Cyclists cause 10% of car-bike accidents

Wow, who knew!
http://www.research.utoronto.ca/behi...smart-cycling/
Who causes accidents—cyclists or drivers?

While there is a public perception that cyclists are usually the cause of accidents between cars and bikes, an analysis of Toronto police collision reports shows otherwise: The most common type of crash in this study involved a motorist entering an intersection and either failing to stop properly or proceeding before it was safe to do so. The second most common crash type involved a motorist overtaking unsafely. The third involved a motorist opening a door onto an oncoming cyclist. The study concluded that cyclists are the cause of less than 10 per cent of bike-car accidents in this study.

The available evidence suggests that collisions have far more to do with aggressive driving than aggressive cycling.

Hope you don't mind, but I swiped this link to post over at Cascade - there are pretty lively debates over there, even amongst cyclists about how to co-exist with automobiles. (and there are some there who are cyclists who still persist in blaming the cyclists for accidents - the phantom hordes of dangerous scofflaw cyclists..... )

You know - other studies have shown that a percentage of collisions have the blame assigned to cyclists only because the cyclist was unconscious or worse deceased and could not refute the motorists story.... so what does that leave 95% of collisions caused by automobiles.... and the remainder are likely those who have done really stupid things - riding at night with no lights is one of the is one of the major causes of cyclist caused fatality.

Reminds me of "The Myth of the Scofflaw Cyclist"
http://washcycle.typepad.com/home/20...th-of-the.html

Ironically I got this link from Cascade!

Interesting to read about this in light of a recent cyclist death in Baltimore. At this point, they're saying surveillance video shows that the cyclist was at fault, although it sounds as if the truck driver's actions may have contributed. I'd be willing to bet that there's similar grey area in a lot of bike/auto accidents.

I have mixed feelings on this topic. In the past 2 weeks I've spent a couple of evenings in Cambridge (urban riding and lots of commuters, though mostly in designated bike lanes). Frankly I have never seen such blatant disregard of the law. Going through red lights, zipping through lanes of traffic, and no lights at night. And this is in a city that actually tickets cyclists. I hate to be seen as anti-cyclist, but this is one reason I don't ride in the city. The cars react to the riding and vice-versa, and everyone is angry, which is a recipe for disaster.
My son (the one who is not a cyclist) recently started riding the mountain bike we handed down to him around the city, as he realized he is a skinny out of shape person. He called us to ask why all of the other riders were going through lights and was this OK? We taught him the rules of the road a few years ago when he rode to a summer job and he was following everything we taught him last week. We told him to keep following the law!

In Switzerland, cyclists are required to buy an insurance policy (all of $6) in case the cyclist CAUSES an accident or injures a pedestrian.

While the researcher (victim of a car crash himself) who did this study found that 10% of car-bike crashes in Toronto are cyclist-caused, research done by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) has found that it's something like 50% of all bike-car crashes are caused by the cyclist. But let me back up...
--50% of bike crashes involve just the rider, wiping out, losing control of the bike, etc.
--for adults riders, 50% of the bike-car crashes are caused by cyclists, the other 50% by cars....
but in any event, it makes little difference whose fault it is, if you're dead or in the hospital for an extended period. In a car-bike collision, the car is ALWAYS going to win, so ride defensively, and know how to control your bike, and know how to maneuver it when car drivers do dumb things. This will prevent 90% of all crashes, according to LAB.

I am a LAB certified bike safety instructor, and I see, all the time, cyclists blowing through stop signs, blowing through stoplights, riding the wrong way down the street, helmetless, hugging the curb while going straight in front of a car making a right-hand turn, riding at night without lights, riding down the sidewalk and then blasting through the crosswalk... well I could go on and on. From my perspective, I'd say only about 50%-60% of all cyclists I see ride like they belong on the road.

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Originally Posted by DebW

In Switzerland, cyclists are required to buy an insurance policy (all of $6) in case the cyclist CAUSES an accident or injures a pedestrian.

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I actually wish that were the case here. Seems the main anti-cycling arguments are 1) you don't have insurance and 2) you don't pay road taxes (ummm...yeah....I'm still paying them on the 3 cars DH and I have - I'm just not tearing up the road as much). Of course, then I'm sure the anti-cycling types would just find something else to be unhappy about:rolleyes::rolleyes::mad:

Very interesting link - thanks for sharing, Mimi.

CA

[Quote: From my perspective, I'd say only about 50%-60% of all cyclists I see ride like they belong on the road.]


Ummm...cyclist DO belong on the road. However, they should not ride like they OWN the road. They should obey all traffic laws.

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Originally Posted by marybee

I am a LAB certified bike safety instructor, and I see, all the time, cyclists blowing through stop signs, blowing through stoplights, riding the wrong way down the street, helmetless, hugging the curb while going straight in front of a car making a right-hand turn, riding at night without lights, riding down the sidewalk and then blasting through the crosswalk... well I could go on and on. From my perspective, I'd say only about 50%-60% of all cyclists I see ride like they belong on the road.

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You've just described what I see everyday in the college town of Bloomington Indiana - where I will ironically be seeking my LCI certification next weekend.

My hope is that a group of us can put together a better cycling safety program to include in freshman orientation.

I agree with marybee... A lot of the cyclists I see are not riding safely. It's my belief, especially if I'm commuting/riding in a busy area, that I should make myself as visible and predictable as possible. I am smaller than a car, and the fact is some drivers don't anticipate us. I try to make eye contact with cars that are nearby so they know I'm there as well, I'll wave at people and I will acknowledge those who do me any sort of courtesy on the road (giving me the right of way for example, waiting for me to pass before turning onto the road, etc). While it's still possible that I'll get into an accident, I am fairly positive that I'm riding in such a way that it will not be my fault.

OK then - hands in the air those of us who have been hit by cars.....

I haven't said much about it here, but my hand is up. MMQFC - anyone else?

OK - how many of us caused our own accidents - hmmmm is that crickets I hear.....

I personally was hit by a driver (uninsured of course) who failed to yield when making a left hand turn across traffic. I was going straight through a green light, the driver was facing me, was not paying enough attention and turned. Indeed I was paying attention and did take as much action as I could, but in the end I was already in the intersection and could not avoid any incident at all. I was lucky to have not been severely injured. Had I been unconscious the accident surely would have been blamed on me. Even as it was she was "sure" that I must have been on the sidewalk and crossed against the "don't walk" - which was completely bogus of course and not only was I able to tell my own story there were several witnesses - if you see a car coming at you do scream at them..... not only will it hopefully get their attention, it makes everyone else around look too...

Most cyclists - even those who may not act like perfect little angels in traffic (and face it, neither do drivers - I see more of them running stop signs and red lights and speeding than I do cyclists) understand their own vulnerabilities. Even, perhaps especially, the non law abiding ones are very aware of their surroundings. That's not to say I'm excusing bad behavior - the rules of the road are there for a reason and having everyone be predictable is a good thing. It also gives motorists an excuse to take out their frustrations on us, which is never a good thing, but I don't believe it is a major cause of accidents.

Most of the severe accidents - at very least the ones that make the news around here are entirely not the fault of the cyclist - they are mostly drunken drivers, doorings or left or right hooks. Even one several years ago now, that I know of that is questionable cannot be entirely blamed on the cyclist - the road markings led the cyclist into danger - he was following a right hand bike lane that went up to an intersection when he was run over by a concrete truck making a right hand turn. Yes, he should have been watching for traffic crossing his lane, but he was also fairly unfamiliar with the area - having just come here to attend college. The bike lane offered a very false sense of security. The driver bears some responsibility there too - he did turn across a traffic lane without being sure it was clear, but I'm willing to give him some lee way as I know the area and I know how quickly a cyclist can appear (it is one block from a corner).

In any case of the 10 or so serious or fatal accidents I know about recently only one was clearly a non-law abiding cyclist. There was one case of a cyclist running a stop and being hit. The other 9 were caused by the motorist, which certainly seems to bear out the Toronto doctor's study.

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Originally Posted by Eden

OK then - hands in the air those of us who have been hit by cars.....

I haven't said much about it here, but my hand is up. MMQFC - anyone else?

OK - how many of us caused our own accidents - hmmmm is that crickets I hear.....

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Me. I was hit by a car door when I was 14. I think it was as much my fault as the lady who opened the door. She should have looked, and I shouldn't have been riding in the door zone. I take half the responsibility.

On our MS training ride this morning we were warned that the Sheriff's Dept in the Parish we'd be riding in would be enforcing the new 3 ft law for cyclist safety, AND enforcing traffic safety laws as well - no 3 abrest, STOP at the stop signs. So we get some protection, but are expected to be good and compliant citizens as well. I saw an unmarked car strategically placed on a long up-hill climb of a busy highway watching us come up the hill, as I finally approached, the officer (in uniform) did a subtle wave.

On the other hand - I came close to becoming a hood ornament of a marked Sheriff's car running with emergency lights enroute I suppose to the "traffic stop" I had just passed where there were 2 other deputies. Said responding officer was running hot in the oncoming lane to pass a truck pulling a boat that wouldn't pull over to the shoulder. Nothing quite like seeing a car heading right towards you, emergency lights or no. At least I had a shoulder to move over to. I know it wasn't really THAT close, but it sure seemed that way. And apparently seemed so to the pace line that caught up with me shortly there after.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

The most common type of crash in this study involved a motorist entering an intersection and either failing to stop properly or proceeding before it was safe to do so. The second most common crash type involved a motorist overtaking unsafely. The third involved a motorist opening a door onto an oncoming cyclist.

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Instructors I know would tell you that in the first and third cases especially, the cyclists involved had a responsibility to ride more defensively (and thus lowering the likelihood of a crash), by 1) making sure other road users were not entering an intersection at the same time (bikes being a bit easier to stop than cars), 2) taking the lane, weaving a bit if necessary to make oneself more visible, and 3) STAY OUT OF THE DOOR ZONE!!

Yeah, the League teaches us that we are often our own worst enemies. That doesn't even begin to address those who use bicycles by riding on the sidewalks, against traffic, etc.

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

Me. I was hit by a car door when I was 14. I think it was as much my fault as the lady who opened the door. She should have looked, and I shouldn't have been riding in the door zone. I take half the responsibility.

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While indeed you should not ride in the door zone, in this state at least, it is entirely the responsibility of the person in the vehicle to be sure no one will hit their door when they open it. (this is not limited to cyclists - if you open your car door into another car is would be the same). Some of our cycling "facilities", bike lanes and the like around here will actually put you squarely in the door zone if you choose to use them...... fortunately in this state it is a choice - we are not required to use bike lanes when they are present.

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Originally Posted by Eden

While indeed you should not ride in the door zone, in this state at least, it is entirely the responsibility of the person in the vehicle to be sure no one will hit their door when they open it. (this is not limited to cyclists - if you open your car door into another car is would be the same). Some of our cycling "facilities", bike lanes and the like around here will actually put you squarely in the door zone if you choose to use them...... fortunately in this state it is a choice - we are not required to use bike lanes when they are present.

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Oh, yeah, legally she was to blame. She paid my medical expenses. I'm speaking more of the it's my job as a cyclist to avoid every crash or I'm to blame theory I ride by. There would be very few crashes where I wouldn't feel somewhat responsible since it's my job to ride in a way that I don't get hit. Techniques explained in "The Art of Urban Cycling" by Robert Hurst. The book is somewhat controversial, just so you know, definitely not for everyone, but I'm a believer.

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

Oh, yeah, legally she was to blame. She paid my medical expenses. I'm speaking more of the it's my job as a cyclist to avoid every crash or I'm to blame theory I ride by. There would be very few crashes where I wouldn't feel somewhat responsible since it's my job to ride in a way that I don't get hit. Techniques explained in "The Art of Urban Cycling" by Robert Hurst. The book is somewhat controversial, just so you know, definitely not for everyone, but I'm a believer.

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Hmmmmm - I'm not willing to take any responsibility for the person who hit me... She was not paying attention, she failed to yield, she was driving without insurance. I'm not going to give her any outs. I wasn't severely hurt or killed because I was paying attention and I was, if not able to totally avoid the collision, at least able to mitigate the consequences. What should I be expected to do - stop and wait on a green light if someone because someone is going to make a left and might not be bothered to look and see anything that is not a car.... I think that we are waaaaaaay to lax with drivers in this country. We are so enamored with car culture that we don't accept that drivers have EXTRA responsibility to safely pilot the dangerous vehicles that they have been give the privilege of being licensed for. I use my bicycle quite vehicularly - I don't do things that are dangerous just to please motorists and believe you me I recognize my own vulnerability, but I am not willing to give motorists a pass just because they are bigger. It's like excusing the kid on the playground who punches another kid by saying he can't help himself and its better to just stay out of his way.....

I'm a bit too tired to respond well to this thread tonight;
but Marybee, we're not talking about Bikes wiping out alone, we're specifically talking about bike/car crashes.

So you can take your 50% biker's fault study somewhere else, it does not apply specifically to this conversation.

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Originally Posted by Eden

Hmmmmm - I'm not willing to take any responsibility for the person who hit me... She was not paying attention, she failed to yield, she was driving without insurance. I'm not going to give her any outs. I wasn't severely hurt or killed because I was paying attention and I was if not able to totally avoid the collision at least able to mitigate the consequences. I think that we are waaaaaaay to lax with drivers in this country. We are so enamored with car culture that we don't accept that drivers have EXTRA responsibility to safely pilot the dangerous vehicles that they have been give the privilege of being licensed for. I use my bicycle quite vehicularly - I don't do things that are dangerous just to please motorists and believe you me I recognize my own vulnerability, but I am not willing to give motorists a pass just because they are bigger. It's like excusing the kid on the playground who punches another kid by saying he can't help himself and its better to just stay out of his way.....

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Oh, no, I don't think bad drivers should be given a pass at all. That's not what I'm saying. Just since we are not in control of how anyone else is driving or riding, we must take extra care of ourselves. Sometimes that means giving up your right of way. Maybe that is giving the car a pass, but I see it as giving myself the security of getting where I want to go in one piece. I see it as outsmarting the bully.

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Originally Posted by redrhodie

Oh, no, I don't think bad drivers should be given a pass at all. That's not what I'm saying. Just since we are not in control of how anyone else is driving or riding, we must take extra care of ourselves. Sometimes that means giving up your right of way. Maybe that is giving the car a pass, but I see it as giving myself the security of getting where I want to go in one piece. I see it as outsmarting the bully.

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She made a left across my path after I had already entered the intersection.... it was pretty cut and dry that she did something that she should not have. I do believe in being alert and keeping a close eye on other traffic and its kept me from having any serious interactions with cars for 25+ years until just two months ago. Yes, you cannot control the way others drive, and I do believe that you can do a great deal to keep yourself safe but I also think its completely bogus to just say oh well I'm small and vulnerable, if someone hits me I should just accept that it was my fault for being there. NO - it was not my fault - roads have never been the exclusive province of the motor vehicle and motorists need to accept much more responsibility than they do. They are the ones who have the most capacity to cause harm, so they should bear the most responsibility to conduct themselves safely. Just because that is not what actually does happen doesn't mean that it should not be that way, nor does it mean that we should not work towards it actually happening. Yes, I totally believe in never trust a driver and always be alert and ready to react, put your own safety before anything else, but I am not willing to blame cyclists for collisions that I think cars are responsible for just because they are smaller and more vulnerable and I'm not willing to say well this is the way it is and it just can't change, so accept it. I want change - I want laws that mean more driver responsibility - I want laws that remove licensing from poor drivers.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

I'm a bit too tired to respond well to this thread tonight;
but Marybee, we're not talking about Bikes wiping out alone, we're specifically talking about bike/car crashes.

So you can take your 50% biker's fault study somewhere else, it does not apply specifically to this conversation.

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I think you need a nap. :)

Pardon me for saying so, but your post here seems a bit harsher than you probably intend. I think that her post is much more on point than many "thread drift" incidents I see around here.

Disagree, sure, but the tone of this response is a little uncalled for.

I think that the main point of marybee's post is more than valid. I mean, really, how many times do you shake your head at the boneheaded move some idiot on a bike pulls? I do it all the time. Most of the time I'm angry because the putz is reinforcing negative stereotypes... but just as often I'm shaking my head at unnecessary risks that I'm convinced will get the jackass killed. Or paralyzed.

We can't hit the streets knowing that 90% of the time it's someone else's fault. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. We have to continue to ride as if everyone buffered behind a steel cage doesn't see us and doesn't care about hitting us.

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Originally Posted by Eden

She made a left across my path after I had already entered the intersection.... it was pretty cut and dry that she did something that she should not have. I do believe in being alert and keeping a close eye on other traffic and its kept me from having any serious interactions with cars for 25+ years until just two months ago. Yes, you cannot control the way others drive, and I do believe that you can do a great deal to keep yourself safe but I also think its completely bogus to just say oh well I'm small and vulnerable, if someone hits me I should just accept that it was my fault for being there. NO - it was not my fault - roads have never been the exclusive province of the motor vehicle and motorists need to accept much more responsibility than they do. They are the ones who have the most capacity to cause harm, so they should bear the most responsibility to conduct themselves safely. Just because that is not what actually does happen doesn't mean that it should not be that way, nor does it mean that we should not work towards it actually happening. Yes, I totally believe in never trust a driver and always be alert and ready to react, put your own safety before anything else, but I am not willing to blame cyclists for collisions that I think cars are responsible for just because they are smaller and more vulnerable and I'm not willing to say well this is the way it is and it just can't change, so accept it. I want change - I want laws that mean more driver responsibility - I want laws that remove licensing from poor drivers.

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I'm really sorry. I was not saying you were at all at fault for your accident, and I apologize if it read that way. That was honestly not my intention, and I'm sincerely sorry. I was speaking of my own personal views of the way I ride, which is as the survivor of a crash who never wants to go through that again (and whose views have been shaped by the Hurst book). Of course there are accidents that are totally the fault of the driver (arguably mine, though I don't feel that way myself). Yours sounds like one, but my accident could have easily been avoided if I had been riding out of the door zone.

"I also think its completely bogus to just say oh well I'm small and vulnerable, if someone hits me I should just accept that it was my fault for being there." This is not my opinion.

My point was I try to ride in a way to avoid the crash to begin with. I am not saying to accept the crash as my fault for just for being there, but if there was obviously something I could have done differently to avoid getting hit to begin with, then that I would regret. I'm probably not explaining myself very well. I'm trying to make Robert Hurst's arguments, but I'm obviously lacking his writing skills.

Again, Eden, I didn't mean to offend you.

I'm not offended, I don't disagree with the heart of your argument, I just think its more of a two way street. I also haven't taken your remarks personally - I just have wanted to stress the fact that I really feel that there was nothing I could have done. I honestly think that more cyclist/car crashes are like mine than are ones that could have been avoided and I really think that ones truly caused by the cyclist are the rarity - 10% as the study indicated sounds right to me. I think it leaves motorists an easy out to say well cyclists are more vulnerable and we should be careful.

Of course we all need to think of ourselves and take every care to remain safe- but at the same time we really need to hold motorist highly accountable for their actions. And I'm not just talking about cyclists - pedestrians and other innocent motorists suffer too and we as a society don't take it as seriously as I think we need to. I really think that negligent, distracted driving is a problem (cell phone driving has been proven to be more dangerous than drunken driving!!) and we fail to remove these people from our roads. We had a driver (on a phone) kill a pedestrian in a cross walk here when he ran a red light - he had multiple, multiple, multiple moving violations and had already hit a cyclist head on because he had drifted onto the wrong side of the road. He STILL has not had his license permanently revoked. This is WRONG. I think we are way too lax and way too willing to blame anyone but the driver when collisions occur.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

I'm a bit too tired to respond well to this thread tonight;
but Marybee, we're not talking about Bikes wiping out alone, we're specifically talking about bike/car crashes.

So you can take your 50% biker's fault study somewhere else, it does not apply specifically to this conversation.

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MRRRRRAAEEEOOOWWWWWW!

:D

Seriously, the only reason I mention that is that there are many reasons cyclists crash. Some are related to cars, others are not. I hear so much ... dare I say it?.. whining on the part of cyclists. It bothers me. Because whine all you want about car drivers, the BEST way to protect yourself on the road is to become a safer, more aware, pro-active, visible and smart cyclist. All the whining in the world is not going to change the behavior of car drivers. The only thing YOU can change is YOURSELF. That seems so obvious to me.
Given a choice of legally being next to a parked car and getting doored, or pulling out a few feet and not getting doored, I'll take a latter option any time. The satisfaction of pointing fingers does not outweigh the pain of recovery from a crash.
OK, let the flaming begin.

A 12-year-old policy statement from the Federal Highway Administration:

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A crash is not an accident.

Changing the way we think about events and the words we use to describe them affects the way we behave. Motor vehicle crashes occur "when a link or several links in the chain" are broken. Continued use of the word "accident" implies that these events are outside human influence or control. In reality, they are predictable results of specific actions.

Since we can identify the causes of crashes, we can take action to alter the effect and avoid collisions. These are not Acts of God but predictable results of the laws of physics.

The concept of "accident" works against bringing all appropriate resources to bear on the enormous problem of highway collisions. Use of "accident" fosters the idea that the resulting damage and injuries are unavoidable.

"Crash," "collision," and "injury" are more appropriate terms, and we encourage their use as substitutes for "accident."

Along with the Department's Research and Special Programs Administration, the Federal Highway Administration has joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in declaring that the word "accident" will no longer be used in materials we publish, in speeches or other statements, or in communications with the media and others.

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Or, more colloquially, the old rhyme supposedly appearing on a tombstone:

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Here lies the body of Jonathan Day,
Who died protecting his right-of-way.
He was dead right as he rolled along.
He's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.

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Originally Posted by marybee

OK, let the flaming begin.

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Have you read anything I've said...... after all that now, I do actually find your smug attitude pretty sickening. Have you ever been hit by a car? Do you think it was your fault?

Doorings, while preventable certainly do not account for the majority of bike/car collisions. While we very much do need to take care of ourselves and work to be as safe and visible as possible, we also need to never let go of holding motorists accountable for their actions. This country is very much in love with the automobile and we allow far more leeway than we ever should about allowing dangerous people to continue driving. People like you who give motorists an excuse when they kill and maim other road users are part of the problem.

I apologize to all for my bad attitude yesterday. I feel better this morning, thank you. :p

HOWEVER, I posted this article for a very important reason. There is a very strange phenomenon that occurs EVERY SINGLE TIME someone is KILLED by a car/bike accident and subsequently reported in the news. Immediately following one of these deaths is a host of letters to the editor AND on line forums that say "Cyclists should obey the law; etc, ad nauseum" This broadsides me every single time and puts me on the defense. While in fact, many of the cyclists I've known that were killed were SAFETY ACTIVISTS and were the last people I could imagine blowing red lights and all the other things that bad cyclists do. and sure, there's a possibility that they had a momentary lapse, but it's 90% more likely that it was the motorist!
I was happy to find that there was some scientific evidence that backs this up.


This is why I was surprised to hear all this other junk from you guys.
carry on.
and Thanks EDEN for taking the torch. :cool:

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

HOWEVER, I posted this article for a very important reason. There is a very strange phenomenon that occurs EVERY SINGLE TIME someone is KILLED by a car/bike accident and subsequently reported in the news. Immediately following one of these deaths is a host of letters to the editor AND on line forums that say "Cyclists should obey the law; etc, ad nauseum" This broadsides me every single time and puts me on the defense. While in fact, many of the cyclists I've known that were killed were SAFETY ACTIVISTS and were the last people I could imagine blowing red lights and all the other things that bad cyclists do. and sure, there's a possibility that they had a momentary lapse, but it's 90% more likely that it was the motorist!

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That's an excellent point, and it explains your sensitivity. ;) The problem here is that you're preaching to the choir. Which leaves the question: How do we promote this information into the greater community?

Everyone take a deep breath.

"Fault" and "responsibility" are not synonyms.

Rarely, there are collisions that one party was completely powerless to prevent. The fact that they're rare doesn't make them any less devastating when they do happen. Maybe even more so.

Because of the speed differential between cars and bicis, left-turners are probably high on the list. It's pretty easy for a motorcyclist to avoid getting hit by a left-turner. Not so much for bicis, who may have entered the intersection well before the left-turner even approaches it, and who don't have the power to accelerate fast enough to complete the crossing ahead of the car.

The fact that there is such a thing as a collision that one party was powerless to prevent, doesn't obviate anyone's responsibility for anything. The fact that one party is at fault in a collision, doesn't obviate the fact that the other party usually could still have prevented it. "Usually" is not the same as "always." But it's a long, long way from "never."

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Originally Posted by Eden

OK then - hands in the air those of us who have been hit by cars.....

I haven't said much about it here, but my hand is up. MMQFC - anyone else?

OK - how many of us caused our own accidents - hmmmm is that crickets I hear.....

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I was hit by a car and I caused my own accident. It was in my first 6 months of biking as an adult. I was in Worcester, MA, riding one mile from my work to the train station. I rode, at the time, on the sidewalk and in this case it was on the wrong side of the road to boot. It was dusk. I did have blinky light (I think), but it wasn't very powerful. I crossed into an intersection and was hit by a car turning right. I doubt the driver even saw me. He looked for cars on the road and never expected a fast-moving vehicle on the sidewalk. (Now that I think about it, I'm not 100% sure it's legal to ride on the sidewalk in Worcester -- I know some cities do ban riding bikes on sidewalks.)

After that, I took some LAB bike classes, started riding my bike like I drive a car (slow and predictable :rolleyes: :p), and haven't been hit in 15,000 miles.

Edited to add: Having read the rest of the thread, I have a couple comments.
1. Bicyclists clearly have to be proactive about riding defensively to protect themselves as much as possible from harm caused by negligent drivers.
2. Is this the way it should be? No. Drivers, particularly irresponsible drivers who text or talk on their cell phones while driving, should absolutely be held responsible for causing collisions with bicyclists.
3. Unfortunately, we can't force drivers to drive safely around us. We can work on better driver and bicyclist education, so everybody knows what they should be doing -- I've had innumerable drivers tell me to "get off the road" or "get on the sidewalk," showing terrifying ignorance on their part; but on the other hand, I've also seen all too many cyclists riding the wrong way, riding without lights, riding on sidewalks, etc., again showing their ignorance -- and meanwhile ride defensively.

Q: Do you think requiring a drivers to pass a driver's test every 10 years, or maybe every 5 years after the age of 65, or something like that, would help? Also, would requiring something like a bicyclist's license for cyclists riding on the road help ensure bicyclists at least know their rights & responsibilities?

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Originally Posted by Eden

OK then - hands in the air those of us who have been hit by cars.....

I haven't said much about it here, but my hand is up. MMQFC - anyone else?

OK - how many of us caused our own accidents - hmmmm is that crickets I hear.....

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Hey Eden - yep, got both of my hands waving in the air here! Am still recovering from the injuries caused by the driver who crashed her car right into me. Police report has her admittedly speeding, but not paying any attention to where she was driving, as she was also reaching into the back seat to play with her 2 yr old nephew and, oh yeah, she said that she knew the brakes on the car she was driving (she wasn't the registered owner nor the policyholder) were in need of repair.

I was on my bike, in a crosswalk at the intersection of a MUT with a cross street; all other vehicles were stopped and she pulled out into the empty traffic lane, instead of stopping. She has a record of multiple criminal cases and traffic infractions and ended up agreeing to a plea of reckless driving and reckless endangerment, so she had a traffic ticket (failing to yield) and some court costs to pay, plus these guilty convictions added to her record; that's it: no injuries, no other consequences.

Yes, I'm grateful to have survived this...however, the pile of consequences, injuries, costs, painful aftermath and recovery all seem overwhelmingly unilateral to my way of thinking!

Nope, no issue in my situation about me contributing even a tiny bit to causing this crash; the driver who hit/hurt me and my friend and destroyed our bikes and lives is 100% at fault, as this was TOTALLY avoidable and unnecessary.