Car vs bike Crash...

airbusboy

Morning,

I was out cycling the other day when a car pulled out i rode straight into the front left wing. I was riding my Giant TCR Adv Sl; first ride on the summer bike and within two miles i was on the tarmac..........

What's the best way to check the frame/forks for damage? My concern is they're carbon fibre and painted blzck so any damage is hard to spot. The only other damage i can see is superficial scratches on the levers/saddle etc???????

Any idea where i can get advice on who's to blame? (rules of the road etc?)

Any advice/help is appreciated.

petemadoc

Not sure about checking for damage but if he pulled out in front of you then the driver is a fault.

Could always claim for any damage on his insurance

kippy

As pete suggests, did he pull out of a side road? If so if you have his registratin number contact details i would report it to the police also.

I'b drop the bike into your local shop too and see if they can check for any hidden problems.

Monkeypump

I'd suggest getting the bike sent back to Giant to be checked. It's a pain and could take a while, but personally I'd want to be sure.

airbusboy

I was cycling on the left hand side of the road in traffic.... the traffic was slow moving and the car i was gradually overtaking stopped and a car from the other side of the road pulled out across our lane and down a side road.... i had no time to react and basically kart-wheeled over the bonnet. I do have a witness but I wasn't sure due to undertaking (as you do in traffic).......

Thanks for the replies guys.... it's really appreciated.

kippy

Do report the incident then if you have details, more pf a chance of pursuing a claim then too.

How are you by the way? hope you came off more ligtly than i did 2 weeks ago, i'm currently off work with a broken collar bone, broken shoulder & 2 ribs

journey_man_pro

this is why undertaking in traffic is dangerous. i doubt you will get the car drivers insurers to pay up.

i think its about time cyclists were forced to have 3rd party cover just like other vehicles that use the road.

airbusboy

Undertaking is dangerous but given the traffic was moving at 10mph then it's the only way to go about it. The other options is ride in the middle of the road..... ermm..... that doesn't sound great!

All good thanks Kippy... a few scratches/grazes/something muscular in my shoulder/ and possible damage to one of one small wrist bones?? I'm more concern for the bike... Giant noticed a scratch on the down tube ( just down from the head tube) unfortunately it's the place where the frame might suffer.... i'm hoping it's just a scratch.

kentphil

try and claim off the car drivers insurance as you have a witness. I did this last year after a car driver knocked me off my bike. It took several months and lots of phone calls, but having a witness is a great help.

curium

journey_man_pro wrote:

this is why undertaking in traffic is dangerous. i doubt you will get the car drivers insurers to pay up.

i think its about time cyclists were forced to have 3rd party cover just like other vehicles that use the road.

Surely the car driver has a responsibility to ensure it is safe to perform the manoeuvre before doing so. Equally, when undertaking (unavoidable as a cyclist on many UK roads due to no separate provision for cyclists) cyclists need to be cautious when passing junctions as it's reasonable to expect someone may want to turn into it.

In summary, I think you should chalk this one up to experience and move on. At best you'll get a 50-50 settlement.

rake

oh dear, sounds nasty.

pdw

journey_man_pro wrote:

i think its about time cyclists were forced to have 3rd party cover just like other vehicles that use the road.

Why's that? Are you aware of a lot incidents where cyclists have failed to pay for the damage that they cause?

Whether you have 3rd party liabilty insurance doesn't affect whether you have a 3rd party liability. If you cause damage be it with a car, a bike, a shopping trolley, or just by walking into something, you are liable for the damage that you cause.

In a car, it's very easy to cause damage that is far beyond your means to pay. This is why we have compulsory insurance, and why it's relatively expensive.

By contrast, it's much harder to cause a significant amount of damage with a bike. This is why premiums for 3rd party insurance are cheap, and indeed, why it's almost always included as standard on a household policy.

What other everyday activities should be subject to compulsory 3rd party liability insurance?

desweller

airbusboy wrote:

Undertaking is dangerous but given the traffic was moving at 10mph then it's the

It's not as bad as you might think. In fact I do most of my overtaking of stationary traffic on the right, as this is where drivers are most likely to be expecting motorbikes.