Rear ended by a taxi

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Armegatron

Active Member
Ill may put an edited video on YouTube (dont want to put the full thing on as the guy was very nice and I dont want him to get in trouble with his bosses).

Heres what happened:
Sunday afternoon, clear weather, good visibility. Im stationary behind one car at red lights. The lights have been red for some time. Im looking around taking in the sights, stood over the crossbar with left foot on the floor and right foot on the pedal. Next thing I know the bike shoots forward a few inches. I turn around and there is a taxi driver behind and the front bumper is touching my bike wheel.
We had a nice chat about it and the guy was very apologetic. I asked him to take more care next time and we shook hands and that was the end of it.

Only thing is helmet cam doesnt show the impact so Ive just ordered an MD80 for the rear that Im going to modify with a USB charger and attempt to bodge a case to protect from splashes - just in case :biggrin:

Vid link:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrFwCUPl9lk
 
Accidents (mistakes) do happen. The hard part is admitting the mistake and saying sorry. This taxi driver did, so although it was poor that he made the mistake in the first place, well done for admitting it.

:biggrin:
 

Molecule Man

Well-Known Member
Location
London
That's happened to me too. The taxi driver in my case was also very apologetic. It was definitely down to careless driving in my case, it happened just as the lights changed, and I reckon he was so intent on the precise moment the lights changed, that he forgot to look at what was right in front of his eyes.
 
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Armegatron

Armegatron

Active Member
magnatom said:
Accidents (mistakes) do happen. The hard part is admitting the mistake and saying sorry. This taxi driver did, so although it was poor that he made the mistake in the first place, well done for admitting it.

:biggrin:

Yep, I agree it was an honest mistake.
I was initially concerned that if he was able to misjudge distances when stationary then what kind of driving can be expected when moving - but I could see it was just a mistake and went easy on him. It could have been that he had stopped and gave enough room, but slowly rolled forward if the handbrake wasnt on.

Just drafted up some designs for a splash proof case for the rear cam, so its off to Maplins tonight :biggrin:
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
I would have been looking around before he hit me as I would have thought sh1t that engine sounds close! I don't trust any driver, except me, to sit the right way on a toilet.
 
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Armegatron

Armegatron

Active Member
Crankarm said:
I would have been looking around before he hit me as I would have thought sh1t that engine sounds close! I don't trust any driver, except me, to sit the right way on a toilet.

If Id have heard the engine I'd have been looking behind, but it was silent. Even listening back to the video you cant hear anything approach. This is why I guess he did see me, and coasted up behind me safely but failed to either put the handbrake on or judge the distance correctly.

I agree though, never trust drivers or pedestrians, or wildlife, or even other cyclists :biggrin:
 
Probably thinking to himself "Har-har - rear-ended the barsteward winker cyclist, then got away with it just by saying sorry..."
 
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Armegatron

Armegatron

Active Member
Twenty Inch said:
My opinion of cabbies is far lower than yours, evidently.
Ill get the footage put on tonight and you can make up your mind whether the guy is genuinely sorry or not.

Ill have to edit some bits out (I read out his reg, and he tells me his address, phone number driver number etc) so after its edited Ill update with a link to it.
 
JoysOfSight said:
+1

Not everybody is a maniac. Some are, but I think we'd go a long way to think of other road users as, well, ordinary people.

I've managed to stay safe and well by making exactly the opposite assumption. I've been involved in 3 collisions - two were black cab drivers, one was a minicabber. In the most recent collision, my front wheel was still under his taxi when the cabbie got out and collected badge numbers from the cabbies behind him, and then told me it didn't matter what I said, there was half-a-dozen cabbies who'd support his version of events.

I've also been punched by a cabbie after he drove at me at a junction.

I am of course discounting the innumerable close passes, left-hooks, and other bullying and dangerous behaviour.

However I'm quite prepared to believe that Middlesborough cabbies are better than London cabbies, so fair play to the guy for apologising.
 
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