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@GrahamLaming
Today I went to work by car and was involved in a collision with a cyclist.
A big shock , horrible, horrible moment.
Was still dark, around 7:15am, I entered a roundabout and had an almight bang to my door/window. I exited the rbt and parked up, to investigate. There I see a young cyclist lying in the road - paper delivery lad, around 16.
I just felt sick.
He got up and I checked him over, dragged his bike to the middle of the roundabout. Couple of other motorists stopped to help and leave their details.
Thank goodness, he seemed ok apart from a sore ankle and grazed elbow.
No helmet.
No lights front or back, though he did have a high viz vest on, but I certainly didn't see him in the dark and I remember looking right.
He just slammed into my door. Thank goodness I wasn't a second or two later or he could have gone under the car.
We called his folks, who live just round the corner, they were there in a couple of mins.
His dad is a police accident investigator - what the heck! And his son it tearing around the neighbourhood on an unlit bike in the dark without a helmet. Unbelievable, he must have known, yet still gave his son a bollocking.
I think they both got the message.
A comparitively minor prang, but it shook me up bad, knowing what could have happened. So many kids are out delivering papers in the dark with no lights or helmets - keep a good lookout folks, go safe.