of me but as he had just passed me and doe that a little closely my spidey sense was tingling... and when I can;t see the driver over the backrest I am always extra cautious.

:)

Left hook - 86 year old driver turned left from the oncoming traffic lane on the other side of the intersection, as I was going 27 mph straight (I had the green light). He left the scene, but came back as they were loading me into the ambulance. His first words to me were, "Why didn't you let me make my turn?" I guess he thought that, since I was on a bicycle, I could stop in about a foot or so when he turned in front of me. He was wrong. You should have seen what I did to his rear passenger door.

This was sort of like my first accident, when I was 14(1981). I was making a right turn. The vehicle also making a right turn, was driven by an elderly woman.

My second accident was, when I was 30, where I was broadsided at an intersection.

My third accident was when I was 40(just four years ago), when I was run off the road by an ignorant motorist.

My fourth accident was earlier this year, when I was in the left-turn lane and I got impatient with all the vehicles stopped in the intersection, only to end up being broadsided.

The first time I was hit by a car I was about 4 years old riding my bike in our driveway. Some old lady mistook it for a narrow country lane and tried to squeeze past me pinning me between the coral pink Caddy and a rail fence. The second time I was hit from behind while riding to school. I've been lucky and not been hit since. I got it out of the way early.

My bicycle got hit by a cab while I was walking it on a crosswalk in mid-town Manhattan in the early 80s. The cab was making a right turn on a green light and didn't want to wait for the pedestrians, so he was pushing his way through. I couldn't move out of his way fast enough because it was crowded. My bike's rear wheel got stuck under the bumper of the cab, and he would have probably destroyed my rear wheel if the other pedestrians didn't pound their hands on the cab's hood and tell him to back up. No damage done, other than some minor scuffs on the bike.

The poll didn't include include the infamous "brake check", unless you count running into a stopped/parked car as the same thing. In over 450,000 miles, the only time I have been unseated by a car was when I was brake-checked. I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to stick the landing with a complete somersault and a one and one-half twist, in sandals no less, at age 50.

Of course I have had my fair share of contact, mostly of the scraped by mirrors or corner panel variety. None of those resulted in anything more than a minor involuntary course change for me. Being large, riding at a fairly good pace and having some athletic skills have really helped me minimize trouble.

Interestingly, the worst encounter I have ever had with a motorist didn't involve any contact at all. Many decades ago, a truck driver took exception to the fact that I was riding a bike on the road. After he air-horned me, he got out of his cab with a crow bar. I heard him and got off my bike. He stood there for a moment, realized that if he swung the crow bar I would probably kill him, and then got back in his truck. (I was in the last weeks of preparation for my black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the time and I really would have killed him if he had swung the bar. Better for both of us that he didn't.) Since I didn't want to sit in front of a truck driven by a madman who had just threatened me with a crow bar, I moved back to his door, hopped up on the step and asked him what the problem was. He sheepishly apologized and said he was just having a really bad day. It was 7:30 A.M. I wonder how the rest of his day went.

The poll didn't include include the infamous "brake check", unless you count running into a stopped/parked car as the same thing.

I counted my brake check as a right hook since the motorist was intending to turn right, but couldn't because the driveway that she was turning into was full (this was about a week ago). Other than that I've broadsided two cars, both as a result of riding too fast on the sidewalk, and both in my first summer of urban cycling (legally their fault, realistically both of our fault). I have been broadsided twice, once by a car merging into me trying to get into the turn lane while I was in the bike lane (a convertible, luckily, so he heard me yelling), and once by a gal whose foot slipped off of her brake pedal as I crossed in front of her in the crosswalk. And once I rear ended a car (moving, not parked) because I was riding like a complete and utter jackass; dude was really cool about it, even though I scratched his rear quarter panel with my handlebars.

Never been hit, but twice in my early youth I've hit parked or stopped cars. There have been a couple of close calls, of course, when I've been in places without bike infrastructure.

Some pretty scary stories being told in this thread.

Never been hit very close, I have been victim to people pulling out in my lane. I still have problems with people turning right even though I am not in the right turn lane. Yeah the biggest one was some one pulling out from a business across the MUP to merge into traffic. I am really thinking about investing in cameras after this story maybe a contour facing rear on the seat post and a hd pro or contour on the handle bars.

So I'm unsure if I should answer this. Technically yes I've been hit, but I was being an idiot at the time and was unaware of it. I was probably 16 years old, and I was salmoning fast on a sidewalk on a busy street with lots of driveways. Naturally, I came upon someone making a right turn who did not look right, and decided to pull out while I was in front of his car. I knew it was going to happen, I was looking at him and saw that he had no idea that I existed, but for some reason I decided to go anyway. No damage to myself, but the rear wheel got bent out of true pretty badly.

Regardless, I didn't really consider myself a cyclist back then, just a kid without a car. In 2005 I took up cycling for real and learned how to interact with traffic properly, and I haven't had a problem in that entire time.

Do pedestrians count? Last year while riding on the sidewalk (yeah, yeah I know, but since the side walk is the only sane place to ride this stretch and I was only going 10mph, give me a break) I passed 3 youths, one of which thought his friends would laugh when he knocked an old man on his ass. They were all chuckling pretty hard as I getting up and getting pissed. I told the one who did the assault that if he felt bad ass enough to bring it on and bring his 2 buddies with him. They did and about 30 seconds later thought it was not one of there better ideas. Moral of the story; don't mess with retired career Marine combat instructors who still do 200 push ups before their morning coffee.

Do pedestrians count? Last year while riding on the sidewalk (yeah, yeah I know, but since the side walk is the only sane place to ride this stretch and I was only going 10mph, give me a break) I passed 3 youths, one of which thought his friends would laugh when he knocked an old man on his ass. They were all chuckling pretty hard as I getting up and getting pissed. I told the one who did the assault that if he felt bad ass enough to bring it on and bring his 2 buddies with him. They did and about 30 seconds later thought it was not one of there better ideas. Moral of the story; don't mess with retired career Marine combat instructors who still do 200 push ups before their morning coffee.

Semper Fi! awesome story I heard of an older retired golden gloves boxer giving it to his assailant in old meeechegan

Never collided with a car, but about 20 years ago I hit a pedestrian crossing the street between stopped vehicles. I don't filter forward in stopped traffic anymore because of that.

Do pedestrians count? Last year while riding on the sidewalk (yeah, yeah I know, but since the side walk is the only sane place to ride this stretch and I was only going 10mph, give me a break) I passed 3 youths, one of which thought his friends would laugh when he knocked an old man on his ass. They were all chuckling pretty hard as I getting up and getting pissed. I told the one who did the assault that if he felt bad ass enough to bring it on and bring his 2 buddies with him. They did and about 30 seconds later thought it was not one of there better ideas. Moral of the story; don't mess with retired career Marine combat instructors who still do 200 push ups before their morning coffee.
Interesting story. Old man riding on the sidewalk beats up three punks who knocked him off of his bike. Not sure if either party was thinking correctly.

Never really been hit except an incident on Black Friday. Was coming down Lafayette Street after leaving my LBS. Out of nowhere a Ford Explorer cuts in front of me and stops dead in my bike lane. I stopped about half a foot behind him and when I turned my head to see if I could pass my front wheel got hit by him in reverse. I banged on his rear windown and sort of kicked the car to move myself backwards fast. I cut around him and came up on his side and this idiot is in reverse looking down at his phone having no idea that he hit me. I just kept moving after he appoligized as neither me or my bike was hurt.

I was hit from behind by a 76-year-old lawyer who had a suspended license and fled the scene. Luckily somebody chased him down, he plead guilty to leaving the scene and I'm looking forward to a nice settlement from his insurance. His excuse: he couldn't see very well, and couldn't pass the license vision test to have his license reinstated.

I'm thankful I have only been tagged by a right side rear view mirror. Killed my watch. Gave me a reason to get me a better one. Got the guys license on camera, cops said couldn't help me because they didn't see it happen. (go figure)

In all my years of riding (knock on wood..) that's the worst I have had.

Interesting story. Old man riding on the sidewalk beats up three punks who knocked him off of his bike. Not sure if either party was thinking correctly.
Nobody got "beat up" They backed off pretty quick when they figured they targeted the wrong guy. So what is correct thinking when you are assaulted? Cry like a little girl?

Got the guys license on camera, cops said couldn't help me because they didn't see it happen. (go figure)Man, that explains why Atlanta has so many murders. Cops can't arrest anyone unless they witness the crime, leaving the murderer to kill again.

I was hit from behind by a 76-year-old lawyer who had a suspended license and fled the scene. Luckily somebody chased him down, he plead guilty to leaving the scene and I'm looking forward to a nice settlement from his insurance. His excuse: he couldn't see very well, and couldn't pass the license vision test to have his license reinstated.

I see him NOT getting disbarred for pulling a stunt like that. If he can't pass the vision test for a drivers' license, how does he expect to be able to read(let alone write) a legal brief.

Tonight I had a close call with a red light running cyclist. I locked up my brakes to avoid hitting him. A the only thing I said to him was "that's why you don't run red lights."

Hopefully his close call with another bicycle while running a red light will wake him up to what could have happened if I'd been riding a motorcycle or driving a car.

I've been hit many, many times. I'd like to thank my ninja-like reflexes for saving my brain (I don't ride with a helmet anymore... been in more accidents with one then without)

Twice doored, rear ended once. On one case of the door, it was from a double-parked vehicle where the passenger suddenly decided that the driver was taking too long.

I've run into a stopped car because they pulled a last-minute right turn signal. I've had several of those, and in none of these do I apologize.

Broadsided by a guy running a red light. I got off my bike and rolled onto the hood. No injuries, but the insurance company got me $4000. I've also been cut off by an idiot that thought he could make a red-light run during rush hour. He didn't, and he left 1mm of space between his bumper and the next car. I couldn't swing out into full traffic, so I just borad sided that idiot.

Sometimes I think of quitting and getting a cage myself, then talking to some cyclists on the road that are being idiots / causing accidents.

I've never been hit, and I have never hit an automobile. I don't think many people who have not had accidents will respond here, so I wonder how skewed this poll will get. It will definately make cycling look much more dangerous than it actually is, making me wonder about the usefullness of the whole excercise.

Broadsided by an SUV that ran a stop sign. Smashed my lower right leg in half (and then some), plus bone bruises, minor spinal compression, road rash etc. I was OK after 3 surgeries. I now have a nice titanium rod, plate, and 12+ screws to set off metal detectors everywhere I go! It only took me 9 months to walk again. Watch out for those crazy drivers out there.

Nobody got "beat up" They backed off pretty quick when they figured they targeted the wrong guy. So what is correct thinking when you are assaulted? Cry like a little girl?
You left the story open for interpretation when you said:


They did and about 30 seconds later thought it was not one of there better ideas. Moral of the story; don't mess with retired career Marine combat instructors who still do 200 push ups before their morning coffee.

How was anyone supposed to interpret that?

Using your Marine corps training to defend yourself is fine. You antagonized them, told them to "bring it on." Fortunately, it sounds like they decided not to bring it.

Riding across the parking lot as a teen, I looked back to make sure my friends were keeping up, a car stopped and as I went in between a couple of parked cars, I hit the rear door and quarter panel area of the car. Bruised my shoulder as I bounced off the trunk and pavement, bent the front rim and pushed the head tube back where the down tube meets. That Zayre Huffy Scout took a beating that day, rode the bike thru college too. After that one incident, I learned my lesson the hard way. No close calls even to this day. I'm thinking that was in the mid 1970's. Wasn't wearing a helmet either, still don't to this day. I slow down and worry only about myself when riding in traffic or a parking lot.

You antagonized them, told them to "bring it on." Fortunately, it sounds like they decided not to bring it.

They knock me off my bike and I antagonize them? Sorry, guess we should have had a group hug and a round of kumbaya.

I've been right hooked about 4 times - all in college and moving at very slow speeds and luckily no injury or damage. I also got broadsided once in an intersection where the person ran a stop sign - knocked off the bike pretty well but landed on a soft backpack and no injuries. The worst accident was getting sideswiped by a truck that resulted in a broken leg and some road rash. All of these accidents happened 20 to 25 years ago.

I've never been hit, and I have never hit an automobile. I don't think many people who have not had accidents will respond here, so I wonder how skewed this poll will get. It will definately make cycling look much more dangerous than it actually is, making me wonder about the usefullness of the whole excercise.

+1 Cycling is not dangerous, at least in Sacramento.

Broadsided by a red light runner at 30MPH. Shattered my femur, now I have a rod, pin, and plate in my left leg. I had a reflective vest, ankle bands, full lights, and reflective tape on everything. Kid just wasn't paying attention.

I've never been hit, and I have never hit an automobile. I don't think many people who have not had accidents will respond here, so I wonder how skewed this poll will get. It will definately make cycling look much more dangerous than it actually is, making me wonder about the usefullness of the whole excercise.

Good point.

I started to consider myself a "serious" cyclist when I turned 18, I'm now 42. Never been hit by a car, never hit a car. Never hit a pedestrian or other cyclist.

In fact, with one exception (later), I have never even fallen off my bike when cycling on road (that I remember). I've fallen off MANY times off-road, too many to count.

When the internet/web started to really wind up in my mid to late 30s, I started to read alot about proper on-road cycling etiquette and follow those procedures. Now, I'm a bicycle safety instructor (CAN-BIKE).

Sure, have had the odd close call, but my experience and the on-oline reading I did, combined with a healthy dose of paranoia and complete mistrust of humans, I was able to avoid an accident.

Now, to that exception:
In 2006 I was cycling along my usual haunt, a low-traffic back country road. This road is very twisty and narrow, with the odd semi or logging truck. I usually pull off for these guys.
Due to stupidity, I pulled an apple out of my handlebar bag and started to munch away.

Soon after I heard, then saw, a semi truck overtaking from behind, a bit too fast. So I thought to pull off and stop, whilst holding onto the apple and using my front brake.

It so happens that the DOT had put new gravel along the side of the road, but did not pack it down. My front tire hit that soft shoulder; that with a combination of braking the front wheel only and ridng one-handed, over I went. :o

Lost my apple in the ditch. :( It was a Honeycrisp, grown in Nova Scotia, picked only a few days before and as big as a bowling ball.

Bloody hell.

I've never been hit, and I have never hit an automobile. I don't think many people who have not had accidents will respond here, so I wonder how skewed this poll will get. It will definitely make cycling look much more dangerous than it actually is, making me wonder about the usefulness of the whole exercise.

How, it's just pointing out the legitimate dangers. Thankfully most of us haven't had any crashes either from having cars running into them or them running into cars. Sadly, there are plenty of us who have been hit by cars, usually it's because the driver was inattentive or distracted, or driving aggressively. The same is true for those here who have run into cars. They were riding while not fully paying attention to their surroundings, or were riding recklessly.

Or in some cases both the driver of the car and the bicycle rider were not paying attention to their surroundings or were reckless.

Sadly, the bottom line is that there are dangers out there on the road. Most of them are inattentive, distracted or aggressive drivers. And sadly, there are also plenty of inattentive, distracted and aggressive cyclists on the road as well.

How, it's just pointing out the legitimate dangers. Thankfully most of us haven't had any crashes either from having cars running into them or them running into cars. Sadly, there are plenty of us who have been hit by cars, usually it's because the driver was inattentive or distracted, or driving aggressively. The same is true for those here who have run into cars. They were riding while not fully paying attention to their surroundings, or were riding recklessly.

Or in some cases both the driver of the car and the bicycle rider were not paying attention to their surroundings or were reckless.

Sadly, the bottom line is that there are dangers out there on the road. Most of them are inattentive, distracted or aggressive drivers. And sadly, there are also plenty of inattentive, distracted and aggressive cyclists on the road as well.

Like I said in another thread, emphasizing the negative aspects, no matter how small, about an activity is the antithesis of advocacy.

Right hooked while passing a line of cars stopped at a light on the right. Light changed, motorist who was not signalling turned right across my path. Front wheel contact because I was expecting such a boneheaded maneuver; not really a hit.

Tried to beat a yellow light, light flashed red as I was underneath it; taxi driver was staring at the light like a drag-racer, jumped off the line with me in the intersection, nailed my rear wheel. Stayed upright and rode away, but it was a solid hit.

I'm not sure if mine counts. I was riding to the beach with my sweetie. We were waiting for a red light and three teeny-boppers in the convertible next to him were ogling away. He didn't even notice them. I, on the other hand, was laughing so hard I lost my balance and fell out of my track-stand, right into the R.V. that was next to me. Fortunately, I got up before the light changed.

Like I said in another thread, emphasizing the negative aspects, no matter how small, about an activity is the antithesis of advocacy.
I disagree. If we lie about the very real risks, when we are found out (which we will be) our credibility is shot and we will not have any impact at all thereafter. I want people to come in with their eyes open. I believe those who understand the risks are more likely to appreciate how magnificent the benefits are and will be more likely to stay with this wonderful activity.

I disagree. If we lie about the very real risks, when we are found out (which we will be) our credibility is shot and we will not have any impact at all thereafter. I want people to come in with their eyes open. I believe those who understand the risks are more likely to appreciate how magnificent the benefits are and will be more likely to stay with this wonderful activity.

The risks as defined in a&s are so exagerated as to lead one to believe that the benefits could in no way be high enough. If we're honest, really, we'll say yes, sometimes things happen, but sometimes things happen in every activity. Cycling, if we're honest, has very few injuries compared to a trememdous physical and mental health benefit. What I read here isn't honesty about the frequency of injuries while cycling, it's a gross over-estimate. And that, my friend, is far more damaging to cycling as a whole than being honest and saying that injuries are few, and most get through their cycling lives with nothing more than maybe a skinned knee, if that.

The risks as defined in a&s are so exagerated as to lead one to believe that the benefits could in no way be high enough. If.
I see the complaints in a&s a bit differently. It appears to me that the cyclists who discuss their unfortunate encounters with scofflaw motorists are complaining about events that should never happen, so they are indignant about the fact that these things have happened to them. Of course there's a bit of hyperbole, but that is because we, mostly, understand cycling to be inherently safe and it really upsets us when some arrogant and/or underskilled motorist undermines that outlook.

At least we can agree that, all things considered, it is better/healthier to sit on a saddle than to sit on a couch.

...... I want people to come in with their eyes open. I believe those who understand the risks are more likely to appreciate how magnificent the benefits are and will be more likely to stay with this wonderful activity.


Agree, there's more to cycling than just being able to balance oneself on two wheels, plus being forewarned is forearmed. I've seen many commuter cyclists come and go over the years, I'm sure more would have stayed cycling if they had a better understanding of what to expect and what measures to take in order to make their cycling experience more enjoyable.