Being involved in a life changing (but thankfully not life taking) RTA nearly nine months ago has made me so much more wary when I'm on my pedal cycle, in situations very different to how I ended up in the General for 10 days.
It was such a "freak" accident, I've never experienced that type of situation in ~35 years of cycling on the roads. "Weather warning" 23/12/13, predicted heavy rain and wind as the day progresses, early morning it is raining with a breeze, but no that bad. Left for work on my racer from east side of city, doing ~20mph as I approach the blind sweeping bend on the east side of Northam Bridge. Get round corner to find a dustbin lorry stationary ~5 metres in front of me, collecting rubbish...
Wake up ~20mins or so later with paramedic over me. Now I have permanent titanium plates holding my lower nose and upper jaw in place, with screws in my "good" hand, many chipped teeth and a couple "missing in action."
Now I feel so damn vulnerable riding my racer and my mind is going overdrive on paranoid anticipation of what other vehicles are doing around me. I'm strongly considering a hydraulic disc "cross bike" for far better wet weather braking, a day does not go by when I don't think that if I had been on my hydraulic disc brake mountain bike that morning, I would have scrubbed so much more speed off and consequently, I would not still wake up every morning feeling like I did 10 rounds with Mike Tyson last night.