Howard
Senior Member
So I was cycling down bethnal green road this morning and witnessed a car-cycle accident at close quarters.
I'm cycling east to west at around 8:50am. As usual the traffic going east to west is stationary so I start filtering on the right at around 18mph. The west east direction is empty of traffic so I drift over the central line into the oncomming lane to overtake a cyclist (full carbon road bike) who is also filtering on the right.
I'm now about a meter behind him and a meter to his right, I notice that on my left there is a car trying to turn right into the west east lane through a gap in the stationary traffic about 15 meters in front of us.
Realising the driver was going to pull out accross us I start slowing heavily (disc brakes - awesome). The other cyclist hasn't clocked the driver and is only able to brake slightly before hammering it into the side of the car as it pulls out. He manages to get the bike sideways before hitting the car so he rolls over the bonet. I stop.
The cyclist seems ok and remarkably gets back on his bike and cycles off after quickly speaking to the driver and his passenger. I follow him for a bit after snapping the registration plate. The cyclist doesn't acknowledge my presence and jumps a light further down bethnal green road where I stop. That was that.
But it left me thinking - who was at fault here? Driver for not seeing the cyclists, or cyclist for not seeing the car? Or both?
I'm cycling east to west at around 8:50am. As usual the traffic going east to west is stationary so I start filtering on the right at around 18mph. The west east direction is empty of traffic so I drift over the central line into the oncomming lane to overtake a cyclist (full carbon road bike) who is also filtering on the right.
I'm now about a meter behind him and a meter to his right, I notice that on my left there is a car trying to turn right into the west east lane through a gap in the stationary traffic about 15 meters in front of us.
Realising the driver was going to pull out accross us I start slowing heavily (disc brakes - awesome). The other cyclist hasn't clocked the driver and is only able to brake slightly before hammering it into the side of the car as it pulls out. He manages to get the bike sideways before hitting the car so he rolls over the bonet. I stop.
The cyclist seems ok and remarkably gets back on his bike and cycles off after quickly speaking to the driver and his passenger. I follow him for a bit after snapping the registration plate. The cyclist doesn't acknowledge my presence and jumps a light further down bethnal green road where I stop. That was that.
But it left me thinking - who was at fault here? Driver for not seeing the cyclists, or cyclist for not seeing the car? Or both?