Am I a paraplegic?

[earth]

That's what I thought this evening as I lay sprawled across the road on a busy roundabout.

Yes, it was a women driver who was clearly driving in one direction while looking in another when she drove into me from behind. How else does someone drive onto a roundabout without noticing the person 2 feet in front of them who was also entering the roundabout but at a slower pace?

Kind of topped of the day really.

The morning had been a tests of reactions from the outset as a van driver made a right turn on the wrong side of the road exactly as the women who knocked me off last year had. This time I was a bit further away.

Then there was the psycho in the 4*4 who decided he couldn't wait in traffic so, to everyone's amazement, did a three point turn, complete with screeching tires, in the middle of the traffic jam - as I was about to pass on the right (the correct side).


I'm going to get helmet cam.

 

[rowan 46]

I guess not as you made it home to write this post. I hope there was no serious damage and that you get well soon.

 

[Brommyboy]

Especially on roundabouts, it is essential to make eye contact with aliens behind glass! If unable to do so, take the easy option - keep out of their way! Keeping to the primary position helps but mental glaring can get through at times. To attract attention from those behind you, deliberate wobbling often works!

 

[benb]

Glad you're OK, but I really fail to see how the driver's gender is relevant.

 

[davefb]

clowns...

can you claim whiplash from a rear shunt on a bike ?

 

[MontyVeda]

I've had similar near misses.... driver turning left out of a t-junction but looking right rather than ahead where I am.

all they're doing is checking that they don't need to come to a full stop when i fact they should come to a full stop regardless.

 

[Bluebell72]

The morning had been a tests of reactions from the outset as a van driver made a right turn on the wrong side of the road exactly as the women who knocked me off last year had.

Wow. This reminded me of that Jasper Carrott sketch (whatever happened to him?) where he talked about the insurance claims people fill in, describing what happened in the accident.

'While waving to the man I ran over last week, I ran over another pedestrian...'

'The first I knew of the accident was when a sad old face slid down my windscreen'

and 'I reversed into a tree which had not been there that morning'

Hope you're feeling better soon.

 

[Brandane]

I've had similar near misses.... driver turning left out of a t-junction but looking right rather than ahead where I am.

all they're doing is checking that they don't need to come to a full stop when i fact they should come to a full stop regardless.

Not if it's a "Give Way" rather than a "Stop" sign or markings. That is NOT taking away from the fact that they have to make effective observations all around them, including keeping an eye on any cyclists that might be in front of them!

 

[earth]

Especially on roundabouts, it is essential to make eye contact with aliens behind glass! If unable to do so, take the easy option - keep out of their way! Keeping to the primary position helps but mental glaring can get through at times. To attract attention from those behind you, deliberate wobbling often works!

I was in the primary position at the front of a queue waiting to enter the roundabout. I was not able to make eye contact with the driver who shunted me because they were behind me.

 

[earth]

Glad you're OK, but I really fail to see how the driver's gender is relevant.

I'm just starting to think there might be some truth in the notion that women are bad drivers.

 

[earth]

Wow. This reminded me of that Jasper Carrott sketch (whatever happened to him?) where he talked about the insurance claims people fill in, describing what happened in the accident.

'While waving to the man I ran over last week, I ran over another pedestrian...'

'The first I knew of the accident was when a sad old face slid down my windscreen'

and 'I reversed into a tree which had not been there that morning'

Hope you're feeling better soon.

It does sound a bit garbled. Fingers trying to write down the events while still in the moment... I was knocked off last year in the same place by someone doing exactly the same thing - driving on the wrong side of the road.

 

[snailracer]

I'm just starting to think there might be some truth in the notion that women are bad drivers.

True. And men are worse.