Crisis of commuting confidence -what do you do?

[Nigeyy]

I've realized that I'm now getting a bit jittery these days on the road and am suffering a crisis of confidence. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm seriously considering either giving up cyclo commuting:
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• Late last year, I got rear ended by a car when I was on the bike.
• Last week driving the car, I had someone turn in front of me and I t-boned them.
• There was a hit and run on a pedestrian a couple of days ago on a street a couple of hundred yards from the house, it brings it home. The awful person who did it was highly likely drunk out of their minds or high.

I think the thing that's really got to me is short of not being on the road, I just can't see how I could have avoided these accidents. When the motorist rear ended me on the bike, his reasoning was "he didn't see me". Fast forward to last week: I have no idea how the person couldn't have seen me when I was driving the car. I mean, I was a in car, a fairly big object! You go through the scenarios in your mind -I think I've always been of the opinion in an accident you can learn something from it, and that usually there's some behaviour (by you) you can modify that will help you avoid accidents in the future. I really can say I'm positive there isn't anything I could think of doing differently (and that's certainly not to say I don't make mistakes cycling or driving, I do) -which is why I think I've become a bit jittery now. Perhaps more upsetting in my recent car accident is that I'm very sure if I'd been on a bike slightly ahead of where I hit her, she would have completely mown me over. Maybe it's also the fact I'm now getting older and you realize you're just not invincible.

Another thing that's got me thinking recently is the prevalence of people texting and driving -it happens alot (at least over where I am). I suppose it hasn't helped that recently the wife has started a new job and has been driving to work, and she keeps mentioning how much she sees it as well. I know people always like to complain whereever they are, but the driving culture here is very different -it's almost like an acceptance that you don't have to pay careful attention and it's just an accepted thing (I've seen people putting on makeup, shaving, talking on the phone and drinking coffee at the same time, texting, etc. I think the worst thing I saw was a guy at night driving on a motorway with his interior light on as he read a book on his steering wheel, though admittedly that was many years ago I've never forgotten it!). I know from comments similar things can happen in the UK, it's just the frequency over here is so much greater, and the apparent concern so much less (after all, why would you be on a bike? You belong in a big car!). Add in the drinking and driving as well which is treated as a joke over here......

All of this is bringing me to a conclusion that perhaps I might be better off not bike commuting. I love cycling, but perhaps now might be a good time to concentrate on the off road stuff.

Honestly, I really wish I lived in a country or an area where bloody motor vehicles were banned (or out of the hands of idiots -and yeah, I know you need them for police, fire, ambulance etc). I already know that where ever I retire too, I want the option of being able to get around without using roads open to motor vehicles (any ideas?).

So, anybody gone through anything similar, and what did you do?

 

[400bhp]

Very difficult one.

You know it's an irrational fear, but that doesn't stop it being real.

Some suggestions:

• Go out with some other commuters.
• Try some different roads and/or different commute times. Any off road routes for example.
• Is counselling an option?
• Stop worrying about how others drive and concentrate on your riding.

 

[Berties]

Mate you've had some bad times,I was rear ended in a car last year by a chap texting he hit me head down ,you do get cautious about things, I still go down hills with care but am getting faster,I dislike riding in town but do give back what I get from other drivers and too curtious drivers are the worse,being cautious is part of getting older,maybe,but stick with it

 

[Berties]

Mate you've had some bad times,I was rear ended in a car last year by a chap texting he hit me head down ,you do get cautious about things, I still go down hills with care but am getting faster,I dislike riding in town but do give back what I get from other drivers and too curtious drivers are the worse,being cautious is part of getting older,maybe,but stick with it

 

[Ian Cooper]

What's your alternative to bike commuting? Hopefully not commuting by car, as that is twice as deadly as bike commuting. Yeah, people tend to believe driving is safer, but it's not. If you're considering travelling by bus or train, okay - they are indeed safer, but they have the disadvantage of being communal. Personally, I prefer the freedom and control of commuting independently.

 

[MrJamie]

Sometimes im really confident with road cycling, other times it just seems risky especially when its purely for leisure. About a week ago I got a very close very fast pass by a chavmobile, didnt scare me at the time but made me think afterwards, then i was reading all the incidents on here that happened at the end of last week, then watching helmet cam videos on youtube, then speaking to my parents at the weekend and my mum telling me how the country lanes i use arent safe for cycling because drivers are all maniacs and then i made a silly lapse of concentration mistake on a shared use path and fell off while stopping, so I also feel vulnerable like i could fall off at speed or be knocked down by an idiot driver at any moment.

I think its people planting seeds of doubt and some poor luck on your part. If you can change your route you might be able to associate the old roads with danger and the new ones as being less full of idiots.

What's your alternative to bike commuting? Hopefully not commuting by car, as that is twice as deadly as bike commuting. Yeah, people tend to believe driving is safer, but it's not. If you're considering travelling by bus or train, okay - they are indeed safer, but they have the disadvantage of being communal. Personally, I prefer the freedom and control of commuting independently.

How do they work these statistics out? Is it a percentage of each type of commuters that have certain types of injury/fatalities or proportionate to miles travelled? I can imagine a higher percentage of car commuters getting in accidents, but i find it hard to believe that if you needed to travel 5 miles by road it would be safer on a bike than a car. Id very much like to be wrong though

 

[BSRU]

Just remember life is dangerous and if we stopped doing things because of fear we would not do anything.
Obviously danger is all relative, being in a lion cage with just a chair and whip seems completely stupid to me but for others it is no problem.
Although irrational fear can be difficult to overcome it maybe exacerbated by over thinking/analysing of any perceived danger.

 

[fossyant]

Just carry on - go for some 'recreational rides' too - i.e. out of traffic, at weekind in countryside.

Back in March I saw 3 cyclists down within 2 weeks, one right in front of me (I'm still filling in witness statements for him - did the Police one a month ago, and the insurance one has just arrived), then two just after the accident at the same junction a couple of days apart. That, though, is very rare. I have seen very few cyclists down over the last 5 years. Plenty of near misses though !

 

[Ian Cooper]

Read this webpage:

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm

It should put your mind at rest.

 

[fossyant]

Remember, you've been beaten if you stop.

Bumped into an ex. clubmate at the weekend - he's stopped cycling as his back won't cope with more than an hour, but still runs. His brother is still a serious cyclist. Anyway, he asked if I was still riding, and I said, "yes, 5 or 6 days a week". He said, 'oh thought you might have given it up since last time you were knocked off (10 years ago)' - my missus butted in, 'oh no, he's been knocked off since that'. Carry on.....

I work on an off about every 3 years. Bloody hope not, as it's taken 3.5 years to recover from my last car/bike incident and just now feeling my shoulder is good. Still having steriod injections into my muscles, but it's helped (next set in a couple of weeks).

Far more dangerous sports to do. Just think, if you are on the MTB, you've got to really watch out for those pesky trees that jump out at you, never mind the rolling rocks ! MTB'ers say you haven't had a good ride unless you've stacked it at least once on the ride !

 

[Red Light]

Read this webpage:

http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm

It should put your mind at rest.

You're being ironic right?

 

[Red Light]

The over-riding thing to remember is the health risks of not cycling are 20 times worse than the risks of cycling. All sorts of things could happen on the roads but the reality is they rarely do and when they do the consequences are very rarely serious. Yes you got rear-ended but you don't say it resulted in anything serious. Forums like this tend to be their worst enemy in that they tend to showcase the very few instances where it went wrong and give them a status out of all proportion to the many hundreds of millions of cycle journeys every year in this country where nothing happened. All I can suggest is you get some Bikeability training, read Cyclecraft and stay alert.

Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're not out to get you

 

[Boris Bajic]

The over-riding thing to remember is the health risks of not cycling are 20 times worse than the risks of cycling. All sorts of things could happen on the roads but the reality is they rarely do and when they do the consequences are very rarely serious. Yes you got rear-ended but you don't say it resulted in anything serious. Forums like this tend to be their worst enemy in that they tend to showcase the very few instances where it went wrong and give them a status out of all proportion to the many hundreds of millions of cycle journeys every year in this country where nothing happened. All I can suggest is you get some Bikeability training, read Cyclecraft and stay alert.

Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're not out to get you

Up to a point, Lord Copper.

If the alternative to cycling is sitting on a sofa and taking no exercise, then the sentence in bold may be true.

If the alternative to cycling is swimming, running, gym work and similar... then the assertion is inaccurate.

I cycle because I love to do so. I find gyms dull. Now that I am too old for competitive sport, I do not have to do gym sessions. it is a blessing.

Bad knees (motorcycle accident in youth) make distance running a painful and debilitating option although I used to love it.

Swimming is fun, but can get boring after the first 40 lengths.

Cycling ticks all the boxes for me, but (not altogether helpfully for the OP) I accept it has risks that are absent from many other popular forms of exercise. I find them broadly negligible and certainly not a factor that would turn me away from riding. But they exist nonetheless.

In the past I've suffered the sort of 'am I next?' angst described by the OP. There are certainly things you can do to lessen the risks - although it seems that the OP is doing them.

Experience counts for a lot - although it seems that the OP has plenty.

I found that with increasing years I have modified the conditions under which I'll ride. I still love the frisson of a wet-road descent, but I find myself driving on wet days more than I used to. That is an option for the OP.

I agree with Reg Light's point about forums highlighting the 'Eeek!' moments. I'm sure this has an effect. But your caution seems to come from your own recent experiences.

I'm inclined to counsel continuing to ride, but with caution initially. Whenever I've had doubts about the wisdom of riding I've pushed on and the doubt has faded with the next ten good rides.

Good luck. I hope you stick at it.

 

[fossyant]

Now that I am too old for competitive sport, I do not have to do gym sessions. it is a blessing.
.

I'm actually thinking of getting back into the gym on top of 5/6 days cycling. Got to work on my dodgy shoulder and get the muscles tip top (for the next crash) !

 

[dave2041]

You've been unlucky... Personally i feel that my chances of dying any other way are higher ~~~