F@!###! A car!: On not being hit by cars.

I'm gonna start with a video- It's a little bit graphic, especially if you are sensitive to cyclists bouncing off of windscreens. Be pre-warned.

For those with exceedingly short attention spans, the action hits at about 0:55. This is in Brasil, where apparently they have a weekly protest on bikes over how many cars there are. For those of you who didn't watch the video (See, I'm catering for everybody!) it shows a whole load of cyclists being hit by a car. I mean the guy must have been scoring points, Rambo style.


At some point, if you cycle a bit, you will be hit by a car or hit a car at some point. It's almost a law. Fear not, this is not gonna be a helmet-wearing rant- I'm not bothered how you attire your bonce. The problem with cars and bicycles sharing a road is a simple physics problem. A car weighs about 50 times what a bike weighs (and that's a small car!). In an argument, the car wins.


So how to stay safe? Well the first rule would be don't cycle like a moron. Lights are red for a reason- other cars are moving (usually fast) across where you want to go. And they don't share. Similarly,if riding on the wrong side of the road (or salmoning, as BikeSnobNYC calls it) you are a minority. In an argument, you will use.


Big vehicles are not your friend. Bus drivers, van drivers, lorry drivers- you think they look every time when they've been driving all day? Also, their blind spots are big enough to park...well, a bus in. Also, not all road users are going to be nice to you. Some people just turn into Mad Max when they get behind the wheel. You kinda get used to this in a while, and may develop BIP or Bike-Induced Paranoia, where you think every driver is out to get you.

Solid Snake, in the dark on a bike.

Light em up boyo! It doesn't matter if the cool kids don't, it doesn't matter that a whole load of lights are ugly warts upon your frame. It definitely is a poor fashion choice, but wear fluorescent stuff like it's the 80's again and you're the sixth member of DEVO. You're not Solid Snake- you want to be seen! If people are gonna drive like idiots, don't give them an excuse not to see you.


Maintain your bike. I just had to buy some new brakes. I hate buying things for my bike that don't make it faster or let me ride longer. But it's a necessity. If you can't stop when you want to, or you have to brake half a mile back, fix it! Brake pads are about £2 from Tesco, so there is no reason why not. Not being able to stop and going headlong into the side of a gigantic black pickup is not the best- trust me :-D.


So yeah. That and a large amount of luck (not available in stores) and you should be ok. There's no point in getting paranoid about being hit, but there are ways to improve the odds.