Bicycle Accident - 2pm today

[ObsessedwithOlives]

Lady on bike just got knocked off by a car cutting corner at junction between Lordship Lane and East Dulwich Grove.

Bike ruined but luckily the lady seems shaken, but fine.

Police were in the area at the time so all details seemed to have been taken promptly.

[ObsessedwithOlives]

As much as I have concern for the lady's safety, I'd like to add she wasn't wearing a helmet which I think is ridiculous nowadays. Noone seems to wear them!! Is a concern for fashion more important than one's safety??

[DJKillaQueen]

Helmets don't offer as much protection as people think. They won't protect you from any kind of strong impact nor any kind of substantial weight bearing. I also have found that when wearing a helmet some drivers take less care around me.

It seems clear from the OP that the driver was entirely at fault. Glad the lady is ok.

[nunhead_man]

http://lcc.org.uk/articles/should-i-wear-a-helmet

[miss_mystra]

ObsessedwithOlives Wrote:

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> As much as I have concern for the lady's safety,

> I'd like to add she wasn't wearing a helmet which

> I think is ridiculous nowadays. Noone seems to

> wear them!! Is a concern for fashion more

> important than one's safety??

while i personally wear a helmet i don't think a helmet would have prevented this accident taking place somehow. If the driver is at fault, the lady's safety precautions are irrelevant. The lady is unhurt (but bloody shaken up imagine) so what would a helmet have changed about this accident?

[Lowlander]

ObsessedwithOlives Wrote:

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> As much as I have concern for the lady's safety,

> I'd like to add she wasn't wearing a helmet which

> I think is ridiculous nowadays. Noone seems to

> wear them!! Is a concern for fashion more

> important than one's safety??

Much research which shows that you're more likely to be in an accident wearing one than without. http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/articles/archive/overtaking110906.html

And it would have made no difference in this case it seems.

[silverfox]

Lady on bike just got knocked off by a car cutting corner at junction between Lordship Lane and East Dulwich Grove...

How can you cut a corner at this junction? Do you mean by the pedestrian crossings by the roundabout?

[ObsessedwithOlives]

Although in this case it wouldn't have made a difference - a colleague of mine is currently recovering at home after being badly injured while cycling home from work. She broke 3 ribs, her collar-bone and her arm was broken in two places.

Luckily she was wearing a helmet, but even just a knock from impact without wearing one is a risk.

[ObsessedwithOlives]

silverfox Wrote:

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> Lady on bike just got knocked off by a car cutting

> corner at junction between Lordship Lane and East

> Dulwich Grove...

>

> How can you cut a corner at this junction? Do you

> mean by the pedestrian crossings by the

> roundabout?

No I mean as I said it.. a car turning right from Lordship Lane onto East Dulwich Grove cut the corner (basically turning infront of traffic turning left) and hit a lady on her bike.

[silverfox]

So the lady on her bike was passing cars on the inside while the cars were stationary allowing the car to turn in front of them?

Or are you saying she was in front of the cars and he didn't see her?

[ObsessedwithOlives]

She was infront of the cars and the car turning didn't see her.

[silverfox]

Isn't there a box junction there?

[titch juicy]

a helmet probably saved a friend of mine's life (according to the paramedics) in a car acciden,t as he went head first into the road- still required some corrective surgery on his face.

getting knocked off and hitting your head on a kerb could be quite nasty too

[DJKillaQueen]

The OP is clearly saying the car turning right cut the corner. The cyclist would have had to be in front of the oncoming traffic (waiting to turn left) to be hit. Whereever the Cyclist was, the driver turning should not have been on that side of the road as he/ she turned.

*crossed posts*

[nunhead_man]

Indeed - and the argument made by LCC is that compulsion for adults will have a greater health effect than not compelling helmet wearing as those not cycling due to compulsion (ref Australian research here) will be less healthy given the health (mental and physical) benefits of cycling

titch juicy Wrote:

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.....

>

> getting knocked off and hitting your head on a

> kerb could be quite nasty too

[DJKillaQueen]

ObsessedwithOlives Wrote:

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> She was infront of the cars and the car turning

> didn't see her.

You mean he didn't look for her. Motorcyclists get this all the time too when drivers hit them...'I didn't see you'. Funny how they always see Police on motorcycles though.

[DJKillaQueen]

The only protection a helmet will give is from impact of light force. A cycle helmet is only polystyrene with a thin plastic shell. They split and crush fairly easily.

I always wore a helmet every time I cycled for years. I don't always now (usually shorter daytime journeys) and I definitely think drivers are more careful around me when I'm not wearing a helmet. But it's also easier to see I'm female too without a helmet...so maybe that plays a role ;)

[silverfox]

We don't know that DJKQ. The facts here seem a bit sparse and the assumption is it's the driver's fault. if I'm correct there's a box junction at that point. Who was in the box first? Did the cyclist take reasonable care/see the driver indicating? Was she ready to brake? I suppose we'll never know.

Hope he lady's okay though and I suppose we should hope the driver's not too shaken up also.

[the-e-dealer]

Get a decent Helmet then. If you don't value what you have inside your head then don't be surprised if it gets damaged.

MY School friend's Dad - a Physicist wore a crash helmet in his car!

[ObsessedwithOlives]

the-e-dealer Wrote:

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> Get a decent Helmet then. If you don't value what

> you have inside your head then don't be surprised

> if it gets damaged.

> MY School friend's Dad - a Physicist wore a crash

> helmet in his car!

LOL :) I agree! Well not about a helmet in a car, maybe that's a step too far !

[ratty]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

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> ObsessedwithOlives Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > She was infront of the cars and the car turning

> > didn't see her.

>

>

> You mean he didn't look for her. Motorcyclists get

> this all the time too when drivers hit them...'I

> didn't see you'. Funny how they always see Police

> on motorcycles though.

I knocked a copper off his motorbike the other day! Never saw the bugger til he bounced off me windscreen!

[mmag]

I'm a cyclist and that's awful news, I hope the lady is ok. I think it's dreadful when someone has been hurt and all we can do is point fault/blame/criticism.

[the-e-dealer]

I completely disagree Im sure we can all do more than point fault/blame/criticism.

[Lowlander]

the-e-dealer Wrote:

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> Get a decent Helmet then. If you don't value what

> you have inside your head then don't be surprised

> if it gets damaged.

> MY School friend's Dad - a Physicist wore a crash

> helmet in his car!

By that logic, all pedestrians should be wearing helmets too! If the stats are right, it would save more lives than comelling cyclists to wear them.

[loobylou]

Having been knocked off my bike in the summer (by another cyclist and on a cycle path), I would urge every cyclist to wear a helmet. I was knocked out and spent several hours at King's being stitched, X rayed and CTed ( not in that order). Had it not been for the helmet, things would have been a lot worse. As it was I drove my nearest and dearest mad asking the same questions over and over again for at least 3 hours, after that I began to remember what I had said but I still don't remember what happened in the accident, or how I managed to ring my relatives to let them know what had happened. Fortunately a witness rang for an ambulance and waited until my daughter arrived.

Definitely wear a helmet!