Ever been hit by a car?

Had a few bumps with cars, but nothing of significance. All my broken bones and road rash came from collisions with bikes.

Now here are my tips for a safer, more enjoyable experience amongst autos.

Avoid uncomfortable roads. You wouldn't walk down a dark alley at night, would you? Give yourself the best chances by taking side roads, cut-throughs, and shouldered throughfares.

Riding with a group often helps as well. Safety in numbers.

Also, believe it or not, riding downtown is quite often more safe than the suburbs. The driving speeds are lower and people are more used to seeing bicycles in the road.

Make sure your skills are developed. Can you hop, skip and jump your bike? Are you comfortable in tight spaces? Are you relaxed on the bike no matter the speed or heart rate? Most crashes can be avoided by being "one with the bike".

Glad to see you are trying the road again.🙂

Yeah, interestingly enough my worst accident with a vehicle was during a race. Seems one of the road marshals decided to take a break on the last lap of a crit and gave the flag to a 14 year old. She promptly waved traffic through the intersection after the first pack went through. Problem was I was between the first and second pack. Three months later I could walk again (*sigh).

Couple of minor incidents otherwise, the worse being a bent crank.

Short of it, avoid places and roads you do not feel comfortable with. (Tight/no shoulders, heavy traffic, rush hour, etc). Ride regular courses so they get used to seeing you. Ride defensively and alertly at all times, to them you are just a 15 second delay, to your it's your life. Refrain from riding 30 mins before sunset till 30 mins after sunrise. Do not ride in questionable weather conditions unless you are already stuck in it. And finally luck and prayers couldn't hurt.

Climbontario said:

Hey folks,
Who here has ever been hit by a car while training? I have been hit 3 times in the past, and after the last time 10 years ago I gave up the sport. I recently bought a new bike and I'm training hard to try to get into race shape again, but I find that I'm always nervous of getting smoked again. Can anyone offer any suggestions to help me get over my fear, or not get hit anymore.....
thanks
dj😎

I've been hit, I remember four times... worst was a broken shoulder and a little lawsuit for about $15k that helped me pay for college. Most recently was about 10 years ago on an evening commute - some bike damage that she paid for.

I have no fear though, because I am supremely confident in my ability to recognize hazards, spot bad drivers, handle my bike in tight situations, and understand and manage my risk. I've been doing this long enough to have seen it all. I know I may get hit again sometime, I just don't worry about it.

I'm still afraid of getting "doored" when I'm riding around the city. Thats just me.

5 weeks ago on the way to work. Got a fractured skull and a lovely scar on my neck. Wasn't wearing a helmet. I never leave the house on my bike without my helmet now.

I must say the whole attitude that some guys have, of trumpeting their bike handling skills, and anticipation, leaves me nonplussed. The sad truth of it is that a motorist can, at any time, with no forewarning, do something colossally stupid. There's no power of intuition or foresight that can account for this. The classic is, of course, the motorist that comes from behind, and due to negligence, or sun in their eyes, runs right into you.

The big one for me, that has saved me, is to avoid, at all costs, going through an intersection in a gap in car traffic. That is, either be with the cars going through, or slightly behind. But get into a pocket and you are likely to get hit by someone turning left, when they come around the rear of the car just in front of you.