A CYCLIST who was saved by his helmet is urging others to make sure they wear one.

Father-of-two Dan Lilly, 42, was only three miles into a planned 25-mile ride when he and a car were in collision at the junction of Dovervelt Road and Wittem Road, Canvey, on Tuesday morning.

He was travelling at about 24 miles per hour when his bike crashed into the car.

Mr Lilly, of Thorney Bay Road, said: “I landed on the bonnet of the car and my head smashed the windscreen.

“Windscreens don’t smash very easily so I must have hit it with quite some force.

“I remember lying on the floor thinking ‘man down, man down’.”

Luckily, people nearby called him an ambulance and were able to “scrape” him off the road and onto the pavement.

Someone called an ambulance and he was checked over at the scene and allowed home.

Mr Lilly said: “The paramedics said that if I hadn’t been wearing a helmet, it would have been a trip to A&E.

“I don’t think I was lucky - I had my head screwed on to wear a helmet."

“It all happened so fast.”

He has sustained whiplash, but avoided serious injury.

However, his £1,000 bike was not so lucky, with both the wheels buckling and possible damage to the frame meaning he might need a new one.

Mr Lilly, a tanker driver, said: “I was hoping to cycle the London to Southend Bike Ride, but I may not be able to now.

“The sky is the limit when it comes to the cost of a helmet, but how much would you put on your head?

“There is a bit of a stigma attached to wearing a helmet - people think they make you look stupid, but you would look more stupid in hospital with tubes coming out of you, or having to call into work because you got hurt, or having to cancel holidays.

“I have my two girls who are reliant on me and if you get hurt other people are left behind to pick up the pieces."