Van pulled out infront of me today..

Wez

So I'd just left Tesco in Dundrum and I was taking the Bypass back home (towards Joe Daly's) when I saw a van parked up on the elft, under the new bridge with it's hazards on.. I'd been backpedalling (on my fixie) since the top of the hill to prevent myself going too fast.

When I came closer to the van, it started to pull out to the right, I started shouting and I began to pull hard to the right thinkin he was going straight on, when it became a race, with him pulling a U-turn. I barely skimmed his front right bumper, when I smacked into a high curb, sending me flying through the air, about 10-15ft, hit the ground rolling, sliding and eventually coming to a halt. I went to get up and chase the van as it looked like he was driving off.. I could barely move with the pain, unable to stand anyway. He then stopped (with the small crowd of cars watching) and came over asking if I was alright. I started shouting how he wasn't looking/listening/properly indicating and with a glazed over look on his face, eventually goes "look, I'll throw ya a oner for the damage" - with that I look for my bike, see nothing too badly wrong, apart from the chain and bent handle bars and got him to give me 150 for damage and I tried to drill it into him to take this as a warning, trying to save other cyclists the same pain!

He offered me a lift to a shop, but I wasn't too far from Daly's, so I declined, having already seen his driving skills.. Picked all my peices up, stuck back in my earphone and when I got to JD's it was closed for lunch! I was covered in oil and blood, so I got some tissue and plastic gloves in the Petrol Station beside it, threw my chain in one and tossed it into my bag (which is pretty ripped up).

Eventually got home, and put some alchohal wipes on my cuts and cold water on my wrist for a few. Still got a few aches and pains, but hopefully they'll heal up soon enough! Could have been so much worse! I was in thick denim shorts (combat style) so they took some of the scrapping away, and I wasn't wearing a helmet, but I seemed to plan my landing fairly well considering I didn't think I'd even reach the curb!

Hope this makes riders more aware of how stupid people on the roads can be, even if they drive for a living! BTW, this all happened around 10:30 this morning! So he can't have been tired from driving!

Stay safe out there!

WillieCocker

Ouch horror story.

Sorry, i have to ask.........

Do you listen to earphones whilst cycling on the roads? :eek:

Chips Lovell

If the van was on the left hand side, what kerb did you hit?

If the guy started pulling out before I passed him, I think jamming on the brakes might have been a better tactic.

Wez

I ride with an earphone in, but that wouldn't have made any difference in my case, I was fully aware what was happening, not him. It's because he was so indecisive about where he was going, I couldn't react in time.

I hit the curb on the far right, because if I went to go on the left (what I wanted to do) I would have hit the back of him, before he'd left the left hand curb (or so I thought), so I took the option of "overtaking" so I could scrub speed, but turns out it was the wrong choice.

I was skidding when I hit him, but still going quite fast (damp roads & long, gradual downhill). It's pretty much exactly what you don't want happening on a fixed gear (long hill with an emergency stop at the end), and it did.

Overall I think the timeframe between him beginning to swerve and me landing was around 3-4 seconds, not giving me much time for thought!

daymobrew

I think that you should have reported the driver to the Gardai.

eggie

Use the 150 he gave you to buy yourself a helmet.

Amalgam

WillieCocker wrote: »

Ouch horror story.

Sorry, i have to ask.........

Do you listen to earphones whilst cycling on the roads? :eek:

What's that written on the can you're opening there.. W-rms?

kona

screw the helmet, buy yerself a front brake. I wish I got e150 everytime a van pulled infront of me, I reckon I could make a profit if i rode fixed

penexpers

Wez wrote: »

I ride with an earphone in, but that wouldn't have made any difference in my case, I was fully aware what was happening, not him. It's because he was so indecisive about where he was going, I couldn't react in time.

I hit the curb on the far right, because if I went to go on the left (what I wanted to do) I would have hit the back of him, before he'd left the left hand curb (or so I thought), so I took the option of "overtaking" so I could scrub speed, but turns out it was the wrong choice.

I was skidding when I hit him, but still going quite fast (damp roads & long, gradual downhill). It's pretty much exactly what you don't want happening on a fixed gear (long hill with an emergency stop at the end), and it did.

Overall I think the timeframe between him beginning to swerve and me landing was around 3-4 seconds, not giving me much time for thought!

Do you ride brakeless?

Chips Lovell

Do you have brakes on your bike?

Acoustic

Wez wrote: »

So I'd just left Tesco in Dundrum and I was taking the Bypass back home (towards Joe Daly's) when I saw a van parked up on the elft, under the new bridge with it's hazards on.. I'd been backpedalling (on my fixie) since the top of the hill to prevent myself going too fast.

When I came closer to the van, it started to pull out to the right, I started shouting and I began to pull hard to the right thinkin he was going straight on, when it became a race, with him pulling a U-turn. I barely skimmed his front right bumper, when I smacked into a high curb, sending me flying through the air, about 10-15ft, hit the ground rolling, sliding and eventually coming to a halt. I went to get up and chase the van as it looked like he was driving off.. I could barely move with the pain, unable to stand anyway. He then stopped (with the small crowd of cars watching) and came over asking if I was alright. I started shouting how he wasn't looking/listening/properly indicating and with a glazed over look on his face, eventually goes "look, I'll throw ya a oner for the damage" - with that I look for my bike, see nothing too badly wrong, apart from the chain and bent handle bars and got him to give me 150 for damage and I tried to drill it into him to take this as a warning, trying to save other cyclists the same pain!

He offered me a lift to a shop, but I wasn't too far from Daly's, so I declined, having already seen his driving skills.. Picked all my peices up, stuck back in my earphone and when I got to JD's it was closed for lunch! I was covered in oil and blood, so I got some tissue and plastic gloves in the Petrol Station beside it, threw my chain in one and tossed it into my bag (which is pretty ripped up).

Eventually got home, and put some alchohal wipes on my cuts and cold water on my wrist for a few. Still got a few aches and pains, but hopefully they'll heal up soon enough! Could have been so much worse! I was in thick denim shorts (combat style) so they took some of the scrapping away, and I wasn't wearing a helmet, but I seemed to plan my landing fairly well considering I didn't think I'd even reach the curb!

Hope this makes riders more aware of how stupid people on the roads can be, even if they drive for a living! BTW, this all happened around 10:30 this morning! So he can't have been tired from driving!

Stay safe out there!

and stupid cyclist , without a helmet

ROK ON

I had a side impact last week, when a car left a space as I was approaching level with his car. I hit the brakes, and still got hit. However, the fact that I was able to come to almost a stop at the point of impact may have helped me in terms of the seriousness of the crash.

There will always be folks (drivers, cyclists and peds) who do reckless stuff ahead of you on a road. Thats why we have brakes on a bike. Fixies maybe 'cool', but imo, only an idiot gets on a bike with properly functioning brakes. (If you have a brake then feel free to ignore, i may have picked you up incorrectly).

AstraMonti

Acoustic wrote: »

and stupid cyclist , without a helmet

That's totally irrelevant.

kona

Acoustic wrote: »

and stupid cyclist , without a helmet

and stupid poster, without a brain......

kona

ROK ON wrote: »

but imo, only an idiot gets on a bike with properly functioning brakes.

eh, you mean a fashion victim gets on a bike with no brakes and one gear LOL.

niceonetom

This thread has potential.

OP - commiserations. Unless you ride brakeless, in which case, commiserations revoked, let the "that's what you get"s commence.

If there's damage to you or your bike I would get the guards involved in future cases (hopefully won't happen touch wood etc.). Just an incident report. A sore spot can become something serious over the few days following a spill, and that's gonna cost more than a oner (huh?). With an incident report you have something that at least proves something happened, if not whose fault it was.

Helmets. Brakes. Headphones. yep, I'll keep an eye on this one.

Stark

Acoustic wrote: »

and stupid cyclist , without a helmet

Yeah that would have stopped him getting cuts on his wrists...

DirkVoodoo

Acoustic wrote: »

and stupid cyclist , without a helmet

Oh, brilliant logic.

The driver was obviously checking his mirrors, saw a cyclist and said:

"Well, he's not wearing a helmet so I'll just go ahead and perform my ridiculously dangerous and illegal maneuvre."

Yes, it is easy to see how the helmet was a key factor in this incident. Nothing to do with the driver being careless, not checking before pulling out, performing an illegal u-turn at a busy junction. Yes, it was the lack of a helmet.

O.P. was the driver wearing a helmet?

kona

I wonder if the driver was banned or didnt have insurance. He was very quick to hand over e150...maybe if the guards were called this muppet may have gotten jail time or a big fine, or possibly his initial offer of e150 would have rose....

Acoustic

no but the opening poster said theres terrible drivers etc which he is correct

but he wasnt exactly following the safety rules himself

seamus

Acoustic wrote: »

but he wasnt exactly following the safety rules himself

What safety rules did he miss?

DirkVoodoo

Acoustic wrote: »

no but the opening poster said theres terrible drivers etc which he is correct

but he wasnt exactly following the safety rules himself

You aren't making too much sense. It's not a rule to wear a helmet while cycling.

Read his post again and see if you can figure out how the accident could have been avoided. Would it be (a) awareness by the driver (*wink wink*) (b) helmet or (c) atari jaguar

It's not nice trying to second guess what a driver is going to do because they are wreckless and unobservant. I had a lady pull out in front of me when she was coming out of the carrickmines retail park. I was coming back from a spin so I was fully helmeted, unfortunately in the cycle path which I rarely do on that bit of road and she looked right at me. What can you do?

Raam

Everyone relax, it's all OK, everything is OK... I normally don't wear my helmet for my commutes but I put it on this morning.

kona

Acoustic wrote: »

no but the opening poster said theres terrible drivers etc which he is correct

but he wasnt exactly following the safety rules himself

before you go anyfurther and highlight how unbelievably ignorant you are to rules of the road.

In Ireland it is NOT against the law to ride without a helmet.

If you decide to educate yourself further in the world of bikes and safety:

A helmet, according to the BS(british Standad) Is designed to protect the head of the rider in a crash at speeds of up to 12mph.

Now you remeber Physics in school right? and the conservtion of energy and mass X velocity well,

This standard does not cover crashes over 12mph(now applied to this scenario a bike going downhill, its safe to say its exceeding the 12mph standard).

It doesnt take into account crashes with another moving body( a van at 5 kmph is going to give you a good belt considering its Mass, hence the flying 15ft)

Now Cosidering these facts, It is IMO okay not to wear a helmet and Irish Law backs this up.

Acoustic

seamus wrote: »

What safety rules did he miss?

i didnt say it was the law , but everybody knows or should know safety first

i saw a bloke last week on a single speed racer with no brakes , probably a courier , he hit a van , the van was in the wrong , but if they guy had brakes or wasnt tearing down the street he wouldnt have hit the van

kona

Acoustic wrote: »

i didnt say it was the law , but everybody knows or should know safety first

i saw a bloke last week on a single speed racer with no brakes , probably a courier , he hit a van , the van was in the wrong , but of they guy had brakes or wasnt tearing down the street he wouldnt have hit the van

Let me correct you

The van hit the courier. NOT the courier hit the van.

The OP isnt stupid for not wearing a helmet. He also hasnt cracked his skull so helmet argument is totally rediulous.
He uses headphones, you could probably have a go at him over that.

DirkVoodoo

Or the brakes (did you have brakes?).

Sleipnir

I too would like to know if OP's bike is equipped with brakes. From what I see of the many couriers around where I work, many fixies do not have brakes fitted.

Not that it would excuse the idiot van drive of course, it would just be interesting to know!

cosmic

:mad: This makes me so so angry. Some drivers are such idiots. I rarely go a day without having to dodge or swerve to avoid some idiot pulling out/opening doors/making wrong turns/etc. I just don't get it!

I hope you're ok OP Have a really long hot bath this evening to reduce the aching tomorrow. Take it easy

WillieCocker

kona wrote: »

He uses headphones, you could probably have a go at him over that.

I did.
Bit mental if you ask me.

Mr. Presentable

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Or the brakes (did you have brakes?).

OP doesn't read like he has brakes. Are they not required by law for road use?
Didn't have a bell either, by the look of it, and I'll guess no lights, both of which are required.

OP was not at fault for the accident and am glad he's OK. Van driver sounds dodgy and should have been reported. But the OP made no contribution whatsoever towards his own safety.

Headphones in
No helmet
No bell
No lights
No brakes

scottreynolds

Acoustic wrote: »

i didnt say it was the law , but everybody knows or should know safety first

Does anyone know the law concerning bicycles? Is there any?

NeilMcEoigheann

i wouldn't have accepted the money there and then, but would have got all his details and gone to get myself and the bike checked out. anywho glad your not too badly hurt.

davidsatelle100

NeilMcEoigheann wrote: »

i wouldn't have accepted the money there and then, but would have got all his details and gone to get myself and the bike checked out. anywho glad your not too badly hurt.

+1

glad your ok

the groutch

nipplenuts wrote: »

Headphones in
No helmet
No bell
No lights
No brakes

hard to have major sympathy for the OP then, as he's as big a risk to other road users as the van driver is

Stark

nipplenuts wrote: »

OP doesn't read like he has brakes. Are they not required by law for road use?
Didn't have a bell either, by the look of it, and I'll guess no lights, both of which are required.

OP was not at fault for the accident and am glad he's OK. Van driver sounds dodgy and should have been reported. But the OP made no contribution whatsoever towards his own safety.

Headphones in
No helmet
No bell
No lights
No brakes

The only thing contributing to the accident would have been the brakes imo.

Helmet : not compulsory and OP didn't land on his head.
Bell: I doubt someone would hear a bicycle bell from within a van.
Lights: Why would he need lights at 10:30am?
Headphones in: The van was straight in front of him. The headphones would hardly have made a difference to him seeing it.

Wez

I saw the handover I got as a "fine" for his driving.. All the guards will do is possibley cost the driver his jobs, and take their larger cut through fining.. Apart from wasting both our time while we wait for the local station to decide if they're gonna coem down or not.

As pointed out clearly by DV, a helmet has no relevance in this story (luckily or not) and to answer the big question..

Drumroll... NO!

I don't have a brake fitted - due to my new bars being oversized and my lever won't fit on. I'd been meaning to either pick up a new one, or change bars again, but this happened in the mean time..

If I did have one, I more than likely would have lost the front end, because backpedalling was causing my back wheel to slip, and I could have slid under the van, instead of almost clearing it..

And I'm quite comfortable with skidding, which helped big time, backpedalling isn't as efficient at stopping over short distances.

By irish law, I am in the right, helmets and brakes aren't compulsory here. Although I'm gonna take this as a lesson and fit a brake..

Cheers for all the get wells (and good ridance to those that are gonna be taken back :P)!

DirkVoodoo

scottreynolds wrote: »

Does anyone know the law concerning bicycles? Is there any?

*

*I do actually obey the law as much as I can, but I am only human and not perfect. Just in case any smartarse uses me as an example of cyclists being totally wreckless and negligent :rolleyes:

WillieCocker

Stark wrote: »

The headphones would hardly have made a difference to him seeing it.

True, but how many situations could you count that they would be a hinderance or in fact lethal.
Too many.

Nietzschean

WillieCocker wrote: »

True, but how many situations could you count that they would be a hinderance or in fact lethal.
Too many.

See thread on headphones while cycling. Bringing it up here again is pointless.

DirkVoodoo

WillieCocker wrote: »

True, but how many situations could you count that they would be a hinderance or in fact lethal.
Too many.

Your opinion. No hard facts or studies done so really, unlike helmets or brakes, it's a bit of a hard one to call. How many accidents every year are a direct result of headphone wearing?

This was done to death in another thread. It's personal preference. If you don't agree, that's fine you don't have to wear them. But you can't start telling people they are "lethal" if there is no evidence to back it up.

Caroline_ie

OP: Sorry you crashed ansd glad you're ok but yes get a front brake... unless you're track racing.

Was it pourring rain this morning at 10.30ish around dundrum? If so, the visibility for both cyclist and van driver would not have been great either, and the road quite slippery. If OP was 'skidding' his way down that slope, it is quite obvious with the weather conditions he could not have been able to control that bike as well at high speed with a sudden obstacle ... even with the mad skidding skills.

DeepBlue

Wez wrote: »

I don't have a brake fitted

Well in that case you're about as much responsible for your accident as the van driver.

BostonB

I think ye are missing the point. Don't assume people will do what you expect, either because of their signal or a road markings.

I had a similar off. Taxi against the curb with the hazards, on, letting out a passenger. 3 lanes I'm in the middle lane lit like a xmas tree and with hi vis jacket, he moves off and immediately does a 180 across all 3 lanes. Sending me across the bonnet.

Trust no one.

Mr. Presentable

BostonB wrote: »

I think ye are missing the point. Don't assume people will do what you expect, either because of their signal or a road markings.


Trust no one.

Sound advice.

Expect the unexpected. Assume the worst. People are very little aware outside of themselves.

TinyExplosions

Gotta be honest here, and say that it sounds like there wasn't a way for the OP to have avoided the accident, brakes or no brakes.

It is not against the law in this country to have 2 working brakes, and the fact of the matter is on a fixie, you can brake with your legs if you're so inclined. Maybe the OP is foolish for not running a front brake, but in my mind it's the same as helmet or lack of it, or presence or not of headphones, a bell, lights, etc etc etc.

The OP is cycling within the law of the land, and got taken out by a van driver. THIS IS NOT HIS FAULT. If he decides a brake is a good idea after this, fine, but don't ridicule him for not having one. Look at the mote in your own eyes first and all that.

Hope you aren't too bruised tomorrow wez, get well soon.

FrankGrimes

Glad you're alright OP and glad you're gonna get a brake fitted.

My attitude to cycling on public roads is it's not about being right or what I am and am not legally obliged to do/wear/have on my bike, it's about being alive. Cycling with no brake (and in my opinion, wearing headphones) reduces my chances of not getting involved in an accident and there are no benefits to offset against that.....so ask any poker player and they'd tell you that's a negative eval call right there.

Lumen

Wez wrote: »

I don't have a brake fitted - due to my new bars being oversized and my lever won't fit on. I'd been meaning to either pick up a new one, or change bars again, but this happened in the mean time..

If I did have one, I more than likely would have lost the front end, because backpedalling was causing my back wheel to slip, and I could have slid under the van, instead of almost clearing it..

And I'm quite comfortable with skidding, which helped big time, backpedalling isn't as efficient at stopping over short distances.

Er, no. Front brakes are hugely more effective than rear, because under braking weight transfers to the front wheel. This means the front tyre has more grip, and can sustain greater braking forces before skidding.

Also, obviously if you have both front and rear brakes you can use both at once and stop more quickly, which is funnily enough why normal bikes come with two brakes.

Wez wrote: »

Although I'm gonna take this as a lesson and fit a brake..

Then something positive will come from this. At least you're in one piece.

Chips Lovell

You've learnt your lesson now. Riding without brakes is a bad idea.

Wez wrote: »

By irish law, I am in the right, helmets and brakes aren't compulsory here.

Brakes are compulsory under law. Fixed gear bikes are required to have a front brake, other bikes two.

scottreynolds

el tonto wrote: »

You've learnt your lesson now. Riding without brakes is a bad idea.



Brakes are compulsory under law. Fixed gear bikes are required to have a front brake, other bikes two.

Can you post a link to this law please . I rang the Department for the Environment and RSA but they couldn't help me.

Chips Lovell

scottreynolds wrote: »

Can you post a link to this law please .

Statutory Instrument No. 190/1963: ROAD TRAFFIC (CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT AND USE OF VEHICLES) REGULATIONS

Pedal cycles.


93. (1) Every pedal cycle (other than a cycle constructed or adapted for use as a racing cycle) while used in a public place shall be fitted with an audible warning device consisting of a bell capable of being heard at a reasonable distance, and no other type of audible warning instrument shall be fitted to a pedal cycle while used in a public place.


(2) Every pedal cycle (other than a cycle so constructed that the pedals act directly on any wheel or its axle without the intervention of any gearing, chain or other device) while used in a public place shall be equipped with an efficient braking device, or two efficient braking devices, in accordance with the following provisions, that is to say:—


(a) where at least one wheel of the cycle is incapable of rotating independently of the pedals or where the cycle is designed for use by a child not more than seven years of age, the cycle shall be equipped with one braking device;


(b) in any other case, the cycle shall be equipped with two braking devices and, in the case of a bicycle, one device shall operate on the front wheel and one device shall operate on the rear wheel.

scottreynolds wrote: »

I rang the Department for the Environment and RSA but they couldn't help me.

Lol