an example of how vunerable we are on our roads

[sheva]

not really anything to do with cycling. Was sat at a red light chatting away to my passenger when I was hit from behind by a woman doing at least 40 MPH who "didn`t see me" and made no attempt to brake.
In hindsight I suspect she must have been on the phone or something similar, but how could she not see a red light and a stationary car.
It shows how, in a split second, you could lose your life or be seriously injured and it doesn`t matter how road aware you are or how safely you ride/drive.

 

[hackbike 666]

I saw something like this on Police Camera Action,

A lorry hit another lorry right up the rear (ooer) and how did he not see this big lorry thingy parked in the road?I guess that has something to do with not concentrating.

Is there any way they could get your assailants mobile phone records.

I know if I have an incident at work the first thing they would ask for is my mobile phone records.

To me your post thread has a lot to do with cycling and what I suspect all along lack of concentration and complacency from road users,im so good at this I don't need to fully concentrate seems to be the attitude.

I have to keep my concentration and try to predict many different combinations of what a road user is going to do next,whether stupid or otherwise.

I think mobile phones/sat navs and all the other crap has a lot to answer for.

I think we may be more vulnerable than we have ever been.

 

[sheva]

666. from an insurance point of view, it`s all sorted. she admitted full responsibility straight away. my point was more along the lines of she could have ploughed into anything,me on my bike or a mother crossing the road pushing her baby in a pram. we are all just a split seconds lack of concentration away from being maimed/killed. my wife commutes 13 miles a day to work and this has made her very worried. no matter how safe any of us are on the road, it only takes one mistake from someone else and it could be all over.
A scary thought.

 

[hackbike 666]

Yeah the money point of view doesn't come ino it for me,the poor driving does and to me she wont be the last one.Sorry that was meant towards every road user responsible or otherwise.I really can't think of the right sentences tonight/today.

It's not mistakes to me it's lack of concentration.Mainly I don't have too much problem with genuine mistakes but I know blatently there are other factors to battle out there.

 

[Mr Pig]

I don't have a problem with genuine mistakes but there are other factors out there.

And there is nothing you can do about it. Scary isn't it!?

 

[hackbike 666]

And there is nothing you can do about it. Scary isn't it!?

Try and keep out of the way?

 

[BentMikey]

It's possible to go quietly terrified looking at crash information, but it helps to realise that cycling is relatively safe compared with many other everyday activities. You can only do so much to minimise your risk, and there's still a chance of something going wrong.

 

[swee'pea99]

To me this kind of connects with the other thread running about how we 'deserve our bad rep'. Fact is, for all the bleating about RLJing and the rest of it, the number of people killed or injured by cyclists each year is absolutely miniscule compared to those trashed by motor vehicles, largely because we can't 'lose concentration' in the way someone on a comfy seat in the warm snug can, and we don't do 50 MPH in a ton and a half of metal.

 

[hackbike 666]

It's possible to go quietly terrified looking at crash information, but it helps to realise that cycling is relatively safe compared with many other everyday activities. You can only do so much to minimise your risk, and there's still a chance of something going wrong.

I must stop watching Police Camera Action.

Sweetpea whether cars do more killing or not does not make RLJing right IMHO.

 

[wafflycat]

It's possible to go quietly terrified looking at crash information, but it helps to realise that cycling is relatively safe compared with many other everyday activities. You can only do so much to minimise your risk, and there's still a chance of something going wrong.

+1

and to realise that the benefits outweigh the risks in terms of health.

 

[hackbike 666]

Although it would be even safer if there were no motorised vehicles about.

 

[wafflycat]

I live in UK, Planet Earth, and even here, with motorised vehicles on the roads, the benefits outweigh the risks

 

[yenrod]

I say take the windows out of the cars - that'd soon enough bring them to their attention !

Its illogical to travel yet not feel the wind.

Yet on the other side of the window its comfortable.

= false sense of security.

 

[hackbike 666]

I live in UK, Planet Earth, and even here, with motorised vehicles on the roads, the benefits outweigh the risks

Happy clappy cyclist.

 

[wafflycat]

Happy clappy cyclist.

Berk.