cyclist deaths & the law

gkerr4 wrote: »

absolutely not. This is just blame shaming - "hmm, cyclist seem to be getting killed a lot - lets train them some more"

when was the last time a cyclist ran into a car and killed or injured the car driver...hmm practically never? even the cyclist / cyclist or cyclist / pedestrian interface is practically unheard of.

it's the other way around - driver education - that they don't own the road, that there are vulnerable road users out there for whom they have a duty of care and that they need to just share the damned road a bit better.

its in the drivers interest to do this also - as every cyclist on the road is probably one less car on the morning commute.

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.

vax2002 wrote: »

I do a fair bit of Cycling myself, well I own a bike...
However you do get the militant Road rage cyclist who insist on undertaking vehicles turning left, they dont get it that if someone over takes you on the right, that does not mean you can undertake them on the left if they are turning left a mile later.
Unless you want to DIE that is.
A cycle never is the weapon of choice in a road rage argument.

The best I have seen was a female driver turning left off a dual carriageway when Mr Militant decides to undertake and he ends up grabbing the mirror and hurling abuse, to which she shouted at the top her voice.
You sir are going to end up as a F****ing stain on the road if you keep riding like that.
Classic line.
I do often wonder how many killed are militant car haters in Hi viz clothing as opposed to those who obey the traffic rules and highway code.
We know some drivers make mistakes as well, but that is not the correct tool to enforce your anger upon.
Become a bus driver if you want to run people over.

Yes some moron did this with me the other day. Clearly indicating left and he undertook me. And don't get me started on the idiots who think red lights don't apply to them...

zagfles wrote: »

Yes some moron did this with me the other day. Clearly indicating left and he undertook me..

As a cyclist and a driver I agree on this point. Apart from being covered in every Cycle training course, this is detailed in the highway code rules 72 and 73

And don't get me started on the idiots who think red lights don't apply to them.

You mean these idiots?

Dave

Paradigm wrote: »

I recognise what you are saying but some kind of formal training for cyclists can only be good surely?

Ok, no amount of training will account for every situation/idiot but if it makes a cyclist more aware of the dangers then it helps minimise risk.

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