On a bright December afternoon I cycled on to a roundabout on my way to work. Then suddenly I was on my way to hospital instead.

I thought that the van approaching the roundabout as I passed the left exit had seen me and was stopping. Wrong.

The orange of the van, the black of the bare winter branches against the blue sky, and the green of the grass on the roundabout island cartwheeled crazily over my head. With a sickening thump to my spine, the kaleidoscope stopped. I was lying on my back in the road.

I’m quite pleased with my reaction. I thought: “Good, you survived the collision. Now don’t let the following traffic kill you.”

Having checked as I cycled into the