Back in July, the Evening Standard published a video on its website that had been taken by a London cyclist using a ‘helmet-cam’ that recorded the heart stopping moment in which he was hit by a car.
In the clip cyclist Jack Thoburn is cycling along a road in Romford, Essex when a black car suddenly swerves in front of him, throwing him up in the air. The last shot is directed back at the car and the cyclist’s bike, which is now wheel-less and in several pieces.
Somehow Mr Thoburn remained unharmed but said of the incident “A couple of seconds earlier I would have hit the front of the car and ended up in the road, under a car, or even worse. A few seconds later and I would have hit the side of the car and could have broken my neck. I consider myself very lucky.”
Watching the video gives a very clear idea not only of how little reaction time the cyclist had when the car made the sudden turn, but also his lack of control over the situation and the fact that he could do very little to help himself. This is something that has been much in the news recently with the numbers of cyclists being killed on the UK’s roads, particularly those in and around the capital, continuing to rise.
Operation Safeway was launched back at the start of the year in response to this worrying trend and, in particular, to a period in which there were six cyclist deaths on London’s roads in just two weeks. During the operation checkpoints were set up targeting road users in the capital to try to get them to obey the law. More than 13,800 fixed penalty notices were handed out during this time, over 9,000 of which were given to motorists and almost 5,000 were handed to cyclists, including 1,225 for jumping red lights. The aim was not just to hand out penalty notices but also to give advice and raise awareness to try and avoid these types of accidents. In particular, the aim was to target new cyclists many of whom may only recently have taken to the roads as part of the recent cycling initiatives and may not realise how, in a situation where there is little time to react, safety measures including wearing helmets and high visibility jackets could actually save a life.
Although projects like Operation Safeway do have an impact when it comes to increasing awareness by road users, in some situations it’s simply not possible to avoid a reckless car driver. However, there are steps cyclists can take to minimise the chances of an accident. These include:
Slowing down in wet weather.
- Not jumping lights.
- Wearing a helmet and high visibility jacket so you can be seen.
- Ensuring your bike is roadworthy and using a light in dark conditions.
- Riding decisively and clear of the kerb.
- Be aware of other vehicles and make eye contact with car drivers so they acknowledge you’re there.
If you’ve been injured in a cycling accident we might be able to help – contact a member of our personal injury team today.