Published May 28, 2008 by C.I.C.L.E.
By David Pulsipher
Getting in an accident – an inevitability for many of us who bicycle for leisure and transportation. A few weeks ago, on April 15 (tax day, I should’ve known) I got in my first real accident with a car. I was the victim of a text book right hook.
I was on my way to school, riding about four feet from the curb. As I approached a cross street, a man sped past and slowed down right in front of me to make a right turn. He came up on me so quickly that I had no time to react whatsoever. I clipped his car on the passenger side – sending me flying into the air as my bike fell to the ground.
Fortunately, I only suffered from minor abrasions and an extremely stiff neck for a couple of days. My bike was in good shape too. The front brake hood was slightly bent in and it was easily correctible. After assessing the damage on myself and my bike, I could divert my attention to the firm lecture I was about to give my offender.
The gentleman who hit me was apologetic, but the efficacy of my sermon was limited by the fact that my offender wasn’t a native English speaker. He appeared to be confused, and surprised that he had hit me. I was surprised, at how he could be surprised. How could you not see me?
Prior to being hit, I had built a fictitious bravado around the concept that I had never been in an accident. I attributed it to my skillful riding, careful position on the road, and the fact that I’m a relatively large gentleman. I reasoned that because I’m 6’4, 200+ lbs, it must be easy to see me. I wear a lot of lights, bright clothes, helmet etc. I also try to ride confidently – in straight lines and never in the gutter. All of these factors led me to believe that because I had been riding almost two years, full time, sans accident – that it would never happen.
But it did, and of course I’m grateful that my injuries were minor and my bike was ok.
There’s a saying that goes something like this:
Stupid people don’t learn from their mistakes.
Average people learn from their mistakes.
Excellent people learn from other people’s mistakes.
So the way I see it, my experience is an opportunity for me to be an average rider, and for you to be an excellent rider.
In that particular instance, I don’t know if there are things I could’ve done differently. But prior to it, I know that I rode with a slight sense of invincibility. Because I’d never been in an accident perhaps I became somewhat complacent about being alert.
After I first read Robert Hurst’s The Art of Urban Cycling, I was a surveillance hawk. Hurst talks about making perception your quest. Try to make it a competition to see how “safe” you can be. As a result, I was constantly on the prowl, looking for cars, lights, obstacles, pedestrians, etc. But as we all do, we eventually let our guard down when we perceive things to be routine, normal, and easy.
My most commonly traveled routes are the ones I take to school and work. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ridden them, but because of my familiarity with many of the nuances of the routes – I think I may have become somewhat negligent to the constant wild card, variable, x-factor… what ever you want to call it – of the other users of the road. No matter how many times you take a route – the one thing that will always be different is the people using the road with you. You can’t prepare for them not paying attention, talking on their cell phone, trying to beat you, squeeze through a tight space… etc.
As mentioned earlier – When I got hit I was not riding in a way that made me more vulnerable, but the reality is that you are always vulnerable – and it’s your responsibility to mitigate those risks by:
Riding predictably
Riding in a straight line
Not riding in the gutter
Not riding on the sidewalk
Riding with traffic
Wearing appropriate clothing
Having a properly maintained bike
Knowing your rights as a cyclist
If you are unclear or unconfident about any of these concepts – C.I.C.L.E hosts regular training sessions specially catered to your questions and ability. Email us at info@cicle.org for more information.
I think there are two things you can learn from my experience, and thus – I’m extending an opportunity for you to be excellent riders (if you aren’t already).
1. Remember that no matter how skilled you ride, and how familiar you are with your route – the ride can always be changed by a car doing something unexpected. Ride smart and be alert. Try to anticipate the unexpected. Don’t ride like you are invincible. It simply isn’t true.
2. Some accidents will be inevitable. What I did do right, was get right back on my bike and ride to school. Granted, I was a ticking time bomb just waiting to growl at someone who looked at me the wrong way – but I didn’t let that experience stop me from riding.
I’d certainly like to avoid this experience again, and other types of accidents. For those of you who’ve been in accidents, what have you learned from them and how (if it) did change the way you ride?
I think that I’ve gotten to that dangerous point now, where I’ve been riding nearly every day for the last year, and I can have a sort of cockiness or beginner’s confidence at times. It feels great to have a decent amount of skill in the saddle for the first time, but I similarly catch myself letting my guard down sometimes on regularly traveled routes, and I have to mentally smack myself back to attention. I agree with your assertion that we need to constantly try and anticipate the unexpected (even thought that sounds a bit like an oxymoron).
I’ve wiped out on the bike a few times, but luckily I haven’t collided with a vehicle (yet). I would add that pedestrians and even other cyclists can also be hazards to watch closely. As we know, people do dumb things in and out of their cars.
Also, I’ve heard stories of people getting back on their bikes after a collision and feeling OK, but it’s merely their adrenaline masking a more serious injury. So I guess it’s importatn to just take it slow and pay attention to your body as closely as possible too.
james – you make a good point about not pushing yourself after an injury. in my case, i really was fine… i wasn’t being macho.
a month and a half later i’ve still got some weird pink scars… and i’m wishing more that I would’ve talked to the guy and not let him get away because “he had to take his kid to school.”
since then i’ve got in several close calls… and i’ve been pretty snarly to people. every time, they’ve been apologetic. how do you walk the line between defensive, and not being a jerk? it’s tough
David, I was sooo glad to hear that you didn’t suffer any serious injury. It must have been so shocking to get hit.
Your post presents valuable lessons, as well as an opportunity to cover a topic that is uncomfortable but very important to address. What do you do if you get hit by a car?
Ideally, the cyclist, if s/he is able bodied enough to do so, should always collect the driver’s critical information. This includes: name, address, phone number, drivers’ license number, vehicle registration certificate, insurance carrier, insurance agent, insurance policy number and phone number for the insurance agent. Also, gather the names of any witnesses to the accident. If you are injured, or if there is property damage in excess of $500, be sure to file a report with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Like James pointed out, sometimes injuries do not present themselves until much later, and it’s important to have the driver’s information on hand in the event that you’ll need to make a claim later on. But, this information may be difficult to collect depending upon the motorist’s attitude, and/or your state of mind/body. And getting hit can be so shocking, that it’s sometimes difficult to keep it together (mentally), even if you’re not seriously injured. But having prior knowledge of what to do if you should happen to get hit may make it much more likely that you’ll take the right steps at the scene of a car collision.
I knew this one cyclist who got hit by a motorist that ran a stop sign, and he fell to the pavement. He did not seem to have any serious injuries, and he was wearing a helmet and did not hit his head, so he just sent the motorist on her merry way. Much later in the day he started displaying symptoms of a concussion and had to go to the emergency room. Apparently, even though he did not hit his head, the primary impact of the car hitting him was strong enough to cause a concussion. His concussion turned out to be mild, but the visit to the emergency room was costly.
So it’s very important that the cyclist not minimize his/her physical injury at the scene of the collision, and always collect the driver’s critical information.
Good point about not letting yourself get to complacent. I had the unfortunate (or fortunate) experience of almost getting hit by a car while riding my bike last Friday.
It was dark and the car was entering from a side street to my right. There was no stop sign for my direction, I had my headlight on and I was expecting it to stop as they were approaching a stop sign. Instead, the car slowed a bit and then accelerated right towards me. I yelled and swerved at the same time and they just barely missed my back wheel.
What did I learn from this? Don’t assume cars see me (particularly at night), light up better at night and ride farther to the left. I will get a brighter headlight and more reflective gear. I was riding outside of the door zone, but as there were no cars behind me, I could have been riding in the middle of the lane.
I’m glad you had your wits about you and survived this encounter Eric. You’re right about not assuming that cars can see us. Upgrading lights and reflective gear is a good idea for night riding.
One technique I use to help in these situations is to always try to make eye contact with the driver. Obviously this isn’t always possible, especially with cars approaching from behind, but I think that using the following rule hs saved me a lot of grief and potential injury:
If I don’t lock eyes with a driver, I am invisible.
james. i’ve always wondered about this counsel – locking eyes. i mean, i try to do it… but how do you KNOW that they see you… you know what i mean? i think its good advice to do everything you can to be seen. but at the same time, i think its slightly misleading to assume that you can lock eyes with people.
you know, they could be looking right through you, or looking close to you and you could assume they were looking at you.
i don’t know… just a rant, but i’ve thought about this and need to do some more thinking
I hear you David. If someone looks like they’re looking at me, there’s certainly no guarantee that they’re not just spacing out at the same time. But it seems like every time someone has made a left in front of me, or came out of nowhere from either side of me, it’s someone that wasn’t even looking at me.
I think my “rule” mostly applies to cars to my right that are about to cross my path to merge into traffic or make a turn, and sometimes even cars that are in the opposing lane attempting to make a left. They almost always stop (thankfully), but they don’t always look at me. And until I make eye contact, I assume that they are capable just taking off, and many times they do. I can’t think of too many instances when a driver looked directly at me as I approached, and then just went ahead anyway. Perhaps this is just my experience so far. I’m sure it happens.
Basically what I was trying to say is, when approaching vehicles that are stopped and waiting for a chance to pull out, don’t just barrel on through assuming that they’re going to wait for you. Instead, try making eye contact with the driver as you anticipate possibly needing to slow down or stop completely. Sure, it’s no guarantee of safety, but perhaps it could be one more tool in the arsenal, and possibly the difference between getting hit and making in home in one piece.
I’m glad you pointed out that it’s not foolproof though! Drivers (humans) are certainly capable of anything. In some cases, we’re always “invisible,” despite our best efforts.
james – good point, and i like your conclusion. never assume people see you. one “skill” i’ve found particularly useful is knowing how to whistle loudly. i use it like an obnoxious bell.