Cycling is statistically safe, but what should you do in the event of a crash, and how can you best get back on the bike quickly? Rob Kemp speaks to four cyclists with recent experience…
KEEPING YOUR BIKE ‘RUBBER SIDE DOWN’ – your wheels in contact with the tarmac – is high on the agenda of anybody who gets on a bike. Cycling is a statistically safe activity – in the UK in 2020, there was one death for every 9.4m journeys – but crashes, whether involving collisions with other road users, hitting crater-like potholes, mechanical failures or user error, do happen. Incidents that cause injury can leave physical and mental scars that make you reluctant to cycle again, so we spoke to four people who’ve recovered from crashes and are back riding, to hear their stories.
Escape from the country
The rural road
“The car came around the corner, on the wrong side of the road, straight at me,” David Fraser, 50, vividly recalls of the crash that occurred as he commuted home from work along a familiar Oxfordshire route, in September 2019.
“I barely had a moment to react to avoid a head-on before it hit me, flipping me up in the air. I landed on my shoulder, broke my collarbone and suffered cuts and grazes all down my left side.”
Research by NFU Mutual – the specialist rural insurer – shows that, when looking at all road users, two-thirds more people were killed (3,115) in the countryside than roads in the cities (1,880) between 2018 and 2020.
It turns out that the young driver of the car that hit David had never driven that stretch of road before. “In her defence, there was a new road layout and the freshly tarmacked stretch had no markings. She thought the road she was driving along was continuing in a certain direction – which was right across my path.”
“At first I didn’t think I needed to call an ambulance or the police. Maybe it’s because in these situations you find yourself pumped-up with adrenaline that’s it’s easy to overlook how you could have been quite badly hurt.”
Having stopped the car and asked if David was okay, the driver then called a friend to come and assist her. “At first she was concerned and obviously a bit shaken up. But when her friend arrived, the tone of the situation changed.”
David phoned for an ambulance as the pain of the crash began to kick-in. “At that point the friend became quite abusive towards me. He was coming out with the usual anti-cyclist stuff and saying things like I was feigning injury to get a compensation claim!”
After hospital treatment, physio and several months off the road, David returned to commuting but insists the experience leaves some permanent scars. “It’s taken me a long time to get back to the levels of cycling I was enjoying before the crash, for various reasons. The range of movement around my shoulder has taken that amount of time to return, too.”
Crash & Learn
David Fraser
Get checked over
● “Never underestimate your injuries. Because you’re upset in that moment and maybe shouting, you and the other party will think you’re not seriously hurt. But that is the adrenaline to an extent.” When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics gave David a full examination. “They, of course, took it very seriously, saying that I could have all kinds of internal injuries so I did the right thing to call them.”
Crashes change your approach
● “The crash has made me almost hypersensitive to the risks bad and aggressive driving pose to cyclists – even though in my case the crash was through carelessness on the driver’s part, not aggressive driving.”
Keep your camera on
● “On the day of the crash I didn’t have my GoPro on. Fortunately for me it was a fairly straightforward case to evidence and prove, but it could easily have not been.”
Swept off his feet
The cycle lane invader
Iain Park, 50, is an experienced sportive rider and commuter, clocking up 1,000 kilometres a month on average and considering himself an enthusiastic amateur, “If only based on the number of bikes I have in the garage.”
Iain has cycled in Holland, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Canada and the US, all of which makes his crash experience – head-on with a street sweeper in a shareduse cycle lane in Edinburgh – sound mundanely shocking.
Iain suffered a broken nose, cuts to his forehead (which have left a prominent scar) and collarbone damage. “I’d broken my collarbone before in a cycling accident and this crash basically reopened the same fracture,” he says. Apart from the injuries, his beloved Mason Revolution bike was written off. “I was able to recover a few bits from the bike but the frame and the front wheel were trashed.”
While cycle paths reduce the risk of a crash, they’re by no means completely safe.
Collisions with other cyclists, pedestrians and – as in Iain’s case – even motorised vehicles are not uncommon. Creating clearly distinct pathways, as opposed to just white lines in the road, reduces the risk further. A 2020 Transport for London and University College London study found that ‘kerb-separated cycle infrastructure’ reduced injury odds substantially; by 40% compared to no infrastructure.
It took Iain three weeks to get over the pain and to start riding again. However, he had to have physio for three months to get his collarbone and neck working properly.
And he’s left with a permanent reminder of the incident. “The scarring on my face has taken a bit of getting used to,” he says.
With the support of Cycle Law Scotland, Iain is seeking compensation for damages incurred but insists the crash has not dampened his desire to cycle. “I think the accident has made me a better cyclist, and has made me more engaged in the issues around active travel,” he surmises.
Crash & Learn
Iain Park
Ease back in
● “I was really keen to get back on my bike as soon as I could. First I did a couple of quick spins on the turbo in the garage to check that physically I could do it, then I’d head out and ride slowly over short distances, avoiding really busy roads, and I just built up from there.”
Insure your bike
● “I’d had insurance for my bike when I raced, but did not maintain it. Like many, I have insurance which covers our bikes for theft, but it doesn’t cover accidents.
Turn anger into a force for good
● “Edinburgh has some great organisations advocating for safer cycling, and the accident made me find out about them and what they do. I’ve joined in with some events they’ve run and become much more interested in council activities in this area.”
Chequered flag
The race-day clash
Rachel Jones, 38, a chiropractor from Belfast, was on the bike during the Carrickfergus Castle Triathlon near her home in June 2019, when her crash happened.
“I remember a couple of fellas passing me and then one of them went down in front of me, with his bike spinning across the road. I hit it and all I could do was pick my landing spot.”
Rachel’s computer recorded her at 45km/h when the crash happened. “The First Aid folks got to me fast, quickly followed by an ambulance, taking me to hospital where an X-ray showed I had a collapsed lung.”
Chest, collar bone and shoulder injuries are the most common injuries sustained by cyclists when they come off the bike, thanks to the instinctive outstretching of arms.
After a chest drain and three nights on a hospital ward, Rachel was discharged with a mild AC joint (where the shoulder meets the collar bone) sprain and some broken ribs diagnosed. However, during her check-up a month later, they realised her shoulder blade was broken, and that she was having trouble moving her pelvis.
“I had to sleep in a chair and couldn’t climb the stairs at home. I’d gone from hero to zero – from doing triathlons to barely moving!”
To combat her frustrations with this new sedentary lifestyle, Rachel bought a recumbent bike via Gumtree. It proved to be an invaluable investment, and she would pedal for an hour at a time without putting stress on her body. This meant that eight weeks after her crash, Rachel was able to ride halfway around a 90-mile lap of Lough Neagh, the UK’s largest freshwater lake. “There was no major mental anxiety, though this was during a big sportive, so until I got into a group and made sure I felt confident on someone’s wheel, there were a few thoughts of uncertainty.”
Crash & Learn
Rachel Jones
Buddy Up
● “For that first big ride back, I had a couple of friends alongside me, which was reassuring and I soon got back into the flow of it.”
Cover Your Income
● “I’m selfemployed. I didn’t have income protection so the pressure was on for me to get back to work quickly. That was a motivation but I probably could have done with another couple of weeks of not working.”
Be proactive
● “I sought chiropractic treatment and physiotherapy for myself to help with my recovery. When the NHS eventually realised what had actually happened, they did arrange physiotherapist treatment too, but in this case I had to bite the bullet in order to get back to work. If I hadn’t have invested in it myself, I wouldn’t have got back to work.”
Crash simulation
Cycling UK’s Sam Jones advises on what to do in the event of a cycle crash on the road
Check for injuries
● Don’t just get back on your bike and ride away. You could be disorientated, concussed, or more badly hurt than you realise. If anyone has suffered severe injuries, call 999.
Record damage
● Take photos of the damage to your bike and any other damaged items and vehicles. Keep all damaged items and a list of out-of-pocket expenses as these can form part of your claim.
Identify who caused the incident
● Collect the names, addresses and insurance details of anyone involved in the incident and note vehicle registration details, colour or model. Avoid admitting fault, verbally or otherwise.
Get names
● Get the details of any witnesses to the incident as soon as possible and if the police attend, take details of the investigating officer and the police reference number.
Take notes
● Record the date, time, road markings, any road defects and weather conditions. If possible, take photos of the vehicles in position. If you have an on-bike camera or the vehicles involved have dash cams, try to get details so that the footage can be traced.
Cycling UK members receive free legal advice from Slater and Gordon. Call the Cycling UK Incident Line on 0330 107 1789
Up the junction
The incident hotspot
James Culver, 62, and an off-road tour guide from Surrey, was hit by a motorist while cycling home from Guildford at a spot that has a reputation for road traffic accidents.
“Where possible, I’ll cycle along the towpath or avoid the main road as much as possible, but because it was mid January and some of the trails were clogged up with mud, I stayed on the road, in the cycle lane.
“The sun was low and visibility wasn’t great. Just prior to the accident, a lorry thundered past me, just inches away. The car that followed it came even closer. I didn’t even see it coming into me. My instinct was to lean into it to stay upright as it ploughed through my path – but I soon ran out of car to lean against and fell into the road, hitting my head, shoulder and elbow.”
James was shocked but didn’t lose consciousness. “I found it hard to sit up and went to grab my shoulder with my left hand but it had dislocated from the socket and dropped about six inches down my side.”
At hospital, James was asked where the accident had happened by a nurse who knew the local area. She confirmed that it was a regular accident hotspot. “It’s a point at which a dual-carriageway comes to a choke point ahead of a traffic island and the cycle lane abruptly ends,” explains James. “Motorists cut into the path of the cycle lane in order to keep to the left of the roundabout – which leaves cyclists especially vulnerable.”
According to Department for Transport data, around 45% of all cyclist deaths occur at or near junctions, with more than half of these recorded at T-junctions. More stats show that just under a third of cyclist deaths happen at roundabouts, miniroundabouts and crossroads.
Fortunately for James, a police car was on the scene in moments and ensured the ambulance arrived swiftly. “At the hospital, they clicked my shoulder back into place and told me to stay off the bike for three months,” he says. He didn’t just put his feet up, though. “Thankfully I was able to go to the gym and use the recumbent bike there to keep myself turning over. It was boring but it had to be done, especially as I get older. I know that what you lose, you are a long time regaining.”
Crash & Learn
James Culver
Share your experience
● “I’ve been contacted by my borough council, asking me to suggest routes that should be looked at to improve as cycle routes.”
Always wear a helmet
● “I know I should have been wearing a helmet. Prior to the crash I was ambivalent about them because I didn’t like the feel of wearing one, but compared to what could have happened, it really isn’t such an inconvenience. I wear one now whenever I ride.”
Own the road
● “I’m taking up a position in the middle of the lane at junctions/ narrowings – as the new Highway Code recommends – and I make myself as visible and difficult to pass as possible, no matter how loudly drivers blast their horns.”