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Accident report (Edinburgh)
Bicycle hit broadside by car turning right out of side road. I bounced
off the bonnet and somehow ended up very quickly on my feet, not sure how. I had noticed the car nosing out to see past an obtrusively corner parked Landrover, which I was passing, so I braked so as to be able to stop if the car made a break for a traffic gap. But the car stopped so I lifted the brakes and carried on. As I was almost on the car, a little closer to its nose than I would have liked, but constrained by traffic in a narrow road, the car leapt forwards and smashed into me broadside. Minor grazing and bruises, no significant injury. Bicycle suffered bent front wheel, some snappable bits snapped off, severely bent rear carrier which was carrying heavy photographic gear bag. Only damage to gear inside the bag was a flash unit, probably the most fragile thing in the bag, and possibly under the point of impact. Driver admits liability and is willing to pay for the damage. Photographic documentation here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_m...7610172771136/ Shows site of accident and bike damage, but stupidly not the actual accident itself. Despite the fact that I was carrying a bag of photographic gear, in my shocked state the emergency of having bits of bike and my valuable camera gear bag strewn in the middle of a busy street had me quickly dragging everything to the safety of the pavement before I realised I should have organised someone to stop the traffic and taken photographs of where everything was. So that's photographs of where it happened, and the damaged bike, but fifteen minutes later and not in situ. Lessons learned:- 1. If physically able after accident, don't start rescuing things, take time to calm down and think things through, don't lose witnesses and evidence. 2. It was the driver's fault, but could I have avoided it? Yes, very easily. I felt uncomfortable at passing so close in front of a vehicle obviously wanting out of a side road. Since the side road was empty and he not only placed to turn right but well nosed out, I could simply have swung into the side road and gone round behind him, avoiding the risk. My discomfort was because I would pass too close to take avoiding action if he shot forwards. In other words I knew I was taking a risk. A small risk of the rather unlikely kind. But if you take risks like that every week for decades it stops being a small risk in the long term. It's about thirty five years of semi-annual cycling since I was hit by a vehicle, but that doesn't lessen the odds of a risk going bad. So the lesson is: stop being complacent and become more positively defensive again. 3. I could also have drawn the driver's attention to me by wobbling from side to side, thus moving laterally in his vision. There was plenty of room to wobble to the left after passing the Landrover, and I had a small winking white LED on the front because the light was dim. 4. In the city I often rely on small "see me" winking LEDs, plus plenty of reflective patches on the bike and my clothing, even reflective tyre sidewalls. That works well after lighting up time when cars have their lights on. But this was before lighting up time, but rather dark and overcast, so only some vehicles had their lights on. Anyone with lights off wouldn't see my reflective patches, and because it was still light, though dim, my light was dimmer by contrast than at night. So I need a better lighting strategy for dim-but-not-dark conditions. Suggestions for more lessons to learn gratefully received :-) -- Chris Malcolm |
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#2
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
In article ,
Chris Malcolm wrote: Lessons learned:- 1. If physically able after accident .... kick the ****in' living **** out of the retarded spastic who hit you. D. -- aigle_de_la_route Surly Long Haul Trucker http://2x2wheels.org/ |
#3
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
Chris Malcolm wrote:
Bicycle hit broadside by car turning right out of side road. I bounced off the bonnet and somehow ended up very quickly on my feet, not sure how. So has it been reported to the Police? Clearly a case of driving without due care, and if it hasn't been reported it won't get on the crash record (STATS19) That means less pressure to remove obstructing parking (we haven't had any reported crashes..) Jim |
#4
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
Chris Malcolm wrote:
4. In the city I often rely on small "see me" winking LEDs, plus plenty of reflective patches on the bike and my clothing, even reflective tyre sidewalls. That works well after lighting up time when cars have their lights on. But this was before lighting up time, but rather dark and overcast, so only some vehicles had their lights on. Anyone with lights off wouldn't see my reflective patches, and because it was still light, though dim, my light was dimmer by contrast than at night. So I need a better lighting strategy for dim-but-not-dark conditions. I have always felt that to be the most dangerous time, since it's very difficult to get seen. In daylight, bright and/or flourescent clothing is very visible, and at night even (modern!) bike lights can be easily seen, and reflectors work well. But I don't have a good solution for dusk (or dusk with rain/cloud) BugBear |
#5
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
"Chris Malcolm" wrote in message ... 2. It was the driver's fault, but could I have avoided it? Yes, very easily. I felt uncomfortable at passing so close in front of a vehicle obviously wanting out of a side road. FWIW I *always* pass side roads where there is waiting traffic close the the centre line. Reason being is that I absolutely refuse to be overtaken when there is a risk of someone pulling out and me getting sandwiched between the nose of one vehicle and the side of another. Looking at the pictures though, the road looks quite narrow, and if there was a car nosing out, I think I would probably slow down and let them go, rather than risk passing the front. If I were driving a car, or motorbike in the same situation, I would *definitely* give way and let them go. The assertive cyclists might argue "why should you give way?" The reason is of course to avoid collisions with the numptys who don't see you. Giving way can be a good thing, even when you have the right of way. So the lesson is: stop being complacent and become more positively defensive again. Absolutely. 3. I could also have drawn the driver's attention to me by wobbling from side to side, thus moving laterally in his vision. There was plenty of room to wobble to the left after passing the Landrover, and I had a small winking white LED on the front because the light was dim. I use a very bright fluorescent yellow jacket nearly all the time. I find that drivers give more space and respect and they behave as if I am part of the traffic when I wear it. If I don't wear it, I appear to be invisible to a lot of drivers. In fact, I find that when I am wearing the yellow jacket, drivers give way, when they could have quite easily zapped out before I pass them. Bright yellow is good. |
#6
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
On 26 Nov, 15:56, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Suggestions for more lessons to learn gratefully received :-) -- Chris Malcolm Firstly, commiserations; hope the bruises heal and the bike is replaced at teh driver's expense. As for beating yourself up about not taking photos, don't; adreniline surges don't always promote cool calm thinking. I've been in a similar position myself recently (but with no parked car and thankfully no collision.) Like you, I saw the car, he was approaching the junction slowly to turn left (looks like your guy was turning right?) The line of sight between my eyes and his was obstructed by his corner pillar, so I know that there was a chance he hadn't seen me. Like AndyC I edged out, and like you I slowed down. He came straight out and as he did so he saw me and stopped. I did an emergency stopped, the back wheel slid right and I (elegantly?) stepped off it so as to end up standing 30cm or so in front of his bonnet, glaring at him, and indicating that I was big enough to see. This was a nice bright morning, with no low sun; I guess he'd just started off, hadn't cleared his windscreen enough. He had passengers with him, one of whom may have warned him. As cyclists, we survive by riding defensively, but every time we put our bikes in front of a car, we are trusting to motorists a) to see us and b) to exercise due judgement. If they are driving with due care and attention (as most do), then it works well. But sometimes and in some places you HAVE to place your trust in them, otherwise you'd never get anywhere. So my advice would be to pick these times and places when the damage will be minimised if things go wrong. And definitely report it to the police. Peter. |
#7
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
J. Chisholm wrote:
Chris Malcolm wrote: Bicycle hit broadside by car turning right out of side road. I bounced off the bonnet and somehow ended up very quickly on my feet, not sure how. So has it been reported to the Police? Clearly a case of driving without due care, and if it hasn't been reported it won't get on the crash record (STATS19) That means less pressure to remove obstructing parking (we haven't had any reported crashes..) I did ring the police, but they said that they had no interest in accidents which did not involve injury to persons. If it was just damage to vehicles and other property it was purely a civil matter. On the other hand the driver said that he thought that particularly annoying view-obstructing parker, who often parked there, had probably caused a number of accidents. Perhaps if both the driver and I complain, with benefit of the photograph, and citing our accident? -- Chris Malcolm |
#8
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
On 26 Nov, 15:56, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Since the side road was empty and he not only placed to turn right but well nosed out, I could simply have swung into the side road and gone round behind him, avoiding the risk. Maybe - but what happens if/when he decides that there is a lorry coming with a tight squeeze so reverses a couple of feet just as you are passing... if he ain;t gonna see you when you are in froint of him he ain;t goinna see you behind him. And you haev arguably placed your self in a blind spot as some time during that manouvre anyway. I think you chose the correct "route" despite whatever happened. didds |
#9
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
"Chris Malcolm" wrote in message ... On the other hand the driver said that he thought that particularly annoying view-obstructing parker, who often parked there, had probably caused a number of accidents. Personally, I find it hard to accept that a parked car can cause accidents. They might block the view. They might be a source of annoyance and an inconvenience, but the accident is surely caused by the moving vehicles between themselves. That's not to say there are some utterly ridiculous places to park, its just that parking itself does not cause accidents. |
#10
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Accident report (Edinburgh)
Chris Malcolm wrote:
J. Chisholm wrote: Chris Malcolm wrote: Bicycle hit broadside by car turning right out of side road. I bounced off the bonnet and somehow ended up very quickly on my feet, not sure how. So has it been reported to the Police? Clearly a case of driving without due care, and if it hasn't been reported it won't get on the crash record (STATS19) That means less pressure to remove obstructing parking (we haven't had any reported crashes..) I did ring the police, but they said that they had no interest in accidents which did not involve injury to persons. If it was just damage to vehicles and other property it was purely a civil matter. On the other hand the driver said that he thought that particularly annoying view-obstructing parker, who often parked there, had probably caused a number of accidents. Perhaps if both the driver and I complain, with benefit of the photograph, and citing our accident? Grazing and bruises is injury. You don't have to say now that the injury is not "significant", and you may not know yourself for a while how significant the injury is. Report to the police again. ~PB |
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