What to do after a cycling collision

Safety and medical attention

Call emergency services when there is serious injury, continuing danger or another urgent risk. Do not move an injured person unless leaving them creates greater danger, and follow the operator's instructions.

Adrenaline can mask injury. Seek assessment for head impact, significant pain, loss of movement, breathing difficulty, confusion or worsening symptoms.

Details and evidence

Record facts without arguing or making speculative admissions. Preserve damaged equipment and original files rather than editing the only copy.

• Names and contact details
• Vehicle registration and driver details
• Insurer information where available
• Witness names and numbers
• Photographs of positions, damage and road conditions
• Camera locations and original video files

Reporting and follow-up

Drivers have duties to stop and provide information in qualifying accidents, with police reporting requirements where details are not exchanged. Report crime, hit-and-run or dangerous behaviour through the appropriate police route.

Notify relevant insurers or membership organisations promptly. Keep receipts and records of lost work, travel, treatment and repairs, and obtain legal advice where injury or substantial disputed loss is involved.

Use several layers of risk reduction

Roadworthy brakes, secure wheels, observation, a suitable route and predictable positioning work together. Clothing, reflective details and a helmet may be part of a rider's personal strategy, but none replaces a mechanically sound bicycle or attention to the road environment.

Check the current Highway Code and lighting requirements rather than relying on an old summary. Conditions change by time of day, traffic level and weather, so a route that feels comfortable in daylight may need a different alternative after dark.

Prepare for foreseeable problems

Tell someone the route for an unfamiliar or longer ride, keep a charged phone and carry tools only when they fit the bicycle and you know how to use them. Slow down for poor visibility, wet surfaces, pedestrians, horses and junctions where another road user may not have seen you.

After a near miss or equipment problem, review what happened without assuming a single cause. A route change, earlier signal, different road position, service or additional light may each address a different part of the risk.