accident today

izmology

Hi all,

I got into my first bicycle accident today and am looking for opinions on fault. I have a car drivers mentality and believe that if I hit the back, I'm likely to blame in the eyes of the law and will have to pay for his dent that my bike and head made. :-/

He did however brake late even though it wasn't an emergency stop. The wide angle lens on the video makes it look like i'm slightly closer than I am, but I did brake all the way in.

That's my position on it, but I'm still a little dizzy, have a black eye and a sore head and it was lucky I was wearing a helmet, or I'd have left a stain on his car. :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiRlUspEBeM

Any opinions welcomed. We exchanged details, but I'm not insured with the bike and feel that I'll probably end up paying to fix his dent and broken trim.

rjsterry

Check out the 'what to do in the case of an accident' thread over on Commuting General, but generally write as much as you can down while it is still fresh in your (sore) head. Also, get yourself checked out medically.

ETA: As others have now said, it seems like it was your mistake.

Cycloslalomeur

I wish you quick healing and all that but the fact that the vehicle you operated happened to be a bicycle makes no difference to who's at fault. You rear-ended another road user ergo you must cough up for the motorist's bodyshop bill. End of.

SimonAH

Yup. Sorry mate but you are culpable here IMHO.

izmology

Yeah, I guessed so. I don't have a problem. You live and learn. This is a section of road that's all speed humps and cars speed up and slow down all the way down. I'm always up behind them as I have a faster overall speed. Guess, I'll take it as a learning experience, lighten my wallet and not do it again.

Cheers.

EKE_38BPM

I'm in agreement with the others.
You didn't leave yourself enough time/space to avoid the car and went into the back of it so its your fault.

Edit: Good to see you're taking it on the chin and not trying to squirm out of it.

Welcome!!

Cycloslalomeur

Depending on the extent of the damage and the motorist's insurance premium, excess and no-claims bonus, it may be worth a pop to ask the motorist whether they're willing to claim and have you pay a lump sum to cover the reduction in no-claims bonus. Obviously it's all dependent on the motorist's good will, but in my case it worked. I rammed a Focus Estate in 2010, writing off the car's rear door and smashing my hip to bits. But judging by your footage the damage looks too minor to bother.

izmology

There was a dent where the top of my brake hit. The rest was padded by my handlebar bag. The plastic trim around the boot opener was also cracked. The dent will be the one that costs though. The paint wasn't broken, so hopefully they'll just be able to pull the dent and be done.

bails87

For future use, join CTC or British Cycling, on one of the memberships that gives you 3rd party insurance.

Get yourself checked out medically, and I hope the bill isn't too much.

kelsen

izmology wrote:

Yeah, I guessed so. I don't have a problem. You live and learn. This is a section of road that's all speed humps and cars speed up and slow down all the way down. I'm always up behind them as I have a faster overall speed. Guess, I'll take it as a learning experience, lighten my wallet and not do it again.

Cheers.

That's a very pragmatic view and one that'll make you a better cyclist. Hope it all gets sorted quickly, and welcome!

mouth

Your fault IMO. From how far away could you see that there was a zebra crossing ahead? Sorry.

kelsen

Mouth wrote:

Your fault IMO. From how far away could you see that there was a zebra crossing ahead? Sorry.

On another day the OP probably would've anticipated. We've all had our moments of relapse, from ogling the pretty lady walking along the pavement to thinking about what's for dinner later.

EKE_38BPM

Yeah, no-one is perfect all of the time. We all make mistakes. As the OP says, you live and learn, and it will make the OP a better cyclist in the long run.

PedalPedant

izmology wrote:

I'm not insured with the bike and feel that I'll probably end up paying to fix his dent and broken trim.

It might be worth looking in the small print of your home insurance, some policies do include an element of personal liability cover.

PP

pdw

Depending on the extent of the damage and the motorist's insurance premium, excess and no-claims bonus, it may be worth a pop to ask the motorist whether they're willing to claim and have you pay a lump sum to cover the reduction in no-claims bonus.

I think this would be a bad idea. If the driver makes a claim on their policy, there's no reason why the car insurance company shouldn't come after you to try to recover their losses.

If it's looking expensive then a better idea is to see if your household insurance policy will cover you. If you have one, then it usually will.

Cycloslalomeur

pdw wrote:

Depending on the extent of the damage and the motorist's insurance premium, excess and no-claims bonus, it may be worth a pop to ask the motorist whether they're willing to claim and have you pay a lump sum to cover the reduction in no-claims bonus.

I think this would be a bad idea. If the driver makes a claim on their policy, there's no reason why the car insurance company shouldn't come after you to try to recover their losses.

If it's looking expensive then a better idea is to see if your household insurance policy will cover you. If you have one, then it usually will.

I stand corrected then. Thankfully in my case the insurance company didn't bother to hunt me down. However I'd like to add a caveat to your remark about insurance companies' losses, namely that they don't have any. After a claim they simply raise the premium(s) one way or another. They always win in the end.

rick_chasey

S'a good experience for when someone does deliberately 'brake test' you.