Well now I know...all cyclist accidents are our own fault!

[TonyEnjoyD]

Got into a discussion at work re a colleague who 18 months ago was in a life threatening accident.
Someone at work said that as he was going so fast on a steep hill that it wasn't the woman drivers fault she didn't see or misjudged his speed....

He was doing around 30mph, same as the cars down a steep hill, the car in front of him was 100 yards or so ahead and a car coming up the hill was waiting to turn right... You guessed it - she either didn't see him or misjudged his speed and he ploughed into the read passenger door, went through the window...out the other side window breaking his collarbone on the pillar and luckily his helmet was apparently relatively intact as it shattered as he hit the Tarmac face on.
The left side of his face was de-gloved and after 5 hours in theatre fighting to stop the bleeding they were able to save his left eye.

He is still off work, although the facial scarring is minimal as well as the graft to replace his eyelid, the damage he really has is psychological.
His marriage was nearly destroyed, he couldnt stand his 3 month old baby near him, and he still freaks out at revving car engines or car horns.

Needless to say that the person at work was severely put in his arrogant little place by me and he saw a side of me he has never seen before...and he's worked for me for 3 years.

 

[Ian Cooper]

Clearly the driver was to blame. But there has to be an advantage in assuming that every other road user is a complete moron, so that you don't go downhill at an intersection that has at least one of said morons waiting at it, and at a speed that's likely to throw you through the moron's car, when said moron might very well want to use a conveniently placed cyclist to instantly turn her car into a convertible.

So far, I've never gone wrong assuming that my fellow road users are all drooling imbeciles or raving psychopaths with a fetish for adorning the bonnets of their vehicles with my corpse. It does tend to modify my speed a bit, but the results are worth it, I reckon.

 

[400bhp]

. so that you don't go downhill at an intersection that has at least one of said morons waiting at it, and at a speed that's likely to throw you through the moron's car

A speed above zero is likely to throw you into a car - clearly speed will be a factor in the severity of the impact. The important thing is to be alert and, for example, cover brakes/take a wide line.

The OP hasn't said one way or the other what the cyclist did or didn't do, apart from hitting a car at around 30mph-let's not speculate that hewasn't paying attention (which your post infers)

Sh1t happens sometimes.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

A speed above zero is likely to throw you into a car - clearly speed will be a factor in the severity of the impact. The important thing is to be alert and, for example, cover brakes/take a wide line.

The OP hasn't said one way or the other what the cyclist did or didn't do, apart from hitting a car at around 30mph-let's not speculate that hewasn't paying attention (which your post infers)


Sh1t happens sometimes.

Unfortunately no one has really asked him what he did, if anything, to avoid the impact.
He didn't remember any of it until about six months ago following thrapy, and even then not the last few seconds.

He was down on his drop bars and unless you saw it happen you can oly assume that he attempted some sort of evasive action

 

[Recycler]

he saw a side of me he has never seen before...and he's worked for me for 3 years.

It sounds as if the car driver was stupid and it's horrible what happened to the cyclist.

However, unless this was genuinely a work related discussion, your subordinate is entitled to his opinion. You obviously, and understandably, don't agree with him, but are you letting your personal views get in the way of your professional role?

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

He's had the opinion that cyclists are in the wrong for taking an assertive road position and that drivers don't expect cyclists to be "in the middle of the road", also that cyclists shoud be aware that drivers may pull out/ round and that we should expect this and cycle in the gutter and slow as we approach a side junction just in case!

Please, all due respect but Get Real.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

The simple reason I posted this wasn't because I was disgusted at the attitude that I regularly have to fend off the arrogant drivers attitude that cyclists shouldn't be on the road as we have cycle paths, no road tax, no training and usually no insurance. The reason posted was highlighting the fact that a huge amount of drivers will take any opportunity to claim complete ownership of the roads and any other user just doesn't belong there, even to the point of it the others to blame for anything that happens to them and never the drivers fault.

There is blame on both sides in a lot of cases, there are bad drivers and bad cyclists just as there are useless drivers and useless cyclists. He was entitled to his opinion but was way out of line.
He understood that our disagreement was not and will never be detrimental to our working relationship, we're both too grown up for that.

 

[defy-one]

The police call it defensive driving - I call it defensive riding. If I can choose a footpath side road or quiet street running in the direction I'm heading, you better believe I'll take that and stay away from busy roads with lots of traffic. Assume every road user hasn't seen you, drives like an idiot and expect the unexpected!

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

 

[Recycler]

The simple reason I posted this wasn't because I was disgusted at the attitude that I regularly have to fend off the arrogant drivers attitude that cyclists shouldn't be on the road as we have cycle paths, no road tax, no training and usually no insurance. The reason posted was highlighting the fact that a huge amount of drivers will take any opportunity to claim complete ownership of the roads and any other user just doesn't belong there, even to the point of it the others to blame for anything that happens to them and never the drivers fault..

I can't disagree with that, but I do sometimes get the impression that some cyclists have the same idea in their heads.
The simple fact remains that we all have to share the same roads and, unfortunately, we are probably at the higher end of the vulnerability scale.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I think there is a fine line between "being aware" of other road users and trying to second-guess what they might do. This is a hypothetical example now, so as not to offend the OP's injured pal. But if the cyclist coming down the hill were to slow down then surely that might encourage the driver to make the turn rather than waiting? What I mean is, apart from being aware and covering your brakes, I don't think cyclists should slow down in situations like this on the off-chance that a car might make a wrong/impatient maneuvre.

Does anyone agree, or do you think my opinioin might change if I get hit one day?

 

[Jefferson Meriwether]

But if the cyclist coming down the hill were to slow down then surely that might encourage the driver to make the turn rather than waiting?

There's been the odd occation when I've been cycling down hill & there's been a vehicle (Going in thre other direction.) waiting to turn right; rightly or wrongly I decided against braking incase they interpreted it as an invitation for them to go across in front of me. I've always covered my brakes though and kept half an eye on them just in case they decided to go for it none the less.

 

[400bhp]

I think there is a fine line between "being aware" of other road users and trying to second-guess what they might do. This is a hypothetical example now, so as not to offend the OP's injured pal. But if the cyclist coming down the hill were to slow down then surely that might encourage the driver to make the turn rather than waiting? What I mean is, apart from being aware and covering your brakes, I don't think cyclists should slow down in situations like this on the off-chance that a car might make a wrong/impatient maneuvre.

Does anyone agree, or do you think my opinioin might change if I get hit one day?

Good point and I generally agree, especially if you were on the drops, then moved to the top bars in a more casual position.

 

[Mushroomgodmat]

He's had the opinion that cyclists are in the wrong for taking an assertive road position .

Well he needs to be educated then

drivers don't expect cyclists to be "in the middle of the road"

that I agree with, I honestly think most drivers expect cyclists to cycle in the gutter unfortunately

Anyway, hope your fiends on his way to recovery.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Well he needs to be educated then



that I agree with, I honestly think most drivers expect cyclists to cycle in the gutter unfortunately

Anyway, hope your fiends on his way to recovery.

Yup.

My colleague has been off just under 18 months - no idea when/ if he'll be back.

 

[PpPete]

There's a mindset issue with some car drivers, which goes beyond the whole right to the road, cycling on cycling paths thing.....

I had a downhill SMIDSY type incident earlier this year...fortunately I was able to swerve out of the path of the vehicle pulling out of a driveway into my path.
.
Subsequent conversation went like this:

Motorist: "I can explain"
Me "Don't even bother"
Motorist "Well it's not like you were a car or something"

Like my life is inherently less valuable because I choose not to adopt the same mode of transport as you....