A Sikh cyclist who slid under a car in a horror collision has told how his turban "saved" his life by protecting his head.

Jagdeep Singh, 44, had been cycling out with a friend along a country road when they turned down a steep hill towards a blind corner.

Mr Singh, who has been cycling for 35 years, slammed on his brakes as a 4x4 car rounded the corner at speed and he slid down the hill, coming off his bike.

He said his turban - and traditional Sikh head covering - "absorbed the impact" of his head hitting the ground and "saved" his life.

His comments come as scientists at Imperial College London revealed that that the style and thickness of turbans can offer various protection again head injury.

The father of two said: "I sharply applied my brakes which caused my rear wheel to slide underneath me, and I skidded further down the hill.

"I collided with the on-coming car and my right leg broke the impact of the fall by smashing against the car bumper.

"The back of my head hit and scraped along the ground for a good three to four metres before I collided with the car.

"I am sure that if I had not been wearing my turban then I would have been ended up with a serious head injury."

Mr Singh shattered his shin bone and ankle from where he fell feet first into the car, in High Wycombe, Bucks, leaving him with arthritis - but an uninjured head.

He said: "My friend, Manjit, who was cycling with me is a doctor and I was lucky he was there - my body was going into shock.

"He called the emergency services and the air ambulance doctor came and administered morphine."

"My friend said: 'You shouldn't even be alive by the way you went under that car – I was getting ready to tell your mum you weren’t going to wake up.'

"It was the closest I've come to a near death experience."

Mr Singh, who works as a Actuary in insurance, was taken to Wexham Park in Slough to have a CT scan after the accident which happened on December 21, 2019.

He said: "It was only afterwards I saw my turban was muddy at the back but intact.

"Afterwards when I pieced it all together, I realised it would have been much worse if I hadn’t been wearing it."

A new study from Imperial College London has revealed that the style and thickness of turbans affect the risk of serious head injury in Sikh cyclists.

Researchers used crash test dummy heads to experimented with five different turbans, distinguished by two wrapping styles and two different fabrics.

Comparing their findings with cycle helmets and bare heads, they found the style and thickness of turbans does affect the risk of serious head injury.

While Mr Singh was not part of the study, he said it was "encouraging" to see it done following his own crash.

He explained: "Sikhs are now exempt from wearing helmets on motorcycles, building sites as well as riding horses.

"When Sikhs were fighting to get this right in the 1970s, they spoke of how the turbans protected the head in the wars.

"The turban I wear is a UK style of turban – but I want to learn how to do the traditional style that allows for even more protection as it will allow me to continue to follow my faith and protect myself.

"It was a horrific accident and I've surprised myself that I'm still walking around and able to do the things I can do."