Bike accident

[Deep Blue]

How? You cannot predict the irrational actions of others.

Why not? I cycle the same way as I drive, defensively with a lot of margin for error. I’d never run into someone stepping out from a parked car/bus for example as I’d have slowed down and adjusted road position in advance. Same for blind corners, for children or smartphone/headphone zombies etc. There are so many terrible road users (especially cyclists and scooters) here I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.

There are no guarantees in life but I feel I’m about as safe on the roads as it’s possible to be. I leave in plenty of time and don’t feel the need to shave a few minutes off any journey… I don’t drive or cycle at more than about 15km/h on the small roads.

Easy and cheap, Rakuten 6000 yen for the whole family. There may be better option though, check kakaku.

Thanks, I’ll check it out tonight!

[Deep Blue]

I got specific cycle insurance yesterday ... https://www.hokencontract.jp/jtsa-bicycle/

Curse of the Japanese website.... an untickable box prevents me from continuing.. at least its a bit different to the normal frustrations of half width kana. And yes, I did open the PDF at least a dozen times in every way I could think of.

[RetireJapan]

I got specific cycle insurance yesterday ... https://www.hokencontract.jp/jtsa-bicycle/

Curse of the Japanese website.... an untickable box prevents me from continuing.. at least its a bit different to the normal frustrations of half width kana. And yes, I did open the PDF at least a dozen times in every way I could think of.

Try a different browser? That sometimes fixes issues. I had no trouble with that site, on Chrome.

[Deep Blue]

Thanks - I fixed it by turning the translation off, opening the PDF and then putting translation back on. No idea why this worked but signed up ok now and got the membership card. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Deep Blue]

How? You cannot predict the irrational actions of others.

Why not? I cycle the same way as I drive, defensively with a lot of margin for error. I’d never run into someone stepping out from a parked car/bus for example as I’d have slowed down and adjusted road position in advance. Same for blind corners, for children or smartphone/headphone zombies etc. There are so many terrible road users (especially cyclists and scooters) here I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.

There are no guarantees in life but I feel I’m about as safe on the roads as it’s possible to be. I leave in plenty of time and don’t feel the need to shave a few minutes off any journey… I don’t drive or cycle at more than about 15km/h on the small roads.

Easy and cheap, Rakuten 6000 yen for the whole family. There may be better option though, check kakaku.

Thanks, I’ll check it out tonight!

Reading my post back, it might be useful to add some context as it sounds a bit preachy. Thirteen years ago I was driving in the UK with my (then) fiancée and parents and was involved in a serious RTA. The cars were both written off and the other driver and my father sustained serious injuries.

The other driver pulled out of his hotel driveway into the main road I was driving along at point blank range, either he didn’t check both ways or was zoned out. I braked and swerved which is probably why he is still with us now but it was still a very unpleasant crash.

Fortunately nobody sustained long term injuries and he was adjudged to be completely at fault and we even kept the no claims bonus on our insurance.

However since then I’ve not been able to drive without my heart pumping every time I see someone waiting at a junction or side road. My driving style has completely changed as a result of this incident, and same defensive thinking carries over to the bicycle.

Plus I know how gaijins usually fare in the aftermath of collisions with Japanese!

[TokyoBoglehead]

How? You cannot predict the irrational actions of others.

Why not? I cycle the same way as I drive, defensively with a lot of margin for error. I’d never run into someone stepping out from a parked car/bus for example as I’d have slowed down and adjusted road position in advance. Same for blind corners, for children or smartphone/headphone zombies etc. There are so many terrible road users (especially cyclists and scooters) here I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.

There are no guarantees in life but I feel I’m about as safe on the roads as it’s possible to be. I leave in plenty of time and don’t feel the need to shave a few minutes off any journey… I don’t drive or cycle at more than about 15km/h on the small roads.

Easy and cheap, Rakuten 6000 yen for the whole family. There may be better option though, check kakaku.

Thanks, I’ll check it out tonight!

Reading my post back, it might be useful to add some context as it sounds a bit preachy. Thirteen years ago I was driving in the UK with my (then) fiancée and parents and was involved in a serious RTA. The cars were both written off and the other driver and my father sustained serious injuries.

The other driver pulled out of his hotel driveway into the main road I was driving along at point blank range, either he didn’t check both ways or was zoned out. I braked and swerved which is probably why he is still with us now but it was still a very unpleasant crash.

Fortunately nobody sustained long term injuries and he was adjudged to be completely at fault and we even kept the no claims bonus on our insurance.

However since then I’ve not been able to drive without my heart pumping every time I see someone waiting at a junction or side road. My driving style has completely changed as a result of this incident, and same defensive thinking carries over to the bicycle.

Plus I know how gaijins usually fare in the aftermath of collisions with Japanese!

I don't think defensive driving comes into play when a 90 yearold in a keicar plows through a zebra crossing on a red light. One does not get insurance to avoid the predictable. It's a hedge against the unknown and unknowable.

Regardless you have a legal obligation in most prefectures to have it, along with the helmet.

I cannot imagine a defensive driver without insurance, they are opposing ideologies and approaches.

[Deep Blue]

I cannot imagine a defensive driver without insurance, they are opposing ideologies and approaches.

Really? I'm generally not a big fan of insurance - I don't have life, contents, fire, earthquake, Applecare or any other type of insurance bar my newly acquired, legally mandated bicycle insurance. I guess you could say I am risk-seeking in this respect? But I am still careful in how I try not to die or burn the house down!

[KCLenny]

An update on the situation.
The insurance company has ruled that I am 20% liable and the other person 80%.
However they also said that as my bike was over 1 year old (by 4 months >_>) that they wouldn’t pay out to buy a new one. They won’t pay for repair either because the bike shop doesn’t recommend but can actually do it if paid (¥24,000).
So they decided to give me 80% of the money to buy an identical bike that is a year old. That worked out to be about ¥75,000 (I think that included costs for going to a doctor about whiplash, and time not having my bike).
The plan was to use some of the money to just have my bike repaired as the shop said they could do it.
We agreed in a line message with the insurance company last week Tuesday to this outcome. They sent a contract agreement which I haven’t signed yet.
Today I got a call from the bike shop that they’ve found another problem that suddenly makes the repair costs go up 10-20 man. And apparently even after paying that they said it might not be fixed (what’s the point then?).
Shouldn’t this have been reported to the insurance company?

As I haven’t signed an agreement yet, is there anything I can do?
Is it still a reasonable outcome? I still technically come off financially a tiny bit better off than before. But now according to the bike shop my bike wouldn’t be considered 100% safe despite paying them to fix it.

Any advice?
And buying a new bike is not financially viable right now.

[TokyoBoglehead]

An update on the situation.
The insurance company has ruled that I am 20% liable and the other person 80%.
However they also said that as my bike was over 1 year old (by 4 months >_>) that they wouldn’t pay out to buy a new one. They won’t pay for repair either because the bike shop doesn’t recommend but can actually do it if paid (¥24,000).
So they decided to give me 80% of the money to buy an identical bike that is a year old. That worked out to be about ¥75,000 (I think that included costs for going to a doctor about whiplash, and time not having my bike).
The plan was to use some of the money to just have my bike repaired as the shop said they could do it.
We agreed in a line message with the insurance company last week Tuesday to this outcome. They sent a contract agreement which I haven’t signed yet.
Today I got a call from the bike shop that they’ve found another problem that suddenly makes the repair costs go up 10-20 man. And apparently even after paying that they said it might not be fixed (what’s the point then?).
Shouldn’t this have been reported to the insurance company?

As I haven’t signed an agreement yet, is there anything I can do?
Is it still a reasonable outcome? I still technically come off financially a tiny bit better off than before. But now according to the bike shop my bike wouldn’t be considered 100% safe despite paying them to fix it.

Any advice?
And buying a new bike is not financially viable right now.

What are you riding on? Something that's titanium and carbon fibre? 7-10 man will buy you a nice new Trek Crossbike.

Could be the repair shop smells more money and is getting greedy.

[KCLenny]

It’s a pedal assist bike. Because I have chronic fatigue but also travel sickness so train every day isn’t an option either.