I have. As a kid, while looking the other way, I rode right into a parked car. I was stunned to find myself on its roof. Later, in college, when the brake cable broke on a steep downhill, I crashed myself into a large hedge. Neither time did I hit the ground, and neither time was I hurt (much).
Many people ride off road, because they say it is safer - no cars! But that doesn't make it safe. I'd guess just as often they run into trees, over the edge of the trail into the brush, tumble into rocks, fall over in the sand and mud, etc.
Here are the main times, places and causes of bike crashes (Thanks to BikeSafe):
- Urban riding, not at an intersection, during summer evenings
- About a third involve drinking (by the bicyclist)
- Riding the wrong way on the road, on the sidewalk, or across driveways (with car coming out)
- Ignoring traffic signals and signs, or running into an open(ing) car door
- Riding at night without lights
If you prefer numbers, here are the top 6 causes from an analysis of 8000 crashes:
- A motorist failing to yield (21.7 percent of crashes)
- A bicyclist failing to yield at an intersection (16.8 percent of crashes)
- A motorist turning or merging into the path of the bicyclist (12.1 percent of crashes)
- A bicyclist failing to yield at a midblock location, i.e. driveway (11.7 percent of crashes)
- A motorist overtaking a bicyclist (8.6 percent of crashes)
- A bicyclist turning or merging into the path of the motorist (7.3 percent of crashes)
Today I saw a minivan drive right into a moving van. Of course, it wasn't like the Italian Job, or any other those other movies where the crooks drive up into a van (on the move!) so they can hide the getaway car. No, this fella in the white minivan ran right into the rear corner of the truck.
The movers had correctly positioned 3 warning triangles out in the road, but the minivan wasn't paying attention. The impact ripped the whole front of the minivan off, tore half the rear bumper off the truck, and gave the movers a mighty fright. I circled back and took a photo. Sorry it doesn't look as dramatic here, as they had already finished picking up the busted van and broken furniture.
If a driver doesn't notice a moving van, why should he or she notice you on your bike?
Speaking of Watch Where You Are Going, this morning I made up a bracket, hung it on the front of my fork, and filmed a squirrel's eye view of the road:
It's really not much fun, is it? Too bumpy, and too close to the spokes. I don't want to destroy my iPhone just for this blog. So tomorrow, I think I will stick to conventional photography. Speaking of that, here's a photo to make you grimace!
