A van hit me ... luckily I'm fine

[d8mok]

I think the so-called 'gig economy' has a lot to answer for in terms of road safety. A lot of businesses don't want to employ delivery drivers and buy and maintain a fleet of vans. They want to off load all of that risk onto individuals. Why pay someone a monthly salary and incur all the expenses of owning and maintaining a delivery vehicle fleet, when you can contract people on zero hours contracts or per-parcel contracts, and make them pay for, acquire, insure, and maintain their own delivery vehicle? They also don't want the risk of paying someone when there might not be enough work/deliveries.

I don't want to get too political with this, but I think that ultimately, this is what happens when the number of workers exceeds the number of jobs. When it's an employer's market, they can name their terms and conditions, and if people don't like it, there's an almost endless supply of desperate people who will step up. Occasionally there are stories of delivery drivers caught on camera peeing or dumping somewhere they shouldn't. Of course it's horrible when delivery drivers do that, but what are they supposed to do when they have a mountain of parcels to deliver on an almost impossible schedule?

A week or so back a small car aggressively overtook me while I was driving, then sped through a red light. I thought they just weren't paying attention until I saw them squeeze past another car that was waiting at the next red light, and go through that traffic light at red too. I was close to home at that point, so imagine my surprise when I pulled into my road a minute or so later, and saw the same car completing the drop off of a takeaway meal!

Here's one of many articles on what's going on (click the text to read the full article).

Patrick Wilson’s* heavy eyelids drop momentarily as he parks on a steep terraced street on the suburban edges of north Bristol. He raises a fist to cover a deep, primal yawn that makes his whole body shudder with exhaustion. He has been on the go since 7.30am, when he filled every bit of free space in his battered VW people carrier with packages and bags from the likes of Amazon, M&S and Next. He hasn’t had time to take a break or go to the toilet and it’s now nearly 3pm.
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...as-parcel-delivery-drivers-driven-to-the-edge
“I picked up 220 parcels in the morning,” he says, examining the chunky GPS device that records and dictates his every move. “I’ve done 77 but I’ve got 143 left. That’s a lot.”




Sounds interesting. If you have time, could you give some examples? Are they people who simply drive far too fast? Have you ever managed to work out which people are most likely to drive like lunatics beforehand? Do the loons tend to want to test drive powerful cars?

To be honest it’s usually the elderly which are the issue. I do feel sorry that it’s their independence but on the other hand some should have stopped a long time ago. A few years ago I had a guy buying a Fiesta for his 100th birthday.

In 18 years I think I’ve only once told a driver to pull over for driving like a nob.

Typically it’s quite easy to work out who will be a issue. The ones who want to drive a mustang or RS. We don’t normally do test drives in these cars as several have been written off at other dealers in the past. It’s simply not worth the hassle.

 

[hookooekoo]

To be honest it’s usually the elderly which are the issue. I do feel sorry that it’s their independence but on the other hand some should have stopped a long time ago. A few years ago I had a guy buying a Fiesta for his 100th birthday.

Telling people they ought to stop driving can be a bit of a thorny topic!

https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/18/prince-philip-gets-new-land-rover-day-crash-8360229/

Typically it’s quite easy to work out who will be a issue. The ones who want to drive a mustang or RS. We don’t normally do test drives in these cars as several have been written off at other dealers in the past. It’s simply not worth the hassle.

I wouldn't be surprised if the dealership insurers ended up saying that they were no longer willing to insure test drives in some cars, or they just jacked up the premium so high it wasn't economic anymore.

 

[mk one]

Hi guys,

I just wanted to write a few words about what happened to me last Thursday. I'm a bit sad because I spent some time reading how often cyclists are mistreated by the justice system and how hard it is to make our voices heard when we are involved in an accident.
I read all this because after the crash I thought about buying a GoPro to have on my bike at all time, but now I'm not sure I will, as it seems that it's not always as useful as I would have hoped it to be

Thursday evening I got lucky. Very lucky. A van driver (an overworked Amazon driver, to be precise) didn't see me coming and he cleared the junction exactly as I was approaching his van. I don't remember seeing the van move, even if I had my eyes on it. He must have moved just as I was passing. I remember tumbling on the pavement, disoriented, and then getting very angry with the driver.
He was very sympathetic and apologized profusely, so much that my rage quickly evaporated as I was staring at my bike...which was surprisingly intact. The handlebar needed straightening, the front wheel came off the fork, but it was still remarkably straight, just a touch out of true.
I have a few bruises and what looks like a minor nerve injury to my left hand (which I could not move after the crash). I'm fine and I was on the saddle on Friday, but I'm sad and slightly scared because I what I read from stories and online reports suggests that if something bad had happened, I might not have been able to defend.
It's the first accident I am involved in with my bike, in 3.5 years of riding in London. There will most likely be more, I can only hope they will all be as "lucky" as this one.

Sorry to hear about that, and glad you were not seriously injured and are feeling better now.

Maybe get the hand looked at? the sort of thing that could prove troublesome as you age.

 

[d8mok]

Telling people they ought to stop driving can be a bit of a thorny topic!

https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/18/prince-philip-gets-new-land-rover-day-crash-8360229/

I wouldn't be surprised if the dealership insurers ended up saying that they were no longer willing to insure test drives in some cars, or they just jacked up the premium so high it wasn't economic anymore.

Our excess is £25k so anything upto that we a almost self insured.

 

[hookooekoo]

I'm a bit sad because I spent some time reading how often cyclists are mistreated by the justice system and how hard it is to make our voices heard when we are involved in an accident.
I read all this because after the crash I thought about buying a GoPro to have on my bike at all time, but now I'm not sure I will, as it seems that it's not always as useful as I would have hoped it to be

The best advice I can offer is that if you're not already a British Cycling member, then join. It's not hugely expensive, and they offer legal support for cyclists. If you need to claim, then you'll be up against the motorist's insurance company, so you need someone equally well qualified and experienced on your side.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/legalsupport
As for GoPro helmet cams, I know someone who runs a GoPro and submits footage to the police (running red lights, close passes etc.). I think they upload it through Nextbase. They get case updates for each submission, and so far the police have informed them that most of their submissions have resulted in successful prosecutions.

https://www.nextbase.com/en-gb/national-dash-cam-safety-portal/

 

[hookooekoo]

Oh, and you can get 10% off at Halfords and CRC, so it may be worth it for that alone.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/membership

 

[Ugo51]

Thanks. Yes, I am a "commute" member of British Cycling. I initially signed up because of the 10% discount (I bought a Boardman bike). I would prefer never to buy from Halfords ever again, but I will still keep the British Cycling membership, for sure!

I'll think about the gopro.
Maybe it's not that useful, but it can also be fun and I would also use it for other activities, so it might be worth coughing up £300

 

[hookooekoo]

Thanks. Yes, I am a "commute" member of British Cycling. I initially signed up because of the 10% discount (I bought a Boardman bike). I would prefer never to buy from Halfords ever again, but I will still keep the British Cycling membership, for sure!

Great! That means you're already set up if you want to try and claim for any injuries.

I'll think about the gopro.
Maybe it's not that useful, but it can also be fun and I would also use it for other activities, so it might be worth coughing up £300

There's no need to drop £300 on a GoPro. I've heard that GoPro spend a lot on advertising and instore displays, so that's what you're paying for. Plenty of other good cameras are available. For example, I have an SJCam, and although I don't use it for cycling, I could do if I wanted to.

There was a thread on cameras recently. Have a read of this, and then spend a while reading reviews. This is the review I looked at for the SJ4000 I bought back in 2014.

 

[novocaine]

I found that for road cycling the SJcam/gopro was simply to large and got in the way. the only place I found it ok to hang was from the drop on the handlebar. what I wound up buying was something like the attachment below that fitted nicely in to the front air vent of my helmet was good enough quality to identify people and number plates etc. but you wouldn't use for a youtube video. unfortunately it wasn't waterproof* (you can ignore the claims for night vision too, no use for on the road where oncoming traffic blinded it).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camera-SQ1...cphy=1007325&hvtargid=pla-1280648052423&psc=1
* how did I find out it wasn't waterproof? I washed it along with the top it was clipped too.

 

[Ugo51]

. I've heard that GoPro spend a lot on advertising and instore displays, so that's what you're paying for. Plenty of other good cameras are available.

Well...I think that's what people who don't want to spend money on a GoPro would say
The image quality between the SJ10 and the GoPro 8 is quite different. And the microphone is better. And the stabilization is better.
Having said that, I didn't know that a SJ10 Pro can be purchased for a little over £100.
That is a remarkable difference in price, and with some edits in post, the footage from a SJ10 could probably be made to look very similar (to my untrained eyes at least!) to that of a GoPro.

This of course because I would use the camera for recreational use too, not just as a security device on the bike.

I found that for road cycling the SJcam/gopro was simply to large and got in the way.

This I find surprising. In the way of what? Did you have it on the helmet? I was thinking to place it on the handlebar, near the stem. Action cameras are not tiny, but I don't think it would be annoying in that area. Certainly I wouldn't place it on the helmet. It is indeed too bulky for that.
Remarkable the quality of the daylight footage on that tiny camera. I was impressed!! But water resistance is kind of a key quality in London