d4devilx

Hi,

I got hit by a car on Monday this week and it happened as follows:

I was riding in cycle lane when the driver overtook me and suddenly turned sharply left parallel nearly half of my bike, without signalling, into the road thereby clipping my front wheel. However, he didn't stop after clipping and so due to contact, I lost control of my bike and fell sustaining bruises on knee and shin. The worst part is he just drove off! At the time I was on the ground confused and didn't notice the make or number plate except the type and colour of his vehicle.

I have reported for hit and run to met police (however I doubt anything will get done) with what I knew at the time later by email hopefully the crook gets nicked or something. Happened to me the first time so I was not sure what to do at the time, now I am sitting home missing work days until i recover.

Any suggestions for future reference or what I should've done? I was thinking of riding in middle of road when traffic is slow however I don't want to be a dic to other road users but that's my take.

mcours2006

I assume where you are you drive on the left side of the road. There isn't a whole lot you can do about it after the fact unless you were able to get a plate number. There are some things you can do in the future, both to prevent this from happening and to have some kind of recourse after the fact.

1. Using a mirror will alert you to cars coming up on your, and if necessary, take evasive maneuvers to avoid being right/left hooked. If you know there's a car coming from behind and perhaps signalling to turn you can slow down to let the car make the turn first.

2. You can ride further out or take the lane so that drivers have to wait for you to pass the intersection/driveway before pulling through. You shouldn't compromise your own safety for other drivers' convenience.

3. Get a camera on your bike to record your rides. Nowadays 1080p cameras are quite affordable.

Good luck.

JoeyBike

If you ride a lot, things will happen to you. Glad it wasn't more serious. Just be as alert and visible as you can. To many motorists, things like mail boxes, lamp poles, fire hydrants, and cyclists are seen as "non-moving" objects. This is why they hook you on turns. Because you are not moving, to them.

rumrunn6

aside from my rear strobe I've added a strobe to my outside drop bar. it helps keep ppl from moving back too soon