nearly knocked off bike

Yeah, I saw a guy today all in black on a black road bike about 6pm. No lights. Suicidal.

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence.

In my limited experience a lot of drivers do not expect a bike to be doing the speed that a road bike does, so he probably thought he could get past comfortably and then got a bit of a shock when he tried to.

Not really much you can do about it except make sure you are taking adequate possession of the road. Sitting in the gutter is inviting people to "nip past" whereas if you sit a bit further out you are both more visible and limit their ability to make dodgy passes. You also have more room to manoeuvre if they do try something stupid.

(but do tuck back in when it is safe for them to pass, nobody wants to be stuck doing 20mph for mile after mile in a car)

I try and be as visible as possible. I have 2 rear lights on the bike, one on my helmet and one on my saddle bag. I also have 2 front lights, one on flash and a powerful light on constant. I also wear a high viz orange vest.
I would rather look like a dork than get knocked off my bike. Oh, I also have reflective wrist and ankle bands to complete the ensemble.

Mr Will wrote:

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence.

Fine words tinged with a hollow ring. Sadly they matter little if you are a car drivers unfortunate victim either by malice or incompetence. In the heat of the moment, derogatory remarks and gestures towards any car driver at fault in a near miss, is more than excusable, IMHO.

Cars should expect bikes on the road these days - no excuse for not slowing down properly at junctions. Of course it is incumbent on cyclists to make themselves visible.

I've also had the problem of cars starting to overtake then deciding not too and sitting ring on your back wheel. You're then left wondering if they're going to try again and I don't dare move over to get into the right lane.

radiation man wrote:

i had rear light on and was in bright red and white and it was only 4.30pm

wow lol it gets dark in southport at about 7: 30 now but 4:30!! where do u live lol??

Got knocked off on Thursday cycling in a cycle lane at about 20mph by a car turning into a petrol station. He just didn't see me, luckily I saw what was going to happen at the last moment and took the impact on my side and backpack! Had flashing light reflectives etc.

Lay on the floor for a bit in the wet, driver was ashen and apologising. Took out both knees, hurt shoulder and hip, cut elbow; got some lovely multicoloured bruising!! Bike was fine! Scuffed saddle and hood cover only. Reported the accident. Was pretty shaken went to work and was all at sea for a bit,

Chap rang me that evening and I now have some new hood covers and a Selle Italia Thoork Team Edition on route to me via his wallet. I never even swore at the bloke just one of those things really and having ridden for eons was always lurking in the background. The roads are just so congested and everyone is in a 'rush' it really is like mad max out there.

i'd stake a pile of cash that it weighs on the side of those that don.t ride!

I'd agree with that..not a car/truck approaching so they don't see it.

gjw2309, If you do get knocked off(hopefully not)... First of all, always get the details of the driver, reg, make and model of car, address, phone numbers and probably the most important thing... witness details, get as many as you can because you'll need them.
If you're injured, go to the doc's and get checked and take photos of any injuries.
If you haven't got insurance get someone to represent you because the drivers insurance company will try to shaft you however nice you are to them but beware of who you get, there are alot of scumbag ambulance chasers out there.
Take photos of all of the damage to your bike and clothing and get on the net, get the rrp of everything damaged, don't get the cheapest price you can find because you tend to get 15% knocked off your claim for general wear and tear, so the rrp price should take your claim back up to the price of replacement. If you have a carbon frame or components that have minor damage, they generally replace them because the damage might not be visable to the eye. Don't take the piss because they'll send an assessor round to check all of the damage.
If you're anything like me, you'll find claiming uncomfortable because accidents happen, all i ever want is my bike repaired or replaced but insurance companies won't make it easy for you.

Just had a near miss cycling back from work - I live in the South Korean countryside and drivers here aren't careful at the best of times but today was my closest shave yet... Coming down a winding road in the middle of the lane at 40kmh (the same speed as the cars ahead of me), a BUS decides to try and overtake me on a blind corner, only to be faced with an oncoming car in the other lane... of course, he swerves back into his lane to avoid the car!! Some heavy brake action and some foul language (I'm sure it helped) managed to ensure I didn't hit the bus in front of me (missed it by a couple of feet at most), and some aggressive fist-shaking definitely made me feel much better afterwards. Not quite sure how I didn't end up on the side of the road to be honest. Anyway, my first real near-miss so thought I'd share....