Hi all,
I saw some poor fella get sideswiped of his bike today. He was just cruising down Whitehall, in an empty lane 2 doing about 30mph. He was riding past queuing traffic in lane 1, when a large private hire people carrier pulled out of lane 1, into him and sent him and his bmw bike sliding down the wet road. He was wearing a protective jacket, helmet and gloves, but also jeans and normal shoes/boots. He was lucky not to damage his leg and foot as he got trapped under the bike.
I guess you have to learn from other people's mistakes: Wear all the protective gear, expect people to pull out and give yourself space. He did have plenty of space to his right actually, as the road is really wide. He must have been riding close to the queuing traffic, daydreaming or fixated on the car when it pulled out.
I just felt bad for the guy, and glad it wasn't me. Unfortunately I was also with the missus, and she is already reluctant enough to get on the back of the bike. :-(
Brett