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Gawd, don't take much to stir up cyclists does it?
So the bit in bold is the reason not to have any training whatsoever? The fact that a cyclist is going to always come out 2nd best isn't a reason for some basic safety training, simple stuff like don't go up the inside of trucks/buses at traffic lights?
I've already said I'm in favour of ongoing driver training but to leave it at that & pin all responsibility on the motorist is fantasy...
Jeez, wish I'd gone for the "they should all be insured & taxed" idea, at least then I could understand the hostility.
Obviously not as cut and dry as that though is it?
isnt it? read the links
The whole point of the thread.
Dave
He's cycled to work with me a few times now, and it's terrifying. Leaving our site he just rides straight out into the road without looking. Hops onto the path round traffic lights and wonders why I don't follow. Turns without signalling or looking behind. But he always wears a helmet so that's OK.
This man is a rubbish driver and a rubbish cyclist.
Training will make no difference - he knows the rules, he just chooses to ignore them.
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As they're press reports they are obviously more comprehensive than the police reports. So not the full story.
One of the stories states the driver claimed the cyclist had no lights. Not denied by the police. So it does beg the question, there was no doubt he was speeding, and driving badly, but on what he thought was a deserted road. So, would he have been quite so rash if he saw the light on the other side, coming towards him?
No, I don't really think so - the problem with it would be it would likely need to be voluntary which clearly isn't going to be any use for those that can't be bothered in the first place. For anyone who wants to learn any rules of the road or profiency there are numerous resources already out there.
That and I don't think poor cycling is due to lack of knowledge and needing help, it's just cyclists being impatient and not paying attention. Many of the rules of the road for cyclists are not difficult, cycle on the left hand side of the road, stop at red traffic lights, show which way you're going etc. I don't think the cyclists I see breaking these rules don't know them, it's just they're ignoring them. I also think it's common sense that the better you can be seen, the less the chance you have of someone hitting you because they didn't see you - I can't believe it when I see people cycling at night in dark clothing, no lights and nothing reflective which makes them very hard to see.
Horrible to read the stories in the news articles particularly when they were well prepared, I always hope if I'm visible and careful I'll be ok but clearly that's not guaranteed. I generally stick to quieter roads and it's not that busy up here anyway, I dno't like the busy high speed roads at all.
John
I've got 30 years driving experience & have yet to hit a cyclist, I'm prepared to go on a course. Why not you?
There will always be driver error for as long as we're human! Cyclists are human too &, strangely enough, make errors.
The drivers in the links you posted were found not guilty &, as I wasn't at the scene at the time of the incidents, I can't begin to second guess the findings.