Yesterday evening I hit a car on the driver's side at about 90 degrees whilst riding my recumbent. A
few years ago, I hit a white van in pretty much the same way (now how might that happen?). Even the
speeds were about the same - a bit more than walking pace at the point of collision.
The difference? When I hit the van I did a sort of cat-landing on the side of it and bounced off.
The van then drove off over my bike as it's front wheel & handlebars had fallen underneath it[1]. I
ended up standing in the middle of the road with a crumpled MTB between my feet, but most
importantly something nasty happened to my shoulder and it hurt for weeks.
This time I felt nothing, though I think my knees bent a little and I also found my bull's horn
handlebars were twisted forwards. The car panelling absorbed some of the shock also... After the
initial impact, I bounced an inch or two back clear of the car, unclipped and put my feet down flat.
I never fell and was completely unhurt - all very much an anticlimax. OK - I wasn't going terribly
fast, but had I been on an upright I would have supermanned at least half-way across the bonnet.
Touchwood I'm still feeling fine - though I could very much do without the hassle of it all at the
moment. But I'm quite delighted I seem to have got away so lightly - perhaps it was a fluke, but I
tend to think this is just another way recumbents keep you comfortable...
Now, perhaps there are other sorts of crashes where you really don't want to be on a recumbent. I
fully realise my study needs more data-points, but I'll be more than happy if I don't have to
provide any for a while. Perhaps someone else has some they would like to contribute?
[1] The driver did have the decency to stop a few dozen yards down the road.