I can confirm that being hit by a car at 30mph hurts!
- Thread starter wintonbina
- Start date
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MrHappyCyclist
Riding the Devil's HIghway
- Location
- Bolton, England
Nasty. I'm tending now to sound my air horn if I have even the slightest doubt whether a car will stop at the roundabout. If they were going to stop anyway, then no harm done. Glad it wasn't as bad as it could have been, and hope you get better soon.
400bhp
Guru
GWS.
I wonder if there any stats out there that show what the proportion of cycling accidents occur at roundabouts?
skudupnorth
Cycling Skoda lover
- Location
- Astley,Manchester
That sounds like a bad bounce ! Hope you recover soon and get back on two wheels.I know what you mean about being attached to certain bikes,my Spec Sirrus will get hung on the wall when she has got past it (if bikes ever do get past it ! ) Had some good trips and rides on that one including Manchester to Cornwall.
benborp
Guru
- Location
- further from Penge
Your accident sounds similar in many respects to my one big off. I was following a car at a safe distance downhill at about 30mph and the driver of the car behind was maintaining a good distance to me. There was a side road that joined the main road from the left at quite an oblique angle and had a very good view up the main road. This allowed the driver of the car that hit me to roll towards the junction fairly swiftly and then accelerate hard to make the gap between the two cars. He hit me hard. He was in effect aiming for me. The following driver hadn't been able to see where I'd been thrown (I'd ended up under another car) and there wasn't a single straight tube left on my bike.
I felt quite elated and lucky at the time (I had a brief moment before impact to realise I was in a lot of trouble) and I was in the best mental shape of any of the people involved. The most painful injury was a stubbed toe (though I did break an arm and my left ankle where the car actually hit me was fubared in terms of soft tissue damage).
The difficulties arose later. Although the incident at the time wasn't particularly frightening or painful the flashbacks were horrible and my edginess and jumpiness was hard to live with (a friend used to throw handfuls of coins at me and watch me catch them, which did actually help make light of the matter). I felt particularly isolated by many people's insistence that I shouldn't get back on a bike, and then when I did a succession of near misses would reduce me to a quivering wreck. The reason I mention all of this is because I found that it is important to be able to talk about your experience with people that understand. I could have really done with someone to share what I was going through in the days and weeks afterwards rather than carry the effects around for years. As you can tell I still need to let it out from time to time twenty years later. Something that happens as suddenly as this but leaves you dealing with the consequences - injuries, compensation, sourcing replacement bikes etc., for quite some time can affect you in ways that you wouldn't expect.
Hopefully you'll bounce back with out a care, I've suffered more serious injuries in other sports and in other collisions and not suffered any after effects. But if you do have any thoughts or experiences you'd like to resolve this is a good place to air them.
I felt quite elated and lucky at the time (I had a brief moment before impact to realise I was in a lot of trouble) and I was in the best mental shape of any of the people involved. The most painful injury was a stubbed toe (though I did break an arm and my left ankle where the car actually hit me was fubared in terms of soft tissue damage).
The difficulties arose later. Although the incident at the time wasn't particularly frightening or painful the flashbacks were horrible and my edginess and jumpiness was hard to live with (a friend used to throw handfuls of coins at me and watch me catch them, which did actually help make light of the matter). I felt particularly isolated by many people's insistence that I shouldn't get back on a bike, and then when I did a succession of near misses would reduce me to a quivering wreck. The reason I mention all of this is because I found that it is important to be able to talk about your experience with people that understand. I could have really done with someone to share what I was going through in the days and weeks afterwards rather than carry the effects around for years. As you can tell I still need to let it out from time to time twenty years later. Something that happens as suddenly as this but leaves you dealing with the consequences - injuries, compensation, sourcing replacement bikes etc., for quite some time can affect you in ways that you wouldn't expect.
Hopefully you'll bounce back with out a care, I've suffered more serious injuries in other sports and in other collisions and not suffered any after effects. But if you do have any thoughts or experiences you'd like to resolve this is a good place to air them.
Gez73
Veteran
Sorry to hear your tale, glad you're ok. I put a fairly big but lightweight light on my helmet after several near misses in similar circumstances. At least I can attempt to direct some illumination in their direction. The problem is blind-spots and that most drivers look for headlights in the dark and don't consider cyclists. No excuse in daylight though. Roundabouts off Motorway slip roads are the worst IMO. People forget they've left the M way.
col
Legendary Member
Blimey a 30 mph hit and nothing broke, good news and I hope all goes well for you.
Talking of pillars, I have a similar problem with the doors mainly as they have a wide black rubber centre section, and while waiting to pull out or onto roundabouts, you may see me rocking backwards and forwards to check these spots.
Talking of pillars, I have a similar problem with the doors mainly as they have a wide black rubber centre section, and while waiting to pull out or onto roundabouts, you may see me rocking backwards and forwards to check these spots.
Edge705
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Thornton Lancashire
Crikes hope you make a speedy recovery If I lived anywhere near you I'd bring a couple of cycle mags round and have a brew with you matey get well soon
kishan
Active Member
- Location
- London - Harrow
eeeek not good mate bikes can get replaced you cant.
I like Skol
A Minging Manc...
- Location
- Sunny Ashton-under-Lyne
Get well soon mate.
I had a similar 'incident' last night but it was luckily just a near miss. I think most of my near misses happen just like that at roundabouts.
On a positive note, for me and I hope for most drivers, it can take just such a near miss to make them realise the danger (if they are even aware of you during the near miss) and they will then factor in such dangers in the future (and hopefully sit rocking back and forth like Col, trying to check the blind spots!).
I am sure you will learn from the experience. I know I don't cycle in front of cars on roundabouts until I am sure they have stopped, you have to assume they all won't stop and be prepared to grab a big handful of brakes if needed. It shouldn't be necessary but you have to look after yourself, cars normally do a lot of damage to soft squishy humans.
I had a similar 'incident' last night but it was luckily just a near miss. I think most of my near misses happen just like that at roundabouts.
On a positive note, for me and I hope for most drivers, it can take just such a near miss to make them realise the danger (if they are even aware of you during the near miss) and they will then factor in such dangers in the future (and hopefully sit rocking back and forth like Col, trying to check the blind spots!).
I am sure you will learn from the experience. I know I don't cycle in front of cars on roundabouts until I am sure they have stopped, you have to assume they all won't stop and be prepared to grab a big handful of brakes if needed. It shouldn't be necessary but you have to look after yourself, cars normally do a lot of damage to soft squishy humans.
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
The one thing that made me feel better when offed by an errant motorist last year was the thought of him paying for a very shiny new (and more expensive than I could afford) N+1. Always a shame to lose an old friend but there can be silver linings (or in my case titanium rather than silver 
)
)Sadly not true if the vehicles are moving as they were in my incident and possibly in the OP's.
A key rule of seamanship is that you can tell whether a boat you can see will pass your bows or stern by checking how it moves relative to a static part of your own boat. If two vehicles are on a collision course at relatively constant speed, the relative positions will not change and the cyclist will stay in the blind spot until the impact, when they suddenly appear in the windscreen.
Conversely, a stationary car will not have as much of an issue because the cyclist will pass through the blind spot.
As for your "surely", yes, that's true, but when was the last time that you saw another motorist move their head to look around the A pillar's blind spot?
coffeejo
Ælfrēd
- Location
- West Somerset
Ouch, ouch, ouch. GWS.
On a frivolous note, alongside my best wishes for a speedy recovery:
As a youngster I drove around (badly) in a LHD Citroen Dyane van. I wasn't very good at judging speed, so I attracted attention from officers of the law.
Sadly for me, the giveaway blue lights on a following SD1 jam sandwich (or 528i) fell right into the blind spot where my rear doors met. This made all large, white cars look alike in the mirror.
But... as the Dyane had funkatronic soft suspension, I needed only to waggle the wheel and my rear windows lurched quickly right and then left. If I saw something on the roof of the following car, I moderated my driving. If not, of course, I didn't.
addictfreak
Guru
- Location
- Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Wishing you a quick and full recovery.
I have had so many near misses on roundabouts. As another poster said so many drivers approach the rb too fast an look too late.
I have had so many near misses on roundabouts. As another poster said so many drivers approach the rb too fast an look too late.