5 Cyclists Down!

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Plax

Guru
Location
Wales
Or dopey teenage girl driver.

I've got to say that I'm finding young girls nowadays absolutely disgraceful. Not just in the car where they can be worse than your average chav, but in general language and attitude. It makes me ashamed to be female sometimes.

Anyway, I hope the cyclists recover quickly. Sounds like an overtake gone wrong.
 

Vapin' Joe

Formerly known as Smokin Joe
The test is purely a test of an ability to drive at the most basic level of competence

I know after I passed my test, 17 years of age, I could have been in the papers and banged up for what would have been a horrific incident. Approaching a pedestrian crossing, at 35 in a 30, lights changed to green so I floored it down the nearside lane and past the waiting traffic. About a foot from the pram pushed by the woman still crossing.

I passed my test first time, and could drive well (or at least cautiously) when I wanted to (if I picked up relatives or adult family friends they commented on how I wasn't a hothead and how sensible I was). At other times I was a bloody idiot and a menace - and I don't think I was in the minority of my age group at the time.

The pram incident had a definite impact in calming my boy-racer tendencies and I like to think I am a far more responsible driver 18 years on...the point being that the test measures the ability to pass the test and nothing more - it is certainly no measure of fitness to be in control of a vehicle. Although I am not sure how one would accurately measure that fitness
The test measures your ability to control the car to a safe standard and understand how to interact with other road users. The decision to ignore those standards is that of the driver alone, not the fault of the person who taught him or the examiner who passed him (or her). The driving test yourself and Arch took bears no relation to the one learners take today, which is far tougher altogether. Unfortunately driving standards have followed those of general behavioural standards, ("in your face, get out of my effing way, I'll do what I want", and the corresponding lack of respect for those who are perceived to be vulnarable).

How you solve that sort of attitude has nothing to do with how you teach people to drive.
 

mcshroom

Bionic Subsonic
Ouch I hope they're ok. That road doesn't have a massive number of bends on it but there are some junctions. It basically follows the edge of the M74 where the dual carriageway was upgraded.

I hope they're all ok and are back on two wheels soon.
 

XmisterIS

Purveyor of fine nonsense
I've got to say that I'm finding young girls nowadays absolutely disgraceful. Not just in the car where they can be worse than your average chav, but in general language and attitude. It makes me ashamed to be female sometimes.

Anyway, I hope the cyclists recover quickly. Sounds like an overtake gone wrong.

Sometimes they do stuff like that deliberately - just yesterday I was driving round a big motorway roundabout when a chavved-up saxo being driven by a fat teenager with her fat mates in the car (all eating KFC) was beside me in the right-hand lane. She decided that she wanted to be in the left-hand lane, and proceeded to drive directly at my car, with no indication. When I beeped at her and looked at her in horror as her car got closer and closer to mine, she leaned over and shouted through the open window, "Get aaht me fakking way then!", with all her fat chav mates laughing.
blink.gif
Luckily I was driving my tank mondeo at the time, so she swerved back into her lane, but can you imagine if I had been on my bicycle? I'm sure she would have found it hilarious to run me off the road.
 

PaulB

Legendary Member
Location
Colne
Approaching a pedestrian crossing, at 35 in a 30, lights changed to green so I floored it down the nearside lane and past the waiting traffic. About a foot from the pram pushed by the woman still crossing.


Scarily enough, we did actually hit a pram last Sunday while out driving. My wife was in the driver's seat and there was a woman coming from the opposite direction with two small daughters, one pushing a pram. The pram pusher was very cavalier and flung her pram into the road where it was inevitable our car would hit it. My wife almost screamed at what she feared, slammed on and her knuckles went white on the wheel. I noticed, earlier on, that no-one real would be hurt as it was only a dolly in the pram but there's a moment of pure terror once you realise a collision is inevitable. The pram was virtually undamaged and the mother was very unimpressed with her daughters pram-steering skills. Still, a nasty moment there.
 
Scarily enough, we did actually hit a pram last Sunday while out driving. My wife was in the driver's seat and there was a woman coming from the opposite direction with two small daughters, one pushing a pram. The pram pusher was very cavalier and flung her pram into the road where it was inevitable our car would hit it. My wife almost screamed at what she feared, slammed on and her knuckles went white on the wheel. I noticed, earlier on, that no-one real would be hurt as it was only a dolly in the pram but there's a moment of pure terror once you realise a collision is inevitable. The pram was virtually undamaged and the mother was very unimpressed with her daughters pram-steering skills. Still, a nasty moment there.

I forget which film it is but that remembers me of one car chase seen in it when a pram is pushed out in front of (the goodies?) car and there's nothing they can do about it. Smack xx(




Tin cans go flying everywhere.
 
I shall be watching this one carefully as it is a route that I have began to use and in fact rode from home to Gretna Gateway last Saturday passing by where they had the accident. When there is any thing positive to report on how it happend I will put a reply on these pages. Though I am not a member of the cycle group I often see them and my heart goes out the riders and their familys.
 

mcshroom

Bionic Subsonic
More details on this story here

Three of them look like they are going to be off the bike for a while :sad:

Looking at the scene on the local news tonight, it looks like the Saxo swerved across into their lane from the other direction and ploughed into the barrier at the side. The bikes looked a mess so I can imagine how badly they were injured.

:sad:
 
I am to say the least disgusted with the coverage that this incident has had from the local television news programs and papers. Very little on the BBC and just slightly more on ITV but no updates on either. The local papers were a little bit better but have give few hard facts as to the cause. It seems that unless some one goes on the rampage with a gun the media are not interested.
 
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