Motorists, what to do about cyclists who constantly break the high way code???

Nasqueron

trinidadone wrote: »

helo fellow moterists, did anyone see traffic cops on Dave?

I just saw the tail end after tv surfing. Two traffic cops spoted a cyclist on the road, in Brighten, in the middle of the night, with no lights or reflectors and dark clothing. Officers said they were simply going to talk to the cyclist, and ask him to walk home with the bike.

As the police car got closer, one of the officers asked the cyclist to stop. The cyclist ignored the officer, drove through a red light, and then mounted the pavement.

Officers again asked the cyclist to stop. eventually the cyclist stopped. The cyclist was very uncooperative, and the officers suggested, as there was a strong smell of alcohol, the cyclist was drunk.

The officer informed the cyclist, he had used his cycle on the public carriageway with no lights of reflectors. he also cycled on the pathway, cycled through a red light, and failed to stop for officers.

The cyclist became more abusive. The officers presented the cyclist with either a £80.00 penalty charge notice, or a day in court. The cyclist chose to go to court.

The program reported, the magistrates court made an example of him, and fined him £700, plus £250 costs.

I was speechless by this, as these are the sort of penalties given to motorists, wow i thought, a good idea fellow motorists, or a waste of public money???

Cyclist failed the attitude test and got done (rightly) for his law breaking, even without the red light jumping he should have been done.

Maybe you will see the one where a woman in a mini hits a cyclist and leaves him for dead and drives home (with a massive crack in her windscreen making it obvious she hit something). She was (rightly) cleared because the cyclist was all in black on a dual carriageway with no lights or reflectors but the fact she so obviously hit something and left the scene shows another side to these matters.

Car_54

boliston wrote: »

A lot of motorists fail to give way to pedestrians who have right of way crossing side roads - I've been honked at a few times when crossing a side road when a motorist decides that they have priority just because they are bigger. I have often seen pedestrians literally run for their lives when a motorist fails to correctly give way!

What makes you think those peds have "right of way"?

boliston

Car_54 wrote: »

What makes you think those peds have "right of way"?

http://www.highwaycode.info/rule/170

"watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way"

Jlawson118

I'm new to driving, but I was at a give way at a cross roads, about to cross to the other side, when it cleared of cars so I started moving, when a cyclist just came out of nowhere and I had to brake heavily to stop for him. He wasn't wearing high visibility clothing or anything, and he literally stopped right in front of me and pointed his fingers at his eyes and then me numerous times as if to say "Open your eyes.."

I felt like shouting at him to wear high visibility clothing but it was too late by the time I thought of it

trinidadone

Jlawson118 wrote: »

I'm new to driving, but I was at a give way at a cross roads, about to cross to the other side, when it cleared of cars so I started moving, when a cyclist just came out of nowhere and I had to brake heavily to stop for him. He wasn't wearing high visibility clothing or anything, and he literally stopped right in front of me and pointed his fingers at his eyes and then me numerous times as if to say "Open your eyes.."

I felt like shouting at him to wear high visibility clothing but it was too late by the time I thought of it

Hello Liawson, and welcome to the thread, or more importantly, welcome to moneysavingexpert.com. sorry to learn you had a near miss with the cyclist, but at least no one was hurt. how long have you been driving??? I bet it has changed your life?

Mercdriver

Jlawson118 wrote: »

I'm new to driving, but I was at a give way at a cross roads, about to cross to the other side, when it cleared of cars so I started moving, when a cyclist just came out of nowhere and I had to brake heavily to stop for him. He wasn't wearing high visibility clothing or anything, and he literally stopped right in front of me and pointed his fingers at his eyes and then me numerous times as if to say "Open your eyes.."

I felt like shouting at him to wear high visibility clothing but it was too late by the time I thought of it

Thing is, he won't have come from nowhere. He will have come from somewhere, you just weren't looking hard enough. Assuming you were giving way to cars because they had priority, the cyclist has the same priority. The cyclist was right - Open your eyes.

You don't say what the conditions were like. Was it daylight? Weather? I was run off my bike by someone in the middle of the day dry sunny day, sun not in the driver's eyes, wearing high viz everything. Severely cracked my collarbone and severe whiplash. I had only just got back to work after 7 months off due to a large tumour. Another 7 months off work, almost lost my house. Had to change jobs.

Guess what? Driver said I came from nowhere - he didn't see me. In the plain light of day. Despite the fact that I was wearing a bright dayglo yellow jacket. He didn't see me because he wasn't looking for me. Your first paragraph gives away that you were looking only for cars. A common error and not just in new drivers.

The whole high viz thing is a red herring. How many motorcyclists wear high viz on top of their leathers? It's interesting that we don't see quite the same level of vitriol shown towards them. High viz or not, if you are looking for only cars, cars will be all you will see. And yes, I drive a car - 25,000 miles a year. No, I'm not perfect, but as a driver you will see only what you look for. Come to a junction looking for only cars and lorries, and I guarantee you will miss cyclists even if they are wearing a clown outfit.

Enterprise_1701C

It is very true about motorists only looking for other motorists.

I was coming up to a junction a few years back, I was on the main road, and a woman who was stopped at the junction actually started pulling out when I had started crossing the junction. I managed to stop about an inch from her car and broke my brake cable doing so (OK, maybe it would have needed replacing shortly but that is not the point). She saw me at the very last minute and stopped, and the colour literally drained from her face. She did ask if I was OK, I said I was but I was shaking like a leaf. I think she was a bit shocked at the near miss. Hopefully that means she will actually look for cyclists now.

I certainly did not come from nowhere, it is a long straight section of the road and visibility is good there.

And I ALWAYS wear high vis and a helmet.

JP08

Car_54 wrote: »

A motorist in a similar position would have been breathalysed.

Yes - because driving with a blood alcohol level above a set amount is a criminal offence.

There is no such limit for cycling (possibly because they are so damned difficult when you are !!!!ed that it's 50/50 you even make it to the road :beer:). So it would have been a waste of (a) time, and (b) whatever bits of a breathalyser kit are one-use only.

Car_54

boliston wrote: »

http://www.highwaycode.info/rule/170

"watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way"

But also https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/general-rules-techniques-and-advice-for-all-drivers-and-riders-103-to-158

"The rules in The Highway Code do not give you the right of way in any circumstance"

Priority yes, right of way no.

custardy

Jlawson118 wrote: »

I'm new to driving, but I was at a give way at a cross roads, about to cross to the other side, when it cleared of cars so I started moving, when a cyclist just came out of nowhere and I had to brake heavily to stop for him. He wasn't wearing high visibility clothing or anything, and he literally stopped right in front of me and pointed his fingers at his eyes and then me numerous times as if to say "Open your eyes.."

I felt like shouting at him to wear high visibility clothing but it was too late by the time I thought of it

Fellow motorist.Do you find the same issue with black cars?
Never go to a city,full of black cabs.