Idiot in a car

[fimm]

From the Highway code:

286

If you are involved in a collision which causes damage or injury to any other person, vehicle, animal or property, you MUST

• stop
• give your own and the vehicle owner’s name and address, and the registration number of the vehicle, to anyone having reasonable grounds for requiring them
• if you do not give your name and address at the time of the collision, report it to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours

You've caused "damage... to ... property" so you must report it to the police. I have some notion that this applies to car drivers and not to cyclists, though the section I have quoted doesn't back this up. Anyway, you are legally required to report it.

 

[tmcd35]

From the Highway code:

286
If you are involved in a collision which causes damage or injury to any other person, vehicle, animal or property, you MUST

• stop
• give your own and the vehicle owner’s name and address, and the registration number of the vehicle, to anyone having reasonable grounds for requiring them
• if you do not give your name and address at the time of the collision, report it to the police as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours

You've caused "damage... to ... property" so you must report it to the police. I have some notion that this applies to car drivers and not to cyclists, though the section I have quoted doesn't back this up. Anyway, you are legally required to report it.

Fair enough, I did (1) stop and (2) gave name, address and registration number to the third pirty.

So I followed the Highway Code and gave him more information than I either had to or wanted to. I may just cover my back and pop in to the police shop later today.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

You've caused "damage... to ... property" so you must report it to the police.

Only if you have not provided details to each other. Where there are no injuries, and where both parties have exchanged details, then the Police don't come into it. They let insurance companies deal with any claims of damage to property.

 

[2Loose]

Only if you have not provided details to each other. Where there are no injuries, and where both parties have exchanged details, then the Police don't come into it. They let insurance companies deal with any claims of damage to property.

+1, both parties swap details....cover your own back and pop in anyway.

 

[Alien8]

What sort of car do you drive?
I have a Ford S Max and the A pillars are so thick and angled that they can hide whole cars from view when at junctions
I think this is a current trend in car design (even in small cars like Corsa and Fiesta) and maybe makes the people IN the car safer - but those outside more likely not to be seen

I think that's a different issue.

1) Looking but for some unfathomable reason not registering that someone is there - which I assume is the case with the OP. I can understand this happening and it being an (unexplainable) accident.

and

2) Looking but having your viewed blocked - and either not changing your position so you can see or not proceeding with appropriate caution. This is just poor driving.

 

[summerdays]

How are you feeling now?

Even at the time, I think the way I feel is beside the point. I'm more concerned about the other guy - I did ruin his day after all. But me, we'll I've calmed down a bit but am still utterly pissed off at the whole situation.

I asked because after the couple of very minor collisions I have had, I was left feeling very shaken up ... and got off and walked once I was clear of the area. I was aware that I wasn't safe to continue cycling with my mind in a turmoil.

Odd's on a few of us here are going to be on the recieving end of an unlucky driver, perhaps I will one day. If it happens, as hard as it may be, just remember - accidents happen, their are two sides to every story, it's only a bike and can be replaces - probably at the drivers expense any way, and you are still alive. If you can keep a cool head and remember all of that then the worst has already happened and it will sort it self out in time.

Like I say at the end of the day we were both upset and put out by this and accidents unfortuantly do happen.

The attitude of both parties are likely to be affected by the adrenalin pumping around the body after the incident ... however when I've had close calls and the driver has apologised, and then I've usually gone away feeling calmer about it than when they look at you and deny they might of been in any way at fault. Note as yet I've not had significant damage to either my bike or me - I might feel slightly differently, I can't tell.

 

[Camgreen]

Sorry, I'll apologise in advance if I'm putting the cat amongst the pigeons here. Having just read the last two pages I can't help but wonder whether the thread would've elicited the same responses had the OP been on the bike at the time and the unfortunate cyclist been in the car? .... I think we all know the answer! I can't believe that it's been suggested the poor b**ger might have been riding a stolen bike just because he was wasn't initially too excited at having to claim for his bike repairs through the OP's insurance. Maybe he was a little shaken by the experience too? Maybe he thought an insurance claim might involve a protracted sequence of events which would leave him temporarily out of pocket? We'd all be quick to advise the cyclist to get himself checked out with his doctor just to make sure there wasn't any some injury which might cause a problem in the days/months ahead, and rightly so. Hopefully they will, and in fact it's probably a good idea that insurance companies are involved from the beginning, just in case. Also, doubtless most posters would push for cyclist to report the accident to the police and in the process castigating the vehicle driver for his careless (some posters might even throw in thoughtless or worse) behaviour.

Not having a go at the OP, these things do happen, unfortunately and it appears on this occasion no harm has been done. +1 to the OP for having the courage to post and admit that he, like the rest of us, is fallable. It just struck me that the thread smacked a little of double standards in places.

 

[summerdays]

I do agree that we are probably being more sympathetic than we might be in reverse ... but it is an interesting perspective on how easily/quickly an accident can happen, and I think that we would be sympathetic even if it were 2 cars involved instead of a cyclist. The OP didn't need to own up on here, and it shows how just wearing hi-vis is not going to protect you, that the cyclist should have been trying to make eye contact with the driver and slowing down if they weren't sure that they had seen him, though obviously it is the responsibility of the person joining the road to make sure it is clear. The OP didn't even raise that as a mitigating factor as a defence.

We certainly don't know all the facts or have any information from the cyclist's perspective. Which would be interesting and no doubt uncomfortable to hear as well.

 

[tmcd35]

I'd like to thank Camgreen for the post I've been expecting for most of the day, and you are absolutely right. We have a quite a number of threads here from the cyclists point of view, naturally, I posted here because I thought it'd be sobering reading a drivers perspective of what I hope clearly was an accident and should never have happened.

For my part I'm not after sympathy, I supposeI was a little shaken up this morning and needed to talk it out a bit. So thank you everyone whose contributed to this thread.

In terms of keeping eye contact with the driver - thinking back over events, I wonder if I'd have seen him if he was wearing a clown suite and juggling. If I'm honest I'm afraid the answer is probably no.

I too was shocked at the suggestion the bike might be stolen, and hopefully I put that down quick enough.

I wouldn't mind hearing the other guys take on events, how ever difficult, now that hopefully he's had time to calm down and reflect on the incident.

I still have heard nothing from him though.

 

[Peter10]

From the Highway code:
You've caused "damage... to ... property" so you must report it to the police. I have some notion that this applies to car drivers and not to cyclists, though the section I have quoted doesn't back this up. Anyway, you are legally required to report it.

You only tell the police if you HAVEN'T handed over details. Car accidents are 99% of the time civil matters not criminal. It is an offense to without details at the scene of an accident or make off from an accident.

However, I believe policy in the police is to attend all PI (personal injury) accidents and vehicle vs pedestrian/cyclist but that of course is only if they get informed about it.

 

[asterix]

Brave of you to make this post.

May I ask if you have thought about why you failed to see the cyclist and how you could avoid such a thing happening again? The reason I ask is because it is indeed an event that I fear when driving and your opinion could be useful both to cyclists and other drivers.

 

[John the Monkey]

What sort of bike was it? I can't imagine that a bike shop could fix a frame for £50 ... even if they could fix a frame. I would assume that most frames unless very special/unique would be a write off after being bent in an accident.

I'd imagine it being a job of replacing the bent tubes (assuming the others are deemed sound). Yes, more than £50.

I'd be surprised if the poor bugger is riding again soon too. Last time a car hit me, (driver tried to enter a roundabout through my back wheel) I was off for three weeks (largely due to my elbow, which was agony any time the slightest bit of road buzz went through it).

 

[jonny jeez]

Sorry, I'll apologise in advance if I'm putting the cat amongst the pigeons here. Having just read the last two pages I can't help but wonder whether the thread would've elicited the same responses had the OP been on the bike at the time and the unfortunate cyclist been in the car? .... I think we all know the answer! I can't believe that it's been suggested the poor b**ger might have been riding a stolen bike just because he was wasn't initially too excited at having to claim for his bike repairs through the OP's insurance. Maybe he was a little shaken by the experience too? Maybe he thought an insurance claim might involve a protracted sequence of events which would leave him temporarily out of pocket? We'd all be quick to advise the cyclist to get himself checked out with his doctor just to make sure there wasn't any some injury which might cause a problem in the days/months ahead, and rightly so. Hopefully they will, and in fact it's probably a good idea that insurance companies are involved from the beginning, just in case. Also, doubtless most posters would push for cyclist to report the accident to the police and in the process castigating the vehicle driver for his careless (some posters might even throw in thoughtless or worse) behaviour.

Not having a go at the OP, these things do happen, unfortunately and it appears on this occasion no harm has been done. +1 to the OP for having the courage to post and admit that he, like the rest of us, is fallable. It just struck me that the thread smacked a little of double standards in places.

+1 on all of that, it was also my initial reaction..."why so kind?"

But, thinking on, something else has caught my attention.

This is a good example of a "cyclist aware" driver not paying enough attention before pulling out. Its an error, potentially a very bad one. But it doesn’t make TMCD35 a bad driver , or a bad person.

Fortunately, we are able to understand how the driver in this case feels and also able to sympathise because we "know" they feel awful about it and that they have a genuine care and awareness for cyclists.

So my point is, are we all guilty of assuming all drivers that make this type of error are the Bad driver (AKA boogyman) and don’t also (maybe later at home) feel awful for their mistake. The chances are that each "bad driver" we meet has only done this once, just like TMCD35 and will never do it again...and in that respect are just like the rest of us.

Perhaps, bulking all bad experiences into one "bad driver" persona is just not healthy...or realistic.



PS bravo TMCD35 for posting this.

 

[jonny jeez]

Brave of you to make this post.

May I ask if you have thought about why you failed to see the cyclist and how you could avoid such a thing happening again? The reason I ask is because it is indeed an event that I fear when driving and your opinion could be useful both to cyclists and other drivers.

....the most sensible post to come out of this thread so far...imo

 

[John the Monkey]

So my point is, are we all guilty of assuming all drivers that make this type of error are the Bad driver (AKA boogyman) and don’t also (maybe later at home) feel awful for their mistake. The chances are that each "bad driver" we meet has only done this once, just like TMCD35 and will never do it again...and in that respect are just like the rest of us.

Well that's reassuring. The not bad driver that hit me in 2008 put me out for three weeks, THEN the bad weather hit, and I started 2009 with lousy fitness and a huge amount of ground to make up (and with no opportunity to lay the "first commute" nerves to rest asap.) I'd have been less cross with them after my hand swelled up to twice normal size in the week after, and for the week that I hobbled around not even able to walk the dog because of the impact I'd taken on my hip if I'd borne that in mind.