accident

Adam Lea said:

I approached a roundabout (A24/A281 junction) intending to go straight on

Is this the roundabout?
http://tinyurl.com/2a4pq3

Quoted message said:

and joined the back of the queue. When I got to the front and a gap in the
traffic arrived I started to go forward only for the driver behind to shunt
me, and after shunting me continued to drive forward until I was on the
tarmac staring up at his bumper.

So you were directly in front of him, stayed in front of
him, and when a gap appeared for you, he just drove away.

I didn't sustain any injuries

None at all, not even a minor bruise or a graze?
If you did then this adds credence to your story when you
go to the police.

but I am a

Quoted message said:

bit concerned about possible damage to the bike (the gears seem to be
slightly out of alignment now). I can't see any damage to the frame. Sods
law states that this happens when I am riding the expensive folder rather
than the cheap mountain bike. I did get the reg number of the car but didn't
get any witnesses, as it is a bit difficult on a motorway style junction.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

As other will say, get the bike checked out, and send the
bill to the driver of the car.

Quoted message said:

Oh yes, I was in the primary position before the incident. The drivers
excuse was that he thought I was moving to the side.

You should definitely report this to the police, it sounds
like a deliberate shunt to me. Would he have done the same
if you had been driving a fuel tanker?

Martin.

Adam Lea said:

I approached a roundabout (A24/A281 junction) intending to go straight on
and joined the back of the queue. When I got to the front and a gap in the
traffic arrived I started to go forward only for the driver behind to shunt
me, and after shunting me continued to drive forward until I was on the
tarmac staring up at his bumper. I didn't sustain any injuries but I am a
bit concerned about possible damage to the bike (the gears seem to be
slightly out of alignment now). I can't see any damage to the frame. Sods
law states that this happens when I am riding the expensive folder rather
than the cheap mountain bike. I did get the reg number of the car but didn't
get any witnesses, as it is a bit difficult on a motorway style junction.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

Oh yes, I was in the primary position before the incident. The drivers
excuse was that he thought I was moving to the side.

Thanks

Adam

yes

if only to cover your self and hopefully to claim for any damadge done.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

"Martin Dann" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Adam Lea said:

I approached a roundabout (A24/A281 junction) intending to go straight on

Is this the roundabout?
http://tinyurl.com/2a4pq3

Yes that is the one. I was travelling down the Old Guildford Road (the one
that goes towards the top left in that image) heading towards Horsham.

I have negotiated that roundabout many times before. It is easier than it
looks, partly because it is downhill which means I can get up to the traffic
speed quickly.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and joined the back of the queue. When I got to the front and a gap in
the traffic arrived I started to go forward only for the driver behind to
shunt me, and after shunting me continued to drive forward until I was on
the tarmac staring up at his bumper.

So you were directly in front of him, stayed in front of him, and when a
gap appeared for you, he just drove away.

I didn't sustain any injuries

None at all, not even a minor bruise or a graze?
If you did then this adds credence to your story when you go to the
police.

I'll have a look tomorrow morning. The bike somehow broke my fall so I
didn't hit the road very hard.

Quoted message said:

but I am a

Quoted message said:

bit concerned about possible damage to the bike (the gears seem to be
slightly out of alignment now). I can't see any damage to the frame. Sods
law states that this happens when I am riding the expensive folder rather
than the cheap mountain bike. I did get the reg number of the car but
didn't get any witnesses, as it is a bit difficult on a motorway style
junction. Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

As other will say, get the bike checked out, and send the bill to the
driver of the car.

The thing is, can I do this if I don't have a witness?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Oh yes, I was in the primary position before the incident. The drivers
excuse was that he thought I was moving to the side.

You should definitely report this to the police, it sounds like a
deliberate shunt to me. Would he have done the same if you had been
driving a fuel tanker?

I don't think it was a deliberate shunt as the driver was apologetic and
kept asking me if I was alright. I think it was a moment of stupidity on his
behalf. Given I was heading east at 6:30pm he can't even claim the sun was
in his eyes.

What I suspect he did was look right for the gap, saw the gap, took off
without looking back in front of him.

Quoted message said:

Martin.

In article <[email hidden]>, Adam Lea
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I approached a roundabout (A24/A281 junction) intending to go straight on
and joined the back of the queue. When I got to the front and a gap in the
traffic arrived I started to go forward only for the driver behind to shunt
me, and after shunting me continued to drive forward until I was on the
tarmac staring up at his bumper. I didn't sustain any injuries

Never assume that you have not been injured - it can take a day or two
for any injuries to become obvious (or at least sfter the adrenaline
rush has faded) so always proceed on the basis that you /have/ been
injured if you've actually been knocked off.

Quoted message said:

but I am a
bit concerned about possible damage to the bike (the gears seem to be
slightly out of alignment now). I can't see any damage to the frame. Sods
law states that this happens when I am riding the expensive folder rather
than the cheap mountain bike. I did get the reg number of the car but didn't
get any witnesses, as it is a bit difficult on a motorway style junction.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

260: If you are involved in an accident which causes damage or injury to
any other person, vehicle, animal or property, you MUST
* stop
* give your own and the vehicle owner's name and address, and the
registration number of the vehicle, to anyone having reasonable grounds
for requiring them
* if you do not give your name and address at the time of the
accident, report the accident to the police as soon as reasonably
practicable, and in any case within 24 hours.
Law RTA 1988 sect 170

261: If another person is injured and you do not produce your insurance
certificate at the time of the accident to a police officer or to anyone
having reasonable grounds to request it, you MUST
* report the accident to the police as soon as possible and in any
case within 24 hours
* produce your insurance certificate for the police within seven
days.
Law RTA 1988 sect 170

So you should have taken all his details. I'm not sure how interested
the police will be if you report it now. The registration number on its
own probably isn't enough - it often doesn't seem to be enough even in
the case of a hit and run.

On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:59:36 +0100, "Adam Lea" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I did get the reg number of the car but didn't
get any witnesses, as it is a bit difficult on a motorway style junction.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

Yes yes yes yes yes.

Failure to stop for an accident is a very serious offence indeed. Even
if there's eventually not enough evidence to prosecute, the driver
will still be in deep doo-dah from the police. Do it. Do it NOW.

--
Ace in Alsace - brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom

Rob Morley said:

So you should have taken all his details. I'm not sure how interested
the police will be if you report it now. The registration number on its
own probably isn't enough - it often doesn't seem to be enough even in
the case of a hit and run.

I would say its worth reporting. If Adam doesn't have the driver's
details they might get them for him. When I was knocked off I reported
it the same evening. The police interviewed the driver (and the
witness) and then phoned me up to tell me what they had done and give me
the details of the driver and her insurance company. My driver was most
apologetic at the time but by the time her insurance company was
involved she had changed her story and I had to take them to Court. The
witness statement obtained from the police was very helpful in getting
the insurance company to settle the week before the hearing.

Tony

Adam Lea said the following on 30/07/2007 23:56:

Quoted message said:

The thing is, can I do this if I don't have a witness?

YES. As I've mentioned before, I was involved in a minor collision a
while ago whilst driving. I had reason to call the police (she refused
to give me any details, but could hardly drive away), and eventually the
case went to court. Despite no recorded witnesses, I won hands down.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Adam Lea said:

"Martin Dann" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Adam Lea said:

I approached a roundabout (A24/A281 junction) intending to go straight on

Is this the roundabout?
http://tinyurl.com/2a4pq3

Yes that is the one. I was travelling down the Old Guildford Road (the one
that goes towards the top left in that image) heading towards Horsham.

I have negotiated that roundabout many times before. It is easier than it
looks, partly because it is downhill which means I can get up to the traffic
speed quickly.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and joined the back of the queue. When I got to the front and a gap in
the traffic arrived I started to go forward only for the driver behind to
shunt me, and after shunting me continued to drive forward until I was on
the tarmac staring up at his bumper.

So you were directly in front of him, stayed in front of him, and when a
gap appeared for you, he just drove away.

I didn't sustain any injuries

None at all, not even a minor bruise or a graze?
If you did then this adds credence to your story when you go to the
police.

I'll have a look tomorrow morning. The bike somehow broke my fall so I
didn't hit the road very hard.

Quoted message said:

but I am a

Quoted message said:

bit concerned about possible damage to the bike (the gears seem to be
slightly out of alignment now). I can't see any damage to the frame. Sods
law states that this happens when I am riding the expensive folder rather
than the cheap mountain bike. I did get the reg number of the car but
didn't get any witnesses, as it is a bit difficult on a motorway style
junction. Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

As other will say, get the bike checked out, and send the bill to the
driver of the car.

The thing is, can I do this if I don't have a witness?

Quoted message said:

if it was a car car you probably wouldn't have one either.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Oh yes, I was in the primary position before the incident. The drivers
excuse was that he thought I was moving to the side.

You should definitely report this to the police, it sounds like a
deliberate shunt to me. Would he have done the same if you had been
driving a fuel tanker?

I don't think it was a deliberate shunt as the driver was apologetic and
kept asking me if I was alright. I think it was a moment of stupidity on his
behalf. Given I was heading east at 6:30pm he can't even claim the sun was
in his eyes.

What I suspect he did was look right for the gap, saw the gap, took off
without looking back in front of him.

owch, anoying as that is such a typical accident.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Martin.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Adam Lea said:

I did get the reg number of the car but didn't
get any witnesses, as it is a bit difficult on a motorway style junction.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

Yes you should because he should have given you his insurance details
(and I think you should have given him yours if you have any!) When I
was knocked off once the driver gave me his contact details and phoned
back later with his insurance details because he didn't know them at
the time.

Were there no other witnesses at all or did you just not get any of
their details because they didn't stop? The police can put items in
the local paper or on the local news "appealing for witnesses" if they
want to.

Hope you and the bike are ok - make sure you report it to the police
as soon as you can!

peter

"naked_draughtsman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Adam Lea said:

I did get the reg number of the car but didn't
get any witnesses, as it is a bit difficult on a motorway style junction.
Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

Yes you should because he should have given you his insurance details
(and I think you should have given him yours if you have any!) When I
was knocked off once the driver gave me his contact details and phoned
back later with his insurance details because he didn't know them at
the time.

Were there no other witnesses at all or did you just not get any of
their details because they didn't stop? The police can put items in
the local paper or on the local news "appealing for witnesses" if they
want to.

I'm sure there were plenty of witnesses but they would have all been going
round the roundabout at the time so by the time I had picked myself off the
road they would be long gone.

Quoted message said:

Hope you and the bike are ok - make sure you report it to the police
as soon as you can!

peter

I have reported it to the police this morning. Seems the car was registered
to a female driver in Hampshire, which surprised me a little. I have a
reference number but the police have told me that it could take some time to
make progress.

I will get the bike checked out this weekend.

On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:59:36 +0100, "Adam Lea"
<[email hidden]> said in <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I was in the primary position before the incident. The drivers
excuse was that he thought I was moving to the side.

Happened to me once: excuse was "I didn't see you". Understandable,
really, as I only had a 6" square rear light on the bike.

He was a bit taken aback when a bill for the thick end of a thousand
English pounds arrived.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Just zis Guy said:

On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:59:36 +0100, "Adam Lea"
<[email hidden]> said in <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I was in the primary position before the incident. The drivers
excuse was that he thought I was moving to the side.

Happened to me once: excuse was "I didn't see you". Understandable,
really, as I only had a 6" square rear light on the bike.

He was a bit taken aback when a bill for the thick end of a thousand
English pounds arrived.

Both of you were lucky. A bus driver in Portsmouth did that and carried
on driving with the passengers (and presumably him) clearly hearing the
sound of the bike under the bus dragging along the tarmac. The rider
who was still with the bike was killed and the driver got a derisory 6
months prison sentence. I recall that our resident bus driver defended
his actions at the time.

Tony

On Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:55:37 +0100, Tony Raven <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Just zis Guy said:

On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:59:36 +0100, "Adam Lea"
<[email hidden]> said in <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I was in the primary position before the incident. The drivers
excuse was that he thought I was moving to the side.

Happened to me once: excuse was "I didn't see you". Understandable,
really, as I only had a 6" square rear light on the bike.

He was a bit taken aback when a bill for the thick end of a thousand
English pounds arrived.

Both of you were lucky. A bus driver in Portsmouth did that and carried
on driving with the passengers (and presumably him) clearly hearing the
sound of the bike under the bus dragging along the tarmac. The rider
who was still with the bike was killed and the driver got a derisory 6
months prison sentence. I recall that our resident bus driver defended
his actions at the time.

I hope the driver who killed the cyclist pedalling slowly uphill in
Greenwich Park gets the sentence he deserves.

www.greenwichcyclists.org.uk/News/greenwichpark.html

you know? said:

Happened to me once: excuse was "I didn't see you". Understandable,
really, as I only had a 6" square rear light on the bike.

Yesterday, I went to the police station to make a statement about the
accident three weeks ago, when I got SMIDSY'd on a straight road, in the
middle of a bright day, with excellent visibility. The Police are
prosecuting the guy and think he may well have to re-take his test (like
me, they suspect his vision isn't up to scratch).

--
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.
Oolite-Linux: an Elite tribute: http://oolite-linux.berlios.de

Dylan Smith said:

you know? said:

Happened to me once: excuse was "I didn't see you". Understandable,
really, as I only had a 6" square rear light on the bike.

Yesterday, I went to the police station to make a statement about the
accident three weeks ago, when I got SMIDSY'd on a straight road, in the
middle of a bright day, with excellent visibility. The Police are
prosecuting the guy and think he may well have to re-take his test (like
me, they suspect his vision isn't up to scratch).

was some body knocked off his bike on the A308 between hampton court and
hampton, no idea as to how why. looked shocked rather than blooded but
then i only got a glance as i was driving my self and didn't want to
cause another accident/crash.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Adam Lea said:

Does anyone have any advice? Should I report this?

Hell yes, of course! I'm sure you could "find" injuries you havent yet
spotted if it helps your case, but you wont need them.