Getting hit by a car, is it a matter of time?

[Susan Repp]

Originally posted by Guest
Got hit by a car once, turned right in front of me. Tried to avoid it but no luck. The skidmarks on the road measured 10 meters. Flew right over her car and landed on my head. Luckily I didn't have any serious injuries, only one hell of a headache for a few weeks, but my bike was totally written off. While I was in hospital waiting for x-rays to be taken, my son (5years at the time) asked my husband if I died. Gee, I seriously considered to stop cycling. From that day I am a lot more cautious on the road and think for every motorist that I encounter. And you do get really stupid motorists out there!!!

I am glad you didn't give up cycling .. I thought about it also after my accident. One motorist who lives out where I was riding (boonsville) said she has horses/boxes etc and if she had to make a choice of losing her trailer/horse and a cyclist .......... yep, wait for it .. she would take out the cyclist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just hope to God I don't meet this woman .. I might just take her out with my good arm. It is not cycling friendly here in Colorado Springs .. your neck of the woods?

 

[bktx1]

Dallas has a large number of cyclists on the street, so there is some awareness. But it important to pick the time of day. I never ride after 5:00 P.M. Too many crazies on the road.

 

[jacatty]

[ It is not cycling friendly here in Colorado Springs .. your neck of the woods? [/B][/QUOTE]

That is dissappointing. I always heard CO Springs was a great cyclying town.

Down I-25 in Albuquerque, it is fairly good city to ride. We have a long path along the river that is no where near any street. So you not only are free of traffic safety concerns, you don't have to hear or smell cars. It streches about 24 miles.

The street are relatively safe, but you need to use your head -- there are several streets in town I would never ride.

Outside the city, people are generally OK. The road to the Sandia Crest is popular because of the climb and because there is a bike lane basically the entire way.

 

[Donald Yacovone]

Originally posted by Susan Repp
Hearing all your stories about motorists reminds me of why I have not been able to bike for 2 months. I was new to the sport last year. I wanted to add to the other outdoorsee stuff I do - didn't think I had entered into a dangerous sport! Sport being motorists taking you out at every opportunity!

I was merily pedlin' along on my lonesome enjoying the sunshine when whoooooooooosh .. I took off into the dirt, back onto the tarmac (head first, shoulder following quickly behind). I think it was a spectacular airborne feat with bike attached. Unfortunately, the person did not stop, the person coming the other way did; but, left in a whirl of dust. Remember .. if laying facedown on road .. lay still .. do not get UP! The ******* drove off, tried to thumb a lift no sun of a gun stopped. I mean what does a poor woman have to do?

Anyway, I am nearly mended and want to get out and train! Any good tips on staying alive in this dog eat dog world?

Dear Susan:
If you have a cell phone, keep it with you. I hate them, so I keep some change in my bike bag. But I also keep a card in my bag which has my name, address, work number, and name of someone who might be willing to claim my body. Its a jungle out there. But, you are not alone.
Donald

 

[JuneBug]

Originally posted by Donald Yacovone
Dear Susan:
If you have a cell phone, keep it with you.

Good advice. I keep mine when I am riding alone in a baggie in my jersey pocket. ((keeps it nice and dry)) But I turn off the ringer while I am riding.

I just know that you have to stay alert. You can't lose your temper but its hard sometimes when you just know they were not being 'ignorant' ....you just know they did it on purpose sometimes. .....But you can't be sure. some folks are really just NOT SMART and misjudge where you are or your speed or that you can't read their minds. things like that.

There was a famous triathelete , Judy Flannery, who got into the sport late and became an international star at age 50. She was killed by a car claiming to be 'out of control' . One wonders if the car was out of control or if he purposely hit her.
The only ones who know are the driver, who got off easy, and Judy. There is a documentary about her. Judy's Time.

 

[Donald Yacovone]

Originally posted by JuneBug

Originally posted by Donald Yacovone
Dear Susan:
If you have a cell phone, keep it with you.

Good advice. I keep mine when I am riding alone in a baggie in my jersey pocket. ((keeps it nice and dry)) But I turn off the ringer while I am riding.

I just know that you have to stay alert. You can't lose your temper but its hard sometimes when you just know they were not being 'ignorant' ....you just know they did it on purpose sometimes. .....But you can't be sure. some folks are really just NOT SMART and misjudge where you are or your speed or that you can't read their minds. things like that.

There was a famous triathelete , Judy Flannery, who got into the sport late and became an international star at age 50. She was killed by a car claiming to be 'out of control' . One wonders if the car was out of control or if he purposely hit her.


The only ones who know are the driver, who got off easy, and Judy. There is a documentary about her. Judy's Time.

June Bug:
I think anyone who has ridden for any significant length of time has accumulated a long list of horror stories. I lost count of the number of times cars and trucks deliberately got close enough just to see if they could drive me into the shoulder, or worse. One fool in the back seat of a car reached out to grab my handlebars. In California, another fool threw a full can of cheap beer at me--maybe it wasn't his brand. And there have been countless drivers who recklessly speed up just to make a right-hand turn right in front of a cyclist. I don't know--the devil is hard at work everywhere. We just need to keep at it and not hold the resentment. After all, what's the point of riding if it makes us angry and miserable?

 

[Susan Repp]

Originally posted by Donald Yacovone
June Bug:
I think anyone who has ridden for any significant length of time has accumulated a long list of horror stories. I lost count of the number of times cars and trucks deliberately got close enough just to see if they could drive me into the shoulder, or worse. One fool in the back seat of a car reached out to grab my handlebars. In California, another fool threw a full can of cheap beer at me--maybe it wasn't his brand. And there have been countless drivers who recklessly speed up just to make a right-hand turn right in front of a cyclist. I don't know--the devil is hard at work everywhere. We just need to keep at it and not hold the resentment. After all, what's the point of riding if it makes us angry and miserable?

Wow, it is amazing how many people have been near misses. It is rather scary; but, I refuse to give up. I just think oh, well it might happen again and it might not .. right!?!? I haven't a cell- maybe I should invest in the technology as it would have helped me with my situation. This a wonderful place to bike and some places are better than others. I work on the AF Academy (yep, the one in the papers) and it is great. The speed limits are low, 4' shoulders, hills, flats & scenery so when I can I get out there I
do. We are onlly a short distance away from the foothills and the bigger rocks of the Rockies so getting to higher elevation to train is fairly easy though at this time of year rather .. cold!

 

[Susan Repp]

Originally posted by bktx1
Dallas has a large number of cyclists on the street, so there is some awareness. But it important to pick the time of day. I never ride after 5:00 P.M. Too many crazies on the road.

I was hit around 10.00am - must not have had their burst of decaf .. probably just thought I was an ugly bump in the road or it was some mother thrashing her kids in the back seat. There are places to ride here, some good and some bad - guess I found out one of the bad. I think people just need to learn courtesy on the roads - are Texans better than Coloradans? I think they like to sneak up on ya and play "it" and fly off into the sunset! Have you been lucky on the roads?

 

[JuneBug]

Originally posted by Susan Repp
I think they like to sneak up on ya and play "it" and fly off into the sunset! Have you been lucky on the roads?

I heard a good one for cyclists last week. A pair of gals I ride with were out on a ride, just the two of them, when a driver forced them off the side of the road. They heatedly began to scream at him so he stopped, backed up and apparently threatened them again. Now they got really angry , took his license and reported him. The man was arrested and brought in. He angrily said he was tired of the bikers going up and down HIS street taking up the lanes. blahblahblah. ((Its one of those popular 'quiet' residential roads that is popular for a route we ride)). He got a ticket and a fine. I hope he figured out who really owns HIS road and he learned to curb his own temper. Can you imagine him being MARRIED? sheeese.

dont forget to get their license if you can and report these people if they push you off the road. Its called wreckless driving at the least.....and well..like it or not.....attempted murder at the worst.

 

[Susan Repp]

Yup, that ****** would last 5 minutes in my house! I feel for those ladies; but, quick thinkers got the ******* .. some people are just way too ignorant. I work, I pay taxes just like the rest of the world .. attitude adjustment don't ya think .. like a bicycle pump shoved some where?!?!?!

 

[Beastt]

Originally posted by JuneBug
I heard a good one for cyclists last week. A pair of gals I ride with were out on a ride, just the two of them, when a driver forced them off the side of the road. They heatedly began to scream at him so he stopped, backed up and apparently threatened them again. Now they got really angry , took his license and reported him. The man was arrested and brought in. He angrily said he was tired of the bikers going up and down HIS street taking up the lanes. blahblahblah. ((Its one of those popular 'quiet' residential roads that is popular for a route we ride)). He got a ticket and a fine. I hope he figured out who really owns HIS road and he learned to curb his own temper. Can you imagine him being MARRIED? sheeese.

dont forget to get their license if you can and report these people if they push you off the road. Its called wreckless driving at the least.....and well..like it or not.....attempted murder at the worst.

Laws vary from state to state and country to country. Where I live you'd be likely to get more than a minute or two of a sympathetic ear from a cop. Generally speaking, if an officer doesn't see a traffic offense, it's not enforceable. That doesn't necessarily apply to hit and run but if you're only forced off the road, the law sees it as one person's account verses the other. We do have a law that requires motorists to provide 3-feet of space between cyclists and their vehicle as they pass but, depending on the specific part of the state where you live, don't expect to ever see that enforced unless the cyclist is injured or killed. I'd bet that most officers don't even know the law exists and many consider cyclists to be a road hazard.

 

[sea]

That is the case where I live. Seattle has an official policy of supporting bicycling but the reality is that they have a number of un-official attitudes that are very disagreeable to bicyclist. The two most notable of those are: 1) The police attitude which is just as you describe it and sometimes not even sympathetic. We have somewhat the same law except it says motor vehicles must allow two feet when passing bicyclist. The police say it is unenforceable and hence, don't try to enforce it which fulfills their prediction. 2) The attitude of the Metro Transit drivers. They just don't want to bother with bicyclist. They managed to install a rule that you cannot put a bike on a bus or remove it in the downtown core area. Since that is where most of the transfers are done it effectively stops the use of buses by bicyclist. This in a city that officially prides itself on it’s attitude toward bicycles.

 

[jaz]

Originally posted by jaz
I was hit by a car whilst cycling to work two days ago, it wasnt my fault and the scary thing was there was no way for me to aviod the accident.
I came straight over a roundabout and to my left was a junction with two lanes, the one nearest the kurb was turn left only and the one next to it was a go straight/turn right, I passed the go straight/turn right lane and someone came flying down the turn left lane and attempted to go straight over the roundabout.
I could see the car coming straight for me and I was thinking he's going to slow down but he was still increasing speed, he got to within six feet of me and Im thinking he must have seen me and he's going to slam his brakes on but he didnt.
I mashed the pedals to try to accelerate out of his path but he smacked into the rear of my frame sending me flying and tumbling onto the road and I ended up laying on the path.
He stopped luckly and came over to see if I was ok (probablly because it was rush hour and there was lots of other cars who witnessed the hit) my mountain bike didnt fair too bad but my rear wheel looks like a pringle and the rear of the frame and the crank looks a bit bent so Im hoping to get a new bike off his insurance, he has admitted it was his fault and he said he didnt see me but I think he will get charged with driving without due care and attention.
Im hurting pretty bad due to banging most of my body and pulling loads of muscles, but thank god the only major injuries I sustained were a fractured wrist, fractured elbow and bruised ribs.
I normally ride pretty aggressively as I find thats the best way to get car users to notice me, but I also think Im good at spotting danger situations and changing the way I ride in accordance to the situation, but thats the scary thing about my accident as far as Im concerened I took extra care due to it being a roundaout and a dangerous situation but I still had no options left to me when I saw a car coming at me at about 30mph.

Just a follow up from my post in December 2003,
Despite the fact that the man who ran me over admitted he was in the wrong and the police confirming he was breaking the law no charges were brought against him.
This confirms my thoughts that car drivers are always given priority in the law over us mere cyclists or pedestrians.
At least I won’t have to cycle that dangerous road to work anymore as I was made redundant when I was still signed off on the sick by the doctor.
My wrist break was worse than 1st thought, I was in a cast for 7 weeks and although my cast has now been removed I still can’t put a lot of pressure on it, but I hope this will improve in time (doctor said it should).
After lots of hassle with his insurance company not believing a bike could be worth £1500+ (they seemed to think bikes cost £99 from a catalogue and are all the same) I received a cheque for £1400 to replace it so I can at least start looking for a new bike even though I don’t think I’m up to riding for any length of time yet, but my old bike is not too badly damaged (I made out it was a write off) so I’ve done all right as I can sell most of the parts off it or fix it up.
I still have to wait for my injury compensation but as liability is not being disputed it should just be a formality.
I just want to get out and ride, I can’t remember a time that I’ve been off a bike for so long and I really miss it but at least I can now afford to buy my dream bike with very few compromises so maybe it’s a blessing in disguise but not one I really want to repeat.
I think this experience will change the way I ride in busy areas but at least I wasn’t hurt more badly learning this lesson.

 

[Susan Repp]

Jaz

Really sorry to hear about your accident and your slow wrist recovery. I guessed you were from the U.K. from the roundabout trauma and then in the amount for a bike! I am an x patriot - also haven been slaughtered on the road recently. I think most peoples attitude is rather the same no matter where you are from. The people where I live and know were shocked by my experience; but, are probably the same ones that try to use us as target practice .. knowing somebody and their experience puts a face and person to the other side of the bike issue. I have decided I am going to put a HUGE target patch on the back of my holey biking jersey with "Next time please aim better .." People are so concerned with getting places way too quickly and they don't care who they take out. Maybe if the law protected the cyclist in these accidents maybe people would stop and think. If the law keeps throwing it back at us then things will never change. I wish I could get hold of the person that ran me off the road and tell them (after I beat them senseless) the effect it had on my life for 3/4 months and beyond. I am not afraid of going out there again though I think maybe it could happen again. The cost medically, job (luckily it didn't affect mine too much), physically, bike damage - just all round pain in the bum! Well happy hunting for your new bike - not the best way to finance a new dream machine; but, at least you got some compensation. Did you find another job?

 

[jaz]

Thanks for your kind words Susan, I’m glad you’re ok after your accident now as well.
I haven’t got another job yet but the jobs I’m qualified for are “hands on” jobs so I'm still signed off on the sick and couldn’t really start a new job even if I found one, but its ok as it gives me a bit of time to do a few things I’ve been meaning to get round to.
I agree with you when you say “People are so concerned with getting places way too quickly” for example here in the UK there seems to be a lot of news focus on the increase in the number of speed cameras on the roads, the media and general public seem to take the view that it’s wrong and only a way for the police to raise extra revenue.
I can’t understand this view as if you’re speeding your breaking the law, your putting people’s lives at risk (including your own) and you deserve to get caught and pay a fine.
I think this is endemic of the publics over reliance on cars and the rights they think they deserve to do what ever they want whilst in the privacy of their car and woe betide anyone who gets in the way.

 

[shopcountryside]

Two things just from my perspective. I was hit, slowly bleeding to death/stroke in my fractured skull and l was left to die on a low traffic road. No cell phone would have helped. If my husband hadn't found me, I would probably be dead. The issue of "on purpose/accidentally" doesn't matter to the cops. They aren't bothering to look. At least in my town. If you are ever in Evansville, IN don't let a car wreck you and assume the Vanderburgh worthless Sheriff's office will help. When I finally woke up 3 days later, I called them. The first f**king words out of Officer Justice's mouth were, "If this is a false report, we will have to throw you in jail."
GOOD GOD!
I think if we love riding, we keep doing it. If we get hit, we are screwed and I think it's worth the risk for the ride. Isn't anything in the world, excluding loved ones, that I enjoy more. I still carry a cell phone to turn in the minor offenders but realize the scary ones out there you won't see coming.

Originally posted by Donald Yacovone
June Bug:
I think anyone who has ridden for any significant length of time has accumulated a long list of horror stories. I lost count of the number of times cars and trucks deliberately got close enough just to see if they could drive me into the shoulder, or worse. One fool in the back seat of a car reached out to grab my handlebars. In California, another fool threw a full can of cheap beer at me--maybe it wasn't his brand. And there have been countless drivers who recklessly speed up just to make a right-hand turn right in front of a cyclist. I don't know--the devil is hard at work everywhere. We just need to keep at it and not hold the resentment. After all, what's the point of riding if it makes us angry and miserable?

 

[Susan Repp]

Good lord - I have seen futuristic movies that have stories like these .. it is pretty scarey to think that people have little regard for human life as they do! I am sure if we toated hand guns for our protection there would be an uproar!! (seen another thread on that subject). When my accident happened a cyclist told me he got into a discussion that involved a woman (right piece of work) who said she would take out a cyclist BEORE she toppled her horse box. "I love animals; but, lady slow the F****k down"! - just a slight suggestion Maaaaaaam! I am glad that we are all still in the land of the living AND still riding. People are always complaining about the price of cars/gas etc, blah, blah; but, nobody wants to get their sorry, tired butts out there on a bike .. boo hoo it is way toooooo strenous ehh!?!? We just have to keep going out there and fingers crossed will be able to tell another tale! KEEP ON BIKING .. all over the globe!

 

[Beastt]

Just a word or two on all of the speed = danger comments. It's not necessarily the people speeding who are the danger. We're all fed the same information about how dangerous speeding is but I think it's prudent to remember that even a motorist traveling at slow speed is a danger if they're not paying attention. Driving without paying attention is the danger to everyone, pedestrians, cyclists, other motorists, etc. Of course some people manage to speed and not pay attention which just makes them all that much more dangerous.

A sad fact of traffic enforcement is that enforcement of speed is seen as a source of revenue. It's the one traffic violation that those who collect the fines can always be assured will be available in abundance. I've had the severe displeasure of working within this system and I've heard the comments made by police management personnel, judges etc. "You need to start writing more tickets to raise revenue", kind of statements are common. It's not about safety, it's about money.

If safety were the concern, police would be more enthusiastic about regulating motorists who pass too closely, speed up to make the right turns in front of cyclists, etc. If all motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, etc., actually paid attention to their driving and those around them, speed would become far less of an issue.

 

[JuneBug]

Originally posted by Beastt
It's not about safety, it's about money.
If safety were the concern, police would be more enthusiastic about regulating motorists who pass too closely, speed up to make the right turns in front of cyclists, etc. If all motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, etc., actually paid attention to their driving and those around them, speed would become far less of an issue.

They should make it more difficult to get a license to drive.

I hear that in Illinois, they want a colored license plate for DUI offenders that are returned to the road. Its a start at least.
WHat do I care about the privacy rights of folks that drink and drive?
Get rid of the bad drivers by holding them accountable for their ...bad driving. This presents a decision to make about what is really fair. Is it less fair to tag a colored license plate on a person that likes to drive anhebriated or drugged; Or is it less fair for us to have to share the road with one?

If we run out of fuel, then bikes are kings.

 

[Susan Repp]

It appears to me that people just don't "like" us pesky cyclists and don't believe we even "belong" on the roads FULL STOP! It means they have to pay attention, get off their cell phones, stop beating their wild ones in the rear of their "Explorers" (the only exploring they have ever done is in the parking lot of Walmart" and have to deal with obstacles in their way between A & B. I had the same treatment when I drove a little Mazda Miata - you'd think I was a bug or a hood ornament. Vehicles in the hands of the wrong driver can and will be used as a lethal weapon!!!

Beastt .. your a policeman (I presume) .. has a cyclist ever been given a ticket for speeding?