How to avoid a SMIDSY

No one likes crashing and it can dent your confidence and bank balance as well as injuring you.

Here’s how to avoid one of the most common accidents, a SMIDSY (“Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You”) when another vehicle pulls out of a junction and you collide or fall off avoiding them.

To avoid these as much as possible, keep a very keen eye on any car approaching a junction.

Look at the driver, have they looked your direction. Have they only got one hand on the wheel which could mean the other is putting the car into gear to move off?

Are the wheels starting to move as they edge closer. Have you got an escape route if they do pull out on you. Which should be stopping in time, or swerving if they come at you at the last second.

If you are in a busy urban environment, it’s worth practicing riding with your hand ‘covering’ the front brake to speed up your reaction time.

Also make sure you ‘own’ the piece of road you’re on, so don’t hug the gutter, and don’t overtake other vehicles past a junction if you can possibly avoid it. 

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