Fortunate or unfortunate?

[nappadang]

I've only been cycling since August last year and an incident today means I've been hit by a car twice in that time.
First time a taxi pulled out of a junction and hit me side on. No damage to me and only a slight wheel buckle to the bike.
Today I was clipped by an idiot who decided to try overtaking me as I was turning right. His wing mirror caught my bar end and dumped me in the middle of a quite busy road. No damage to me or the bike.
Twice in 6 months is unlucky but surely, to walk away from two RTAs unscathed balances this up, or does it?

 

[welsh dragon]

Sorry to hear about the problems you have had nappadang. I had a scare last year, just after I started and to be honest it scared the bejeesus out of me. Dont know what I can say to make you feel better or safer.

please dont let those Incidents put you off though. It's far from being all bad out there. Stay safe.

 

[nappadang]

Sorry to hear about the problems you have had nappadang. I had a scare last year, just after I started and to be honest it scared the bejeesus out of me. Dont know what I can say to make you feel better or safer.

please dont let those Incidents put you off though. It's far from being all bad out there. Stay safe.

I'm Ok about it, I doubt it'll put me off. I'm looking at a half full glass, both incidents could have been a lot worse.
Thanks for the kind words WD, it is always a help.

 

[vickster]

Lucky to be unscathed. I was dumped after a wing mirror vs handlebar..both me and car were moving fairly swiftly though. Battered and bruised but I count myself lucky to have not been squashed by following cars!

 

[nappadang]

Lucky to be unscathed. I was dumped after a wing mirror vs handlebar..both me and car were moving fairly swiftly though. Battered and bruised but I count myself lucky to have not been squashed by following cars!

I wasn't traveling fast but there was traffic behind that could have hurt. I'm glad to hear you came to no harm either.

 

[midliferider]

Feel yourself fortunate.
I have only had one minor accident and I escaped with no injuries but bike was damaged. Although it was not my fault at all, it make me understand the dangers of road cycling and to be more careful.

 

[jonnysnorocket]

Hopefully, that's your quota of incidents for a good while now
be safe

 

[swee'pea99]

Probably mostly just bad luck, but work on your sixth sense...anticipate....take it as read that they're all numpties and they're all out to get you, and insofar as you can, ride in such a way that they couldn't even if they try. Get in the habit of thinking: 'What's the stupidest thing (s)he could do?' Then be ready just in case (s)he does it. All the time. There's never any guarantees, and you can still get crocked even if you've done anything anyone could possibly have done. But you can learn to improve the odds.

Good luck out there!

 

[snorri]

Sometimes the outcome of incidents with motor vehicles is completely out of your hands, you may just have had bad luck.
I don't know how much roadcraft experience you have, and certainly don't want to deliver any lectures, but if you search the web for the term 'defensive cycling' you may find some tips to help reduce your risk.(taking care to ignore USA advice!) Also 'Cyclecraft', the book by John Franklin could help.

Here is one such article http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/245/commuting/7-tips-for-defensive-cycling/

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Don't give up your cycling, you are a fortunate person indeed!
Depending on traffic conditions, sometimes we take our lives in our hands, but as Snorri said, there are things we can do to minimize getting hit.

 

[asterix]

Agree with Snorri. In a car you can get away with being a lot less defensive than on a bike and people new to cycling may bring that attitude with them. However, being defensive does not mean creeping along in the gutter; it's often quite the reverse and asserting your presence on the road. As a car driver I far prefer dealing with cyclists who are confident and know what they want to do. (as in anything in life, provided it's not stupid!)

 

[swee'pea99]

cyclists who are confident and know what they want to do.

I think that's key. Be aware, be decisive, and be clear. Dithering is the enemy.

 

[I like Skol]

Probably mostly just bad luck, but work on your sixth sense...anticipate....take it as read that they're all numpties and they're all out to get you, and insofar as you can, ride in such a way that they couldn't even if they try. Get in the habit of thinking: 'What's the stupidest thing (s)he could do?' Then be ready just in case (s)he does it. All the time. There's never any guarantees, and you can still get crocked even if you've done anything anyone could possibly have done. But you can learn to improve the odds.

Good luck out there!

THIS^^^^

Agree with Snorri. In a car you can get away with being a lot less defensive than on a bike and people new to cycling may bring that attitude with them. However, being defensive does not mean creeping along in the gutter; it's often quite the reverse and asserting your presence on the road. As a car driver I far prefer dealing with cyclists who are confident and know what they want to do. (as in anything in life, provided it's not stupid!)

And THIS^^^^

It's the only way to ride and works v.well for me. It still didn't stop me getting left hooked last spring but fortunately it was slow speed and I got up to chat about it straight away. I'm not sure if it was just too random to anticipate or I had let my guard down but things can still happen.

Be careful, be confident

 

[nappadang]

Agree with Snorri. In a car you can get away with being a lot less defensive than on a bike and people new to cycling may bring that attitude with them. However, being defensive does not mean creeping along in the gutter; it's often quite the reverse and asserting your presence on the road. As a car driver I far prefer dealing with cyclists who are confident and know what they want to do. (as in anything in life, provided it's not stupid!)

I am confident on the road and have no issues with adopting a primary position if I feel I'll be safer. In neither of the two incidents could I have done anything better or differently (apart from deciding not to turn right). First incident I was passing a junction and a taxi pulled out and hit me. Yesterday, I signaled my intention to turn right with ample time to spare. I moved into a position close to the central white lines while still signalling . As drew alongside the side road I intended to turn right into, the idiot in the Astra thought he could beat me by putting his foot down. He crossed the central white lines, tried to overtake me to my right, clipping my handlebar with his wing mirror as he did.
Both times I've got details of witnesses who I stated I did everything correctly and both times the drivers have admitted (in front of witnesses) that they were to blame.
I'll always be the first to admit my failings but I know with certainty that I did nothing to cause either of these incidents.

 

[I like Skol]

I am confident on the road and have no issues with adopting a primary position if I feel I'll be safer. In neither of the two incidents could I have done anything better or differently (apart from deciding not to turn right). First incident I was passing a junction and a taxi pulled out and hit me. Yesterday, I signaled my intention to turn right with ample time to spare. I moved into a position close to the central white lines while still signalling . As drew alongside the side road I intended to turn right into, the idiot in the Astra thought he could beat me by putting his foot down. He crossed the central white lines, tried to overtake me to my right, clipping my handlebar with his wing mirror as he did.
Both times I've got details of witnesses who I stated I did everything correctly and both times the drivers have admitted (in front of witnesses) that they were to blame.
I'll always be the first to admit my failings but I know with certainty that I did nothing to cause either of these incidents.

You may have done everything 'correctly' and I am in no way blaming you for either of these incidents but we can always do things better, nobody is perfect!

There has already been mention of 'sixth sense' in this thread and it is nothing magical or mysterious. It's hard to explain but it is a mixture of experience, anticipation and suspicion. In the case with the taxi driver there may have been clues that you missed, maybe he never quite came to a stop, maybe he was chatting with his fare or glancing at the meter instead of looking at the road? The idiot in the Astra sound pretty random and other than listening to the road and engine noise of the traffic around you there is not a lot you can do about jerks like him.

It's not The Matrix, and we are not Keanu Reeves but by staying alert and using ALL the information available to us we can hope to get close