Terrified of Cycling after accident

I had the same thing happen to me too!! It took me 6 years to build up confidence to ride again. I purchased a side view mirror and stay off roads with lots of traffic. Week by week I feel more confident. I am not sure when I will ever not be afraid. I am glad you were not hurt too bad. Yay!!

Worth looking to see if there are any adult bike courses in your area - several places do them, and offer beginner courses or for those who need to boost their confidence. Things like taking the lane and general road awareness would be taught and it might help you.

Otherwise look around for local cycle routes. Many on the National Cycle Route are completely traffics free (check out the sustrans website). Your fear is totally natural, but don't let it beat you!!

I love riding on two wheels. Motorcycling is my passion while I enjoy bicycling as well. As long as I can feel the wind on my face, I feel good. But 5 years back, I had a terrible accident on my motorcycle when I was hit by a car. I was at no fault, was wearing all the protective gears and wasn't even speeding. The car came roaring from behind and sent me flying down the road. The driver was talking to his fellow passenger sitting beside him and claimed that he did not see me! I suffered multiple fractures and lost all confidence. It was terrible being bed-ridden for a complete 6 months. After recovering, I started riding my bicycle, but was scared to death that even on my bicycle I would be hit by a car just because the driver won't see me again! It took me 3 years to get back my confidence and to get back on my motorcycle again.

25 years ago I used to commute 37km x 2 to work every day, all seasons, with a great deal of that ride along major streets. Down one particular road with a hill I'm going as fast as traffic for an extended period of time. One car decided he could pull straight into parallel parking without barely slowing down and certainly without signalling, forcing me off the road to bounce off a lamp standard. Nothing broken but a bloody big bruise on my forearm. My helmet fared worse and had to be replaced but I displayed no concussion symptoms. Lucky.

While technically the accident was the drivers fault (no shoulder check, he did not contest this), I prefer to ride defensively at all times because fault doesn't matter when it comes to our health. Was I lulled into complacency due to the regular nature of my commute? Maybe. Could I have avoided this crash? On that route, maybe not. It was too sudden and unpredictable.

The incident scared me and I stopped commuting by bike for several months and instead redoubled my distance running.

But... I started riding again and I don't fear traffic. If anything I'm even more defensive. Some of my high mileage friends have had multiple accidents. Some of those were avoidable. My objective is to not be in an avoidable accident, regardless of fault. So far so good. There are a lot more bikes on the road these days which helps improve awareness among drivers and therefore safety for all.

Runners get hit by cars. Pedestrians get hit by cars. Drivers are crushed by falling rocks from cliffs. Drivers are killed by other drivers. I'm not willing to allow fear to unnecessarily restrict my enjoyment of life. I will take routes that are efficient over an inefficient bike route, but I won't take silly risks along roads that are problematic... sometimes slower is better.

I'm terrified to ride on the street because of an accident I *witnessed* -- I wasn't even involved! Luckily for me, there are some traffic-free canals that go to beaches and parks nearby, so I'm thinking of getting a new bike to enjoy those.

I think your fear is completely understandable. I hope you're able to find a solution that works for you.