Biggest Threats to Cyclists?

custardy

Johno100 wrote: »

Spot and it will ever be the same.:T

will it?
I have already published stats on pedestrian deaths and injuries on the pavements at the hands of cars.
Is that the same?
Would strict liability change that?
proper infrastructure?
Or does it not really matter what a driver does?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-25849675

hugheskevi

The one who does most damage needs to take most care. I dont see how you cant see that.

That's rather the central point - the one who does most damage should take the most care, but as things currently are they do not need to take the most care.

At the moment, with poor infrastructure and lax penalties which are in any event only sporadically enforced at best, in most areas I think the onus has to be on the cyclist to look out for their safety as no-one else is going to do very much. Maybe that isn't how it should be, but that is the way it is.

Perhaps it is best summed up by the comment of one of the more amusing YouTube cycling trolls when commenting on videos of shocking driving that couldn't be condoned by anyone - his comments are along the lines of "You have to question why cyclists risk their lives by being on dangerous roads surrounded by dozens of fast moving lethal machines driven by fallible drivers"....have to say, that is a very reasonable point.

Personally when I cycle and pedestrians infuriatingly step out blindly and do all manner of stupid things, I try to take the attitude that if I don't want pedestrians around me, I shouldn't be cycling in a city. Same when driving - if I don't want pedestrians, cyclists and other cars around me I shouldn't have been silly enough to bring my car into somewhere I know will be busy and have all sorts of traffic. Especially as I'm part of the problem in a car But in a culture based around car use above other forms of transport it isn't surprising that attitudes are closer to seeing driving as a right - and which is only removed after sustained poor driving - rather than a privilege which is readily revoked and hard to get back and hence something which you strive to keep through responsible and safe driving.

At the moment the police's attitude to dangerous driving around cyclists is a bit like attitudes to drink driving were a few decades ago - as long as no-one gets hurt, it's fine. It took a lot to change attitudes to drink driving, and we now also have a similar attitude problem in mobile phone use whilst driving, which despite evidence of the danger it presents (and like drink driving is entirely avoidable and pre-meditated) is punished very lightly with a few penalty points in the unlikely event of being caught. That is just all part of the culture of not taking bad driving very seriously and instead focusing on revenue raising through tight enforcement of speed, parking and bus lane regulations. It is a sad reflection of our standards that the only organisations which take bad driving seriously are insurance companies via pricing.

Random thought - in 4 years of daily commuting by bike in London, I can't recall ever seeing a single child cycling to school, despite commuting in at the sort of time school children are going to school. Then again, can't say I'd ever send a child of mine out on a bike on London's roads. Which reminds me of a quote I heard recently - "If a cycle lane isn't safe for 8 year olds and 80 year olds, it is not a cycle lane" - suspect a lot of our cycle lanes fail that test

missile

sdavies13 wrote: »

In the build-up to my commuting by bike had loads of people warn me about car, lorry and bus drivers, but have to say apart from a couple of near misses the biggest threats to me have been other cyclists and pedestrians!...

Biggest thread to cyclists is the loose nut on the handlebars. I see one every morning on my route to work at 06.45 wearing dark clothes with no lights front or back ............ but he does wear a cycle helmet :rotfl:

stesilc

Biggest Threats to Cyclists? themselevs

custardy

stesilc wrote: »

Biggest Threats to Cyclists? themselevs

So close......

GwylimT

I had been incident free for a while but Friday was horrendous, it is getting lighter so visibility is better but that doesn't seem to make any difference. I have been taking a slightly different route to work, it is a longer route, but it is fairly flat so it doesn't take me quite as long.

My front light is 1200 lumen and my rear is 30 (a cars head light ranges from around 700 - 3500 lumens and rear lights are around 32). So it isn't like you can't see me, especially as I'm also dressed in fluorescent clothing.

So I'm cycling along the main road, a small van pulls out of a side street and he hits me, luckily as he was pulling out he wasn't going very fast, so I just have the odd bruise and because I hit my head I will have to buy a new helmet. If he can't see me, then he cannot see a motorbike or a car, especially as they don't tend to be fluorescent.

I now officially have an accident for every year of my life, and I've only been on right cycling for ten years!

Big_G_RC

I'm going to get some lights that go on the spokes and create a ring of light in my wheels as I move. That should make me super visible from the sides!

Can't seem to find white though so going for orange.

dawny10

Sadly you can have the right stuff but it wont necessarily keep you safe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-25949342

Still dont understand how they have reached this conclusion, all I can imagine is there was more to it than reported

molerat

Lack of brain cells is a major threat.

Driving along an unlit main road the other night in the dark and rain I came across a cyclist with no lights, no visible reflectors and dark clothing, stupid !!!!!! head !!

Marco_Panettone

molerat wrote: »

Lack of brain cells is a major threat.

Driving along an unlit main road the other night in the dark and rain I came across a cyclist with no lights, no visible reflectors and dark clothing, stupid !!!!!! head !!

I'm assuming you didn't hit them though, probably due to driving to the conditions and paying attention to the road ahead. Sadly too many drivers think this shouldn't apply to them...