dwguy

im actually writing this the same day i got hit by a car. matter of fact, it hasnt been more than 2 hours ago.
Im a reckless bicyclist, but im gonna be more careful now. I tried running a light again. Not a smart thing to do. Especially in a high traffic area like NYC.
This would be the second accident for me with a car. Both of which has to do with running a red light.
Of course, im okay. Else i would be in the hospital and not home taking care of my wounds. Im lucky.
Let me be a warning to those who are prone to run red lights. If you wanna go fast, dont do it on the streets. Find road with as little traffic (no traffic) as possible, or go to a velodrome. I walked away with a few scrapes, you might not.
Your bike might be wrecked, but worse, it could be your life. Your mistake can also raise the driver's insurance rates. These accidents aren't good for anyone.

Be careful out there, anything can happen.

To the two that got caught up in my accident, sorry for anything i might have caused you

ctyler

Well, at least you finally learned your lesson.

webist

Sounds more like someone's car got hit by your bike.

Glad you are OK.

AndrewP

Did you just go through a red light, hoping there were no cars coming in the other dierction, or was there something else that contributed to the hit. You survived, but tell us about the bike, ! hope it can be fixed.

jeff williams

I hear ya..I get SUPER aggressive riding in traffic..but I try to be BETTER @ the road rules than some drivers. I just try not to get killed by some ignorant or inobservant cage.

I play dangerous in the woods on my mtb...a bit safer. Mind you, my worst injury so far was caused by a tree.

Ride safe guy, wear a helmet, watch those cars.

tulip

It's little wonder that so many motorists disrespect (to say the least) bicyclists, given that aggressive bicyclists are the ones whom they remember. It is our collective duty to ride responsibly. Otherwise, motorists will see every cyclist as obnoxious and dangerous, and act accordingly.

jeff williams

Well certainly I don't condone running lights..but to be agressive in your riding habits does not entail breaking laws. I simply ride as if I had the same rights as cars, I don't ride to the side of the road when @ a stop..I'll take my place in the row...and i have no problem being at the front of a run of cars when the light goes green. I'm across the intersection and to the side before the first car get halfway through.

I get respect because I ride well, observe the rules, am not impeding the flo-.

But I've had to bunny hop sidewalks and crap because of buses and ignorant drivers. I keep my line and ride ride hard. I'm as agressive as the traffic I'm riding in is.

I run across crappy cyclist too. I imagine they drive the same as the cycle -lousy.

tulip

Your style of riding is just like mine. I go to the front of the line of cars, go when the light turns green, and stake my claim when stopped at intersections. We should be seen, but for the right reasons, not for the wrong ones, like blasting through red lights and ignoring stopsigns.

Happy riding, everybody. I'm glad dwguy did not get hurt. I've crashed hard, been hit by a car, and have been airlifted to a trauma center. It's best avoided.

jeff williams

That sounds really bad, glad to hear you got back in the saddle. I've outridden 7 accidents since joining the forum, I've not yet been struck by a car..I posted this days ago...
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All my accidents have been equiptment failure or riding errors. My last was different as I had to go off track as a cyclist was stationary on the trail around a blind steep corner. Rather than striking him at 20 plus, I went into a ravine..(didn't look THAT steep in the 1/1000 of a second I had to look at it.)

I struck a tree head\ shoulder. Not super bad...quick coma..yadda, yadda..but I was back riding before I was told able ..( had more red in my fluids that are not supposed to have red in 'em) so I had to stop again for a couple weeks.

I have already accepted the fact I may be killed riding, road this increases!

Not to seem gloomy..it MAY happen, but I enjoy cyling soo much, and really, a job could entail the same or more risk....oh, for cash, not the enjoyment and health benefits of cycling.

It will happen....someday I'll die, hopefully during sex, if not cycling is pretty fun too. Rather be out doing something I love really.

To me the benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks...I do get real technical after a spill, I also wipe mostly when doing edge riding so I'm to blame...but you gotta get better somehow.

Hope you recover fully and put this behind you. Also learn from your mistakes...not that riding is dangerous, that in your case, unsecured cables etc will F-your wheel and you'll faceplant.

I learned that @ 12 yrs on the top of a 7 foot ramp. I still 29 years later have little bald spots where rocks clipped out my scalp. ( I don't think helmets had been invented yet '77.)


Take extra good care of yourselves folks, some injuries can remain with you for life. I'm lucky, but not stupid. >jef

dwguy

hey guys, one of you wanted to know what exactly happened.
first time, i ran the light, thinking, hoping that there wasnt a car coming.
second time, i wanted to get to the other side of the street. And seeing that the cars werent moving due to the red, i thought i'd punch through before the cars could accelerate. This was a two way avenue, and all in all, i didnt make it. Good thing the cars only started to accelerate.
Both accidents were head on collisions, as the cars came at me from the side. First time, it hit around the back. second time i think around the front.
When i rolled onto the hood of the car, i could have sworn that my bicycle flew 8 feet into the air. But upon immediate inspection, it seems as though only the stem was a bit jostled. I havnt gone to the lbs yet, but im gonna, i'm no expert bike mechanic.

Anyway, if anything like this ever happens to you, try to tuck in an roll. Being on an adult sized bike, you should be higher than the hood of most sedans, NOt suvs.

Also, i've recieved this wisdom from an older cyclist, which i should have taken more heed to. Anyway, its that i should ride "defense." If i come back from the LBS with just a jostled stem, and the guy with a cracked window, I think it would be a very rare case. Any kind of accident like this, most likely, it would be you in shambles. If you've ever taken physics, force is the product of mass and acceleration, and any car is going to have a lot more mass than any cyclist and their bike out there.

Im not gonna stop riding, but im gonna be more vigilent, and careful. All of you, thanks for the stories and support.

jeff williams

Learn from mistakes -makes you smart.
Repeating mistakes -makes you a fool.
You sound wise.

karenaurora

I think I've got a real attitude problem actually, I do go through red lights, and where I'm from there are maybe 10 cyclists in rush hour cycling on the same piece of road, so sometimes they'll be, me and maybe 2 others going through the lights, which feels really good! And perhaps one person will stay waiting. Whe I go through lights, I always look very carefully; i'm quite a nervous cyclist. It does upset me to think I am winding car drivers up, but why are they so annoying? most of them need more exercise - need to get on a bike, or walk, then they would know how stinky and greedy and selfish they are guzzling all that fossil fuel for their personal mobility indulgences. Can someone help me feel a bit more philosophical and mature about all this?

tulip

The best teachers set a good example.

HCHENNINGS

i always stop at lights. share the road goes for cars as well as bicycles. a couple of more minutes never hurts. forget anarchy. road rules are good for all. protocol. bicycles can get tickets, too. glad you are safe. regards, henry

tenacious me

As a cyclist and a trained motorcyclist let me tell you that -- as most of you know -- the intersection is the fatality center of the known universe of two wheelers....respect it or die.

DnvrFox

Repeating and old "defensive driving" maxim:

"First person through the intersection is the one who gets hit"

drakhoarn pxyco

you arse hope you get beter me i almoste getb run over all the time n ive onley ever had two acidents
both of em i smashed me face in wernt pleasent ironicly it were when i wer goin slow well the seccond one was i can barely remember wot happend. DP