Well, clearly it was the cyclists fault for being on the road. Especially selfish at this time of the year when motorists like to have a few drinks before taking to their vehicles.
Yeah right. We don't know what happened but obviously it was the driver's fault. The newspaper report specifically states that the police say it wasn't alcohol-related.
Yes Andy, I'm sure the 22 year old male at the wheel of the car was driving sensibly and the fault of the collision was the 43 year old female cyclists.
Yes, there's no need for a criminal justice system is there ? You could just sort it out from a newspaper report you've seen on the internet.
Er, this is an internet cycling forum, not a court room. However, I will still wager that the driver was to blame, seriously, I will bet you fifty pounds here and now.
I'm not interested in betting, and I'm not disputing that the driver may well be to blame. It's just the automatic assumption I don't like. My own experience with many cyclists has been that an accident between my truck and their bike is most likely to be largely attributable to the cyclist (usually a POB).
RT, there are quite a few details in the report which guided my assumption/conclusion and make it most unlikely to be the cyclists fault, not least they were both headed in the same direction. Unless this experienced and dedicated female cyclist happened to decide to suddenly and randomly swerve across the carriageway into the path of oncoming traffic that is! I could still be proven wrong though so come on, fifty quid says I'm right.
No Dom, they make it most unlikely in your opinion I can easily see why you come to this conclusion, but it's just your opinion based upon a newspaper report you've read on the internet. You weren't there. I wasn't there. I don't know what happened. But you've decided you do. And before you repeat your wager, sorry but I find betting on the cause of death of this woman too gruesome & tasteless for me
Well I've seen it done to others and came within an ace of flattening someone on the Leicester bypass when he wobbled out into the middle of my lane with no warning whatever. From standing next to his bike on the pavement. So I'm unwilling to automatically assume the driver in such an incident is to blame, though as I say he may well be in this case. Like Andy says, I wasn't there so I don't know.
Any road death is a needless death - that cannot be disputed. I agree that the report is insufficient to enable even a guess at the circumstances.
I didnt post the link to attribute blame one way or another - but perhaps it serves as a timely reminder to keep our wits about us. I know this road and from memory its a 40mph zone where the accident happened, a straight undulating road densely vegetated either side with almost a canopy of trees overhead. If I see any further info I'll post it but in the meantime safe riding and a thought for the family.
