DH in Accident with Cyclist - Any Advice

[LilacPombear]

DH has just given me a quick call to say he was in an accident this morning. He never calls me in the mornings and had to cut the call short as he's at work and no phones allowed. He said he was driving into work (around 7am); the roads are fairly quiet at that time around here and he's done the route for years. He looked before turning left, all clear, but as he turned, a bike hit the car.

He got out and checked the rider, who was unharmed and seemed more concerned about his bike than anything else. The bike was not damaged or un-rideable. DH said the rider had added mods to the bike, which is why it was moving so fast. The rider had no helmet, high-vis, nothing. Initially, the rider was angry and called someone, speaking in another language, and making threats about DH ruining his bike.

DH has no idea how he stayed so calm but said he wanted to deal with this amicably. The first thing he checked was if the rider was unharmed, which he was. But there is damage to the car. They exchanged details, but the rider was not able to speak English very well. He got back on the bike and left. DH then headed into work and gave me a quick call to let me know.

I'm glad the man was okay as is DH, and it could have been so much worse, especially since he had no helmet. DH seemed quite shaken on the phone. What happens now? What do we do? I'm sure DH knows what to do next, but I just feel worried, especially as the rider was making threats. Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I really don't think the OP is actually "my husband overtook a bike, then indicated to turn left, checked all was clear and then turned" ie forgotten he had literally just overtaken the bike.
If the OP isn't telling us the full story then we're all on a hide to nothing trying to give advice.

Tell the police and insurers. Keep it factual. Ignore irrelevent factors (cyclist's clothing). Ignore the people on here who are trying to guess who is to blame without all the context and facts....

1. Highway code rules for cyclists 68 You must not ride in a dangerous, careless or inconsiderate manner

Rule 67 states

"when cycling on the road, only pass to the left of large vehicles when they are stationary or slow moving and you should proceed with caution as the driver may not be able to see you. Be particularly careful on the approach to junctions or where a large vehicle could change lanes to the left."

I doubt they meant cars when referring to a large vehicle but I dont think it's quite as clear cut as the driver was definitely at fault since cyclists should be proceeding with caution at a junction.

I struggle to understand a situation here where the driver could not have been aware of the cyclist's presence, for the cyclist to be close enough to go into the side of the car in the few seconds it takes to complete the manoeuver.

Either the driver had recently overtaken the cyclist and then turned left, or the cyclist was going sufficiently fast to keep up with the car and would have been visible in mirrors.

Either way, the driver should have been aware of the cyclist.

These delivery riders on their jailbroken bikes which are actually motorbikes are a total menace. No road sense, no helmets, no lights, no licence, no insurance. Riding very quickly through traffic, far faster than someone pedalling could, even if they were Chris Hoy.

From your DH's point of view it's a total pain as this rider will not have insurance and your DH will have to foot the bill for whatever damage he has caused to his car. Also agree that the police turn a blind eye to these riders, they are all over every big city and are never ever stopped.

An electric bike = moped/motorbike which is what these things are, even if they have pedals. They are not like a standard bicycle with a wee engine to give you a boost going uphill. They are illegal motorbikes.

Edit - therefore referring to these riders as "cyclists" isn't true. Or isn't giving the full picture.

Thanks @MobilityCat - I didn't know this could be done. We have some expensive road bikes but they are insured and aren't ridden like that either

I assume he was turning into a side road and failed to observe the cyclist in his mirror or checking over his shoulder. Cyclists call being caught this way a 'left hook'.

Your husband is, I think, at fault here; failure to observe. If details were not exchanged at the scene he should report it to the police, that way he's covered if cyclist discovers later he is injured and goes to the police himself.

You say the bike was modified; in what way?

The risk of being left hooked is one of many reasons why a cyclist might be better going down the outside of a queue if moving faster than the cars but that's no use regarding liability. Neither is lack of hi-viz/helmet.

My dh was hit by an elderly driver (relevant) as they had a recent history
£7000 to replace the bike- carbon frame gone
she tried to suggest he should hammer it!

she also tried to avoid insurance as there was some suggestion that her licence should have been revoked

I'm a cyclist and usually happy to blame drivers who won't give us space, but if the cyclist came up on the inside, they're at fault?

These riders are NOT CYCLISTS!!

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/police-scotland-launch-crackdown-dangerous-31361270

This is the sort of bike the OP is talking about. Big fat tyres. Speeds equivalent to cars. Not insured, not taxed, no lights. Anyone who lives in a city will have seen these bikes whizzing around. The only odd thing about this photo is that the guy has a helmet on.

I can, thinking of the left turns I do here. Reach T-junction on the edge of my village where the local roads meets a busier B-road. Indicate left and position myself to turn left. Stream of cars approaching from my right, so I have to sit and wait in for them to pass for a minute or so. In the meantime one of the bike commuters who live in various roads in my village cycle up behind unobserved and stop directly behind my car or move into my left blind spot. They also watch the traffic, as I'm doing, and prepare for a quick getaway. I check my lefthand wing mirror before turning and moving off and if they're behind my boot or in my blind spot I won't see them. They set off fast, I'm a bit slower off the mark and bang, they hit my passenger door as I turn. I really don't understand why cyclists aren't expected to behave in those circumstances like a larger vehicle and queue behind and wait till the vehicle in front has completed the turn before setting off.

A quick google turns up a few 'left hook' cases:

https://www.boltburdonkemp.co.uk/our-insights/posts/courts-and-contributory-negligence-of-cyclists/

In both cases mentioned the driver was responsible but in one there was contributory negligence found by the cyclist.

I'd say most of the deliveroo etc bikes I see are 'electric motorcycles' but without the required registration plate, indicators etc - the rider doing 20+ without pedalling is a dead giveaway. An electric bicycle (EAPC) is limited by law to 15.5mph on the motor (you can obviously make it go faster by pedalling or downhill, but the motor won't push you faster than that)

Electric bikes: licensing, tax and insurance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

"Other kinds of electric bike
Any electric bike that does not meet the EAPC rules is classed as a motorcycle or moped and needs to be registered and taxed. You’ll need a driving licence to ride one and you must wear a crash helmet."

These illegal electric motorbikes are surprisingly fast, have really good acceleration up through the 10-30 mph range, but otherwise look like a pushbike.

The reason I'm mentioning all of this, is that matey that was in the collision was probably on one of these. Given it's an illegal motorbike, he wouldn't want to be in touch with the law - his bike would be confiscated probably as well as a fine and possible driving points.

We all need to be watching out for these electric motorbikes, they can appear very fast out of your blind spots, and the riders are quite vulnerable considering the speed they go, and they'll be wearing at best a polystyrene bike helmet and no leathers.

CAN be illegal, but are not as a rule. It depends on whether they are properly speed limited or operate independently of pedals.

Now I'm cynical (and not blind) and have seen plenty being used which I suspect are illegal. But I'm strongly considering buying and using a "swytch" branded kit myself and can assure you I'd not be doing so legally.

I see @Misthios and possibly other PP mentioned my point already - I skipped past pages 2-4, sorry!

By the way you have described it, I don’t think the bike hit the car - if your hubby was turning left then the car hit the bike.

It must have been said but your dh should report the accident to the police. Give them a call and then go into your local police station to get it on file. Details were exchanged so this is good for following it up.

I think a lot of people who live in more rural areas or in smaller towns just aren't familiar with these sorts of illegal e-bikes. I know from a previous thread that a genuine electric bike is capped at 15mph and the motor is there to assist. These sorts of delivery e-bikes get to 30mph from a standing starts, describing them as "cyclists" is just wrong. Fairly recent phenomenon in Glasgow, last 18 months - 2 years.

Exactly.

The Highway Code was updated in 2022 and drivers turning left i.e.into a side road off a 'main' road should give way to cyclists (just as cyclists must give way to pedestrians in the same scenario). It was quite a fundamental change to the Highway Code that created a lot of noise at the time but it seems some drivers (and many of the posters on this thread) aren't aware of it going by the number of "undertaking" comments on here. 🙄

Drivers need to be extra careful when turning left. I'd like to hope they are anyway but as a cyclist (as well as driver) so many aren't. Which is why the Highway Code changed!

The OP hasn't mentioned if her DH was actually signalling left. Maybe he's one of those BMW owners whose cars don't come with indicators. He clearly wasn't checking his mirrors enough. One casual glance isn't sufficient. You need to be checking constantly as you approach a left turn - including your rear view mirror to make sure there are no fast moving bikes/motorbikes coming up which might catch you out.

The cyclist was a bit foolish to assume the DH was a considerate car driver who was up to speed with the Highway Code. The cyclist should have erred on the side of caution (as a central London cyclist, my base assumption is that everyone will do stupid things so don't put yourself at risk) but sounds very much like the DH was entirely at fault. Even more so if he wasn't indicating.

Hang on a minute, the rules are you shouldn't overtake and then cut across cyclists, and you should indicate, check your mirrors and blind spot before turning, if he's done both of those things what else is he supposed to do?

on the other hand, highway code rules for cyclists:

74. Turning. When approaching a junction on the left, watch out for vehicles turning in front of you, out of or into the side road. If you intend to turn left, check first for other cyclists or motorcyclists before signalling. Do not ride on the inside of vehicles signalling or slowing down to turn left.

Sounds like the cyclist was going too fast to stop. If it was an electric bike, which can go up to 20mph, he's playing a dangerous game whizzing up the inside of cars with junctions on the left.

If it was an electric bike, which can go up to 20mph

The illegal ones go a LOT faster.

She said her DH checked before he turned, and then as he turned, a cyclist came out of nowhere and hit him. No matter how careful and thorough a driver is, it's their fault. I think that's totally wrong.