Rear Ended Again

[jimboalee]

In all seriousness now.

There is next to sod all you can do. Narrow lanes in dense traffic is always a nervous time for a person perched on a flimsey tube frame with flimsey wheels at front and rear.

In the eighties, my route home was round Salford Circus ( the island underneath Spaghetti Junction ). Entering the island was the most dodgy part of the whole trip. Then one afternoon there was a big hold up with a couple of police cars and an ambulance at the island.
I approached and when a policeman strode over to say something, I was even more nervous than usual.

The policeman said "Cyclist hit from behind. Silly bugger was right in the middle of the lane".

I decided to take a different route from then on.

 

[jimboalee]

Six hundred small holes in a wall. ( One for each day's cycling in two years ).

The person is asked to put their finger in one hole each morning, and if nothing happens, put a cork in it.
The person is told there might be a snake in the hole. ( Motorist who doesn't stop ).

In the OP's case, he's been bitten four times.

Instead of putting a finger in a blind hole each morning, the person has the option of walking to the other end of the building where it is possible to take a look in a larger hole before putting their finger in it. ( the alternative route ).

I am of the opinion the walk would be worth it.

 

[BSRU]

Six hundred small holes in a wall. ( One for each day's cycling in two years ).

The person is asked to put their finger in one hole each morning, and if nothing happens, put a cork in it.
The person is told there might be a snake in the hole. ( Motorist who doesn't stop ).

In the OP's case, he's been bitten four times.

Instead of putting a finger in a blind hole each morning, the person has the option of walking to the other end of the building where it is possible to take a look in a larger hole before putting their finger in it. ( the alternative route ).

I am of the opinion the walk would be worth it.

Unfortunately on the alternative route you have to walk through a cage of very hungry lions

 

[jimboalee]

Unfortunately on the alternative route you have to walk through a cage of very hungry lions

Would that be the mane road?

 

[BentMikey]

Now that was very catty, Jim!!

 

[JoysOfSight]

This topic displays some worrying failure to think things through.

I think we can probably accept that if you don't sit in the queue, but beside it in the gutter instead, you are much less likely to be rear-ended. However, the trade-off for this is that when the queue is in motion, you're out of everybody's sight (and mind).

To make a reasonable decision we need to know the expected consequences of being hit in a stationary queue, the expected consequences of being hit by cycling beside (not in) faster moving traffic, and the likeliness of both accidents happening.

Who knows the exact numbers? Fortunately, there are some proxy measures we can use. 85% of female cyclists killed in London go under HGVs. As far as I'm aware (willing to be disproven), they all went under the left of HGVs or were hit on "open road", none of them were killed when an HGV forgot to pull up at a red light.

Trading off one danger for another without understanding them is pretty silly.

 

[jimboalee]

Now that was very catty, Jim!!

Did it make you paws for a moment?

 

[jimboalee]

This topic displays some worrying failure to think things through.

I think we can probably accept that if you don't sit in the queue, but beside it in the gutter instead, you are much less likely to be rear-ended. However, the trade-off for this is that when the queue is in motion, you're out of everybody's sight (and mind).

To make a reasonable decision we need to know the expected consequences of being hit in a stationary queue, the expected consequences of being hit by cycling beside (not in) faster moving traffic, and the likeliness of both accidents happening.

Who knows the exact numbers? Fortunately, there are some proxy measures we can use. 85% of female cyclists killed in London go under HGVs. As far as I'm aware (willing to be disproven), they all went under the left of HGVs or were hit on "open road", none of them were killed when an HGV forgot to pull up at a red light.

Trading off one danger for another without understanding them is pretty silly.

The golden secrets of using the public highway. ( not secrets any more due to my typing them on this reply ).

1/ Be Alert.

2/ Be Aware.

3/ Think ahead.



HGV stood stationary at junction. Where is it going? Where will it move to?

To stay alive, keep well behind it until its completed its manouver.

 

[HLaB]

Arse. I've just remembered the time I was chased into a garage forecourt by a motorist with 'issues'. It was track-standing that set him off. Apparently 'you're not taking it seriously if you don't take your feet out of the stirrups'.

I had a driver who had issues with that too, it seemed like he couldn't get past me to get a better view of the red light, aww poor him

 

[jimboalee]

A weird one that happened a few weeks ago.

I was approaching a set of traffic lights in Warwick. I heared a frightful rumbling on the road behind me. I looked round and saw an APC ( Armoured Personell Carrier ) approaching. Track laying beast with a plume of diesel exhaust into the air.
Was it a real Squaddie or some rich swine playing army?

I didn't stay in primary. I didn't even move to the gutter. I stopped immediately and pulled my bike up onto the sidewalk well out of the thing's way.

It was HM Armed Forces. They were advertising Warwick carnival and had a 'Help for Heros' banner across the rear end.

What was doubly weird was I was left standing outside the White Hart on Saltisford, the Royal Warwicks' insignia staring me in the face.

 

[Davidc]

The golden secrets of using the public highway. ( not secrets any more due to my typing them on this reply ).

1/ Be Alert.

2/ Be Aware.

3/ Think ahead.



HGV stood stationary at junction. Where is it going? Where will it move to?

To stay alive, keep well behind it until its completed its manouver.

Nothing to argue with in that, but it doesn't stop some dozy twit who's going to hit something no matter what from rear ending you.

All any of us can do is is take every precaution possible but accept that there is a level of risk out on the roads that we can't mitigate. We can't control the other users of the roads.

The worst accident I've ever been in was a rear ending. I was stationary in a car and was hit from behind by another car who's driver admitted afterwards he'd dozed off. he was going to hit someone or something, it happened to be my car with me in it.

The OP asked what he can do to prevent rear ending. Ultimately the answer is that you can't (other than by stopping cycling but that's not very helpful)

 

[JoysOfSight]

To stay alive, keep well behind it until its completed its manouver.

True of course, but I think a better one is "to stay alive, keep out of the gutter".

I rather suspect that a large proportion of people crushed by HGVs on roundabouts and at junctions hadn't started behind the trailer and tried to ride past (although of course some do, and die too).

The point I was making was that, sure, some people get hit when they are not riding in the gutter. Nevertheless, the risk of being rear-ended pales into insignificance compared with the extra risks of riding out of sight / out of mind.

Every day I ride past a junction where a cyclist who had stopped at a red light was killed by a left-turning HGV that arrived after. Would it have done the same if he was out in the middle of the lane?

Stay safe, stay in the road.

 

[BentMikey]

The idea of not taking a junction in primary makes me want to roar with frustration.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I was hit from behind today after pulling up in traffic. I wasn't hit particularly hard but did have my rear wheel knocked out of true. This is at least the fourth time in the last couple of years. This is the second time in nearly the same spot - approaching the main roundabout from the south at Elephant and Castle. In all cases I was in primary and in three I was stationary behind queuing traffic. Two of the four I'm sure were caused by the following drivers' inattention and I have a suspicion that the other two were either malicious or that the drivers didn't have the faculties to deal with a cyclist in a road position they don't expect to be filled with cyclist (todays driver was attempting to pass despite there being no room in front or to the side of me).
I'm really not keen on splitting lanes in moving traffic and definitely not at E&C. I also dislike pulling to one side or the other to squeeze in to too small a gap to filter through queuing traffic just to negotiate back into the lane when it starts rolling again. Unfortunately these are the only ways I can see of having avoided these thumps.
I have a robust steel frame to deal with knocks like this and I've settled on a pair of wheels that so far have taken to being thumped or driven over remarkably well. What else can I do?

Hmmm... I don't know the road you're talking about, but my view:

Drivers rear end things - not just bikes. Aside form the malicious ones you mention, I think this is often simple inattention. The advantage of being in traffic is that it's likely to be a slower speed collision than otherwise. I've been rear ended twice (in a car) at low speeds in traffic by inattentive drivers. No damage to my car - there was a nice towbar fitted

Now, we know sometimes drivers just don't see cyclists. High viz and/or rear lights would help if that was the case (but again not solve the problem, as SMIDSY's show). But, it does absolutely nothing to help if the driver is not looking at the road ahead (this is when they'd hit whatever was there, it just happens to be you).

In winter, approaching the E&C, perhaps if you had a helmet mounted front light, giving a good 'over the shoulder' look behind you while slowing down would probably attract the attention of the driver behind you and avoid some of the 'not paying any attention whatsoever' rear enders. Of course, it would probably incense the 'what is that bloomin' cyclist doing in the middle of the road' bunch; so you win some and lose some. I find having head mounted AyUps means I can look at any approaching driver who's about to do something silly (like overtake into my lane) and I tend to get noticed! I think that a statically mounted rear light, however bright, flashing or not, can easily be 'filtered out', whereas if you are suddenly 'something different' (like the sweep of the beam from a bright light) you may be noticed. I don't generally use my head-mounted light for 'blindspot' checks when slowing though (I do sometimes for the 'there's some idiot about to overtake me' moments when you can hear the engine noise change behind you and don't want the guy to come past because it's not currently safe).

 

[magnatom]

The idea of not taking a junction in primary makes me want to roar with frustration.

You could always record your roar on your helmet camera and post it here, providing and escape for your frustration...


(And an instant youtube classic...)