Brisbane cyclist Calvin Treacy's harrowing recollection of the moment he and a car collided brought back many other cyclists' memories of their own brush with death on the open road. Here are some of their stories.

'Just plain, aggressive rudeness'

Martin Clarke, from Wannanup, WA:

Martin Clarke says he's had "many, many crashes", but the worst involved a car. ( Supplied: Martin Clarke )

"I've ridden for many years. I've been involved in road racing, mountain bike racing, riding to commute to work, solo training rides and group rides. I've ridden in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, the USA and Europe. I used to be a technical officer for the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA. I commuted on my bike for years, mostly to keep fit and because I love riding, although it did save heaps of money in fuel.

"I've had many, many crashes, but only one involved a car. I was commuting home from work, going downhill at about 40 kilometres per hour. I had lights, and they were on, although it was not yet dark. A car pulled up at a stop sign on a side street. Normally I try to make eye contact with the driver to ensure they have seen me. This time, due to the angle of the sun, I couldn't see the driver clearly, so I kept an eye on the car.

"Just before I reached the intersection, the car pulled out in front of me. I had just enough time to emergency brake and steer a little to the right, before I hit the front right fender and somersaulted over the bonnet. I landed on my back. Fortunately I was wearing a backpack filled with clothes, which softened the hit.

"I couldn't move though, as I found later both my legs were so badly corked they wouldn't move. My left hand was crushed between the handlebar and the fender. It was a busy road, and a lady was with me in seconds. Turns out she was a registered nurse. An ambulance was on the scene in five minutes.

"The elderly lady driver of the car was in shock, and kept on repeating to me, 'I didn't see you'. Through my work I have done advanced defensive driving courses, and they stress the importance of situational awareness, of constant scanning in front, to the sides and to the rear, looking for potential dangers.

Martin Clarke sticks to mountain biking now. ( Supplied: Martin Clarke )

"I was very lucky, my injuries were not bad as I went over the car. Would have been a different story if I had gone straight into the car and stopped dead. Crashes like this happen very fast, my initial response was a feeling of numb disbelief.

"I have video [see above] of being forced off the road to a standstill by a ute towing a trailer turning left in front of me, a blatant act as he had just passed me. Low speeds though and no impact. Just plain aggressive rudeness.

"Crashes between vehicles and cyclists always end up far worse for the cyclist, and they will continue whilst we have to share the road. It only takes one moment of inattention."

'I mislaid four years of life, including a divorce'

Milton Seccombe with his dad's aluminium-and carbon-fibre bike. "He gave it to me after Christmas as he was finding it difficult after a knee replacement in his late '80s. Hopefully it will help me avoid a nursing home." ( Supplied: Milton Seccombe )

Milton Seccombe, retired, lives in Toowoomba, Queensland:

"I was working at Artamon, Sydney, at the time in 1989 or '90 and commuting to work from Epping along Epping Road. Last thing I recalled was a BMW decal on the side of a delivery van flashing past my eyes and wondering where it had come from. I was halfway down a moderate Sydney hill on a major road well north of 35kph. I hadn't looked for a vehicle crossing six lanes from a minor road little more than a lane going nowhere at the beginning of peak hour.

"Concussion is interesting — I had mislaid four years of life, including a divorce — lost only a tiny patch of skin on a knuckle from my stringy back gloves. Couldn't walk up the stairs at work for at least six weeks, but other than minor aphasia that only my friends notice I bear no scars.

"A large flexible sheet metal door is a preferable part of a vehicle to hit. Back of the ambulance crew seemed to find it all highly amusing, probably as I was still alive.

"Took me months to extract the money from his insurance company. Finally someone said: 'Its only $600, we've stuffed you around for three months? Here's the money'.

"It felt like my life was returning again. So my first ride, a truck started to turn right across my path and the three big ockers in the cab thought it was a great joke. Not for me.

"I still have the bike; it was hand-built by [Australian frame builder] Clay Kesting. My parents bought for my 21st and I had ridden it to Perth with friends. One handle bar was bent, and the back wheel was not so round with a broken axle. My mechanic informed me that this was reasonably common in those days, as the back wheel can catch in a protruding rear bumper, which would also explain my soft tissue injuries that really limited my movement for the next six weeks, as the bicycle would have acted as a woomera and catapulted me by one leg.

"For me a bicycle represents a certain freedom. If we can continue to work to instil positive attitudes to driving well before we get our licences [until autonomous vehicles take over in five years, and it should become much safer] we will build a more positive society for us all to live in."

'Everyone said I was lucky. I don't feel lucky'

Scott MacIntyre on Amy's Ride. ( Supplied: Scott MacIntyre )

Scott MacIntyre, from Albert Park, SA:

"I was hit by a flatbed semitrailer while in a bike lane, wearing a high-viz jacket on a beautiful spring morning. I have under gone three years of rehab to be mostly functional again, albeit I have a spinal injury now.

Scott MacIntyre is still hampered with a back injury ( Supplied: Scott MacIntyre )

"The physical injuries I sustained were painful and there is a system of support to overcome that, but my biggest hurdles have been the lack of support from the mental side. No-one really understands. Everyone said I was lucky. I don't feel lucky.

"I work in the IT department at the University of South Australia — Mawson Lakes. The uni has a positive cycling culture. I tended to commute as well as ride socially on weekends with friends and co-workers. I did it to help keep me healthy as well as help train for some endurance rides with my co-workers: Amy's Ride [a series of non competitive bicycle rides held in various states of Australia, by the Amy Gillett Foundation, in the memory of Amy Gillett who died in a road accident in Germany], TDU [Santos Tour Down Under] etc.

"I am trying to get back out there because I enjoy the freedom and social aspect. I've gone on maybe four or five small social rides on a weekend, but am still hampered with a back injury from the incident."

'I would go crazy sitting in a car'

Adrian Lynch, a principal at a commercial law firm in Melbourne, commutes 15km to work to save time, and for the health and lifestyle benefits. ( Supplied: Adrian Lynch )

Adrian Lynch, principal of a commercial law firm in Melbourne, Victoria:

"Three months ago I was riding home in the bike-lane on a major road when a car [ute], travelling the opposite direction, suddenly turned right into my path and I slammed into the rear tray. The driver never saw me and I had only a second to brace for the inevitable impact.

"I smashed my pelvis, broke a finger, compressed some vertebrae and copped all kinds of scrapes and cuts. My head struck the ground when I bounced off the ute, but thank God my helmet did its job and cushioned the blow.

"I remember everything about the accident like time slowed down. Lying on the road, my first thought was gratitude — for not dying. My second thought was guilt — because my wife and mother were terrified that I would get hit one day and I told them that I was 'a safe rider' and to trust me. These thoughts drifted into the background as helpers came to my aid. Initially, ordinary commuters who saw what happened and got out of their cars, and later the police and paramedics.

Adrian Lynch lies in hospital after his accident. ( Supplied: Adrian Lynch )

"The courage and kindness shown by those strangers will never be forgotten. I had my eyes shut the whole time [because I can't stand the sight of blood], so I could only hear their words of encouragement and feel the warmth of one of their hands as she gripped my palm and spoke calmly to me. Another volunteered to call my wife with the terrible news. Words can't describe my appreciation for what these good folk did.

"The entire medical team that put me back together were amazing. Paramedics, trauma team at the Alfred [Hospital], doctors, nurses and physios. I am indebted to them all.

"My rehab continues now and I have returned to cycling although stick to the off-road paths where available. As well as rehabilitation, it remains my meditation. At the end of the day, the ride home is the perfect way for me to decompress from the stresses of work and the city. Having sat behind a desk all day, I would go crazy sitting in a car or cramming onto a train.

"I'm lucky where I live that there is a combination of on-road and off-road bike paths that make the commute relatively safe. Post-accident I stick to the off-road, dedicated cycling paths. I can only hope that it becomes safer as we learn share the roads with a keen awareness, respect and mutual courtesy."