Hit from Behind

[psmiffy]

I have cycled for many decades and always felt relatively safe – I have always felt that by having my wits about me, good observation and positive road positioning that if there was “one out there trying to get me” I could take measures to avoid them.

However, it seems to me that over the past decade and increasingly in the last few years the “hit from behind” has become more frequent – Is it that the increase in smart devices and drivers using them has increased causing more of this type of incident – or do I just notice it more because I see more internet reporting - or has it always been so.

 

[derrick]

I would say smart devices, My wife got hit from behind, i am 99% sure the driver was on the phone, But police refused to check it out.

 

[classic33]

Been hit from behind twice deliberately by the drivers. Once by a van, which then sped past to the next set of lights. Where I repaid the favour done. Bumper fell off from the drivers side, remaining attached on the passenger side.
The previous time it was calculated bit of fun, for the driver, as he pushed me onto the roundabout.

 

[Drago]

Where is the "more twots on the road than ever before" option?

 

[derrick]

Where is the "more twots on the road than ever before" option?

Are you talking cyclist or car drivers or both. I think you must mean both.

 

[Drago]

I meant car drivers, seeing as it unusual to see cyclists reversing into cars. That said, I don't get out much these days so could simply be terribly out of touch.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I got hit from behind while stationary at lights, in a bike box.
There was no vehicle behind me when I got to the box.
The driver must have just glanced at the lights without looking ahead. I am sure she was looking at her phone.

 

[derrick]

I meant car drivers, seeing as it unusual to see cyclists reversing into cars. That said, I don't get out much these days so could simply be terribly out of touch.

What you have never been hit by a cyclist from behind?

 

[HLaB]

I've had two of the behind incidents:
I've been nudged/ pushed from behind but thankfully the driver looked out of their glove box just before I was pushed into the van in front.
The second time was a bit more physical (but fortunately it was just my wheel that go pickled). Stopped at a rbt, a couple of secs later I heard a loud acceleration. The driver got out and said "I saw you ", FFS I thought, you saw me and you still hit me.
It turn out she'd stopped too but thought she saw a car was indicating off and assumed I was pulling out into that theoretical gap.
It was a old fashioned sports car (the type with large exposed wheels) and I could see it was quite clearly not pulling off and there was no way I was pulling out into a gap that wasn't there
The last incident has made me really concious of the rear but there's no way she was using a smart device, she was too stupid to use one

 

[Lonestar]

I've had two in the last two years where the car/van has suddenly reversed....Van at Cannon Street with me having a row with the van driver about it.(missed my light flashing in his left hand mirror)...Didn't notice plod in the traffic who did FA.

Second time was a car (Startford backstreet) which suddenly did the same with me shouting out loudly managed to stop it.My handlebars came close to hitting the car...missed by a few inches.Both tmes just stupidity and not using mirrors even though both times I was in good view of the mirrors...but nothing malicious about either incident.

Ok slightly different from the OP's question but both almost lead to a collision.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Had a couple of rear end shunts on my bike that were simple (ha) driver and fellow cyclist error and witnessed a few over the years none of which appeared tech related.

People have always been born stupid or impatient.

 

[Tanis8472]

It's only going to get worse with more smart integration in cars

 

[steveindenmark]

Figures have just come out in Denmark which shows that more accidents are caused by phone users than drink drivers.

Every time I go out in the car I see other drivers on their phones.

My opinion is that the penalty for "Phone driving" should now be the same as drink driving. I think it would cut it down dramatically, vey quickly.

 

[Tanis8472]

Surely because its become socially unacceptable to drink and drive (apart from some die hards etc)

 

[mjr]

Is it actually that much more common? I've not seen it rise much, although getting hit from behind on rural roads is disproportionately deadly.