First collision - and my fault!

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Well, mostly my fault anyway. I was filtering on the left in a queue of traffic moving extremely slowly - think 'crawling on their biting point'. There was a huge gap on the left by all of them, bar one car, which I initially stopped behind, then decided 'there's just enough room there'...

There was, but only in the 'technical' sense. It wasn't a gap I should have taken, due to the likelehood of what followed. As I was filtering at a very slow pace, having stopped, as the driver drifted ever so slightly to her left, it threw me, gave a wobble, and I clunked her wing mirror - fairly gently.

What surprised me most was her reaction... I stopped, and asked if she was ok. She initially just stared at me through the closed window, and said something I couldn't hear. I motioned for her to wind down the window as I couldn't hear, and she wound it half way down. I apologised, and said that there wasn't any damage (there wasn't a mark at all), but did she want to check. All she said was "You'd better not have scratched my car."

I replied "I haven't, but do you want to check?"
Her: "If you have, you're paying for it."
Me: "OK." Pause. I don't move. She doesn't move, just stays staring at me. Eventually after what seems like an age I say "Well are you going to check"
Her: "I don't THINK so. Carry on." (insert arsey tone)

I shrug and carry on, and don't see her again.
 
Years ago I came across a similar driver when I was filtering on the drivers side. My wheels went from underneath me but not majorly, but in that moment I fell towards the car, touched it with my face cheek but stabled my self, the window came down, 'is my car all right ?'
 
OP
OP
CopperCyclist

CopperCyclist

Veteran
I do filter o/s when safe, but it wasn't in this case, as traffic the other way was moving and too close to my line.

I should have just stayed behind her car til safe to do so. I was mostly surprised at the inconsistency of her anger about her car yet her refusal to check it.
 

Andy_R

Hard of hearing..I said Herd of Herring..oh FFS..
Location
County Durham
I think the important thing here is to only filter when there is space to do so. If the space is on the left, then filter on the left. If the space is on the right, then filter on the right. But ALWAYS expect the driver to do the unexpected.
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
I should have just stayed behind her car til safe to do so. I was mostly surprised at the inconsistency of her anger about her car yet her refusal to check it.

It was probably* because she was afraid to get out of the car in case she felt the compelling need to begin a passionate love affair with you. We meet people in strange situations. And later in strange positions... :smooch:

(* Ok, about 0.001% possible but it's nicer than thinking she only thinks about monetary matters.)
 

Keith Oates

Janner
Location
Penarth, Wales
I'd hardly call that a collision and if the car wasn't damaged (sctratched) then no harm done. Her attitude suggest to me that she also didn't think it was much of a knock and was possibly surprised that you asked if she was OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

ComedyPilot

Secret Lemonade Drinker
It was probably* because she was afraid to get out of the car in case she felt the compelling need to begin a passionate love affair with you. We meet people in strange situations. And later in strange positions... :smooch:

(* Ok, about 0.001% possible but it's nicer than thinking she only thinks about monetary matters.)

Isn't that how 'most' women pick a prospective mate?***

To quote Mrs Merton, "So Debbie McGee, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?"










(***BTW that was a joke, I am sure most women don't count a partner's bank balance as a contributing factor when picking a mate)
 

col

Legendary Member
Your right, some bloke cyclist filters wrongly and bumps her car, who does she think she is eh? :laugh:
 
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CopperCyclist

CopperCyclist

Veteran
[QUOTE 1632541, member: 9609"]It must have been a bit more than "fairly gently" for you to ask if she was OK. May be she couldn't work out if it was sarcasm or an excuse for a chat up ^_^[/quote]

Trust me, she wasn't 'chat up material'! I actually considered just carrying on, but felt that wasn't the right thing to do and should stop and give her the opportunity to check there wasn't any problems for herself.
 

Poacher

Gravitationally challenged member
Location
Nottingham
Are you sure her drift to the left wasn't deliberate? The female driver of an open-topped sports car looked in her mirror as she cut in to the left when I was filtering on the nearside a couple of years ago, then when I had checked over my shoulder for a gap, signalled right and overtaken her, gesticulated at the (crap) cycle path alongside the road and screamed "You should be using that!!!!".
This is a stretch of road where I prefer to filter nearside, after another driver deliberately swerved right to try and push me into a head-on when I was overtaking him. I really don't have many incidents, but these are ones that have stuck in the mind!
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Glad all of my commuting is done at times and on roads where there is no need to filter , on the rare occasions i see a queue it is not long enough to warrant trying to get ahead and save a minute or two so i take primary and wait .
I cannot make constructive comments on a subject that i have no experience of but i am glad you are ok , she sounds like a bit of a numpty but would it have been safer to filter when the car was not moving rather than trying to get through when the vehicle was moving?
 
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CopperCyclist

CopperCyclist

Veteran
Glad all of my commuting is done at times and on roads where there is no need to filter , on the rare occasions i see a queue it is not long enough to warrant trying to get ahead and save a minute or two so i take primary and wait .
I cannot make constructive comments on a subject that i have no experience of but i am glad you are ok , she sounds like a bit of a numpty but would it have been safer to filter when the car was not moving rather than trying to get through when the vehicle was moving?

Yep!
 
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