Article from a lorry driver who hit a cyclist

[GrasB]

Kinda hard to accord the rest of your post with anything like the respect it may be due, after that.

What you don't like a statement of hard fact? An overtake necessarily puts two vehicles on a collision course. This is regardless of the distance between the overtake & approaching vehicles. It's possible for the distance between the vehicles to be many miles, none the less they are on a collision course unless one of the vehicles deviates from the path it is on up the road.

 

[Peter Armstrong]

Ah, and who is to dictate when common sense applies?

If a vehicle runs over your neck in Yorkshire it's just as likely to kill you there than if the accident happened in Hammersmith. Just because you're in Hammersmith and the cyclist ahead has been overtaken by one vehicle in no way makes the rider any more aware of your vehicle than it would if you were in rural Yorkshire and no one had just passed them.

It's a nice idea, but full of flaws and at a practical level it's simply utter bollarks.

The sad reality is (if the account described is correct) that this cyclist died of the dumbs, and nothing you can do will ever compensate for a numbnuts.

The driver dictates common sense, same as judging all decisions you make on the road, its not full of flaws becuase people do, do this, remember this mite have saved this person life!
Im not going to explain when it is and when its not right to do this, and weather someone knows a cars behind you or not, thats just silly it was just an example of a stiuation when you are more likley to know cars are passing compared to another.

If he couldn't hear an articulated lorry behind him, it was either upon him very fast or he couldn't hear it for some other reason so he probably wouldn't have heard a toot either.

I didnt reolise that the sound level of a truck driving was the same as a horn, thats because its not, its louder, I even bet they design them that way, ow wait they do.

 

[Peter Armstrong]

I wish i could find a way out of this thread but I keep getting sucked back in!

 

[Globalti]

I've lost track of the argument....

 

[Peter Armstrong]

I've lost track of the argument....

Ill update you,

I won

 

[GrasB]

Ill update you,

I won

only in your own mind... the argument hasn't been resolved only viewpoints discussed.

 

[MontyVeda]

Please use common sense with this whole tooting of the horn thing. No1's saying do it to everyone, every time, but if you feel that the cyclist does not know your there. I can’t believe I had to explain that.

sometimes it's got everything to do with perpetuating the 'argument/discussion' whilst sacrificing common sense, listening, understanding.... it's all the fun of the forum!

 

[RiflemanSmith]

I didnt reolise that the sound level of a truck driving was the same as a horn, thats because its not, its louder, I even bet they design them that way, ow wait they do.

I wasn't talking about the difference in engine noise to the sound of a horn clever cloggs.
I was saying if the cyclist couldn't hear an articulated lorry directly behind him then there is some thing seriously wrong, in fact I was saying that I don't believe the lorry drivers version of events!

 

[lulubel]

I didnt reolise that the sound level of a truck driving was the same as a horn, thats because its not, its louder, I even bet they design them that way, ow wait they do.

I know trucks can be pretty loud, but I haven't heard any that are louder than their own horns.

If a vehicle runs over your neck in Yorkshire it's just as likely to kill you there than if the accident happened in Hammersmith. Just because you're in Hammersmith and the cyclist ahead has been overtaken by one vehicle in no way makes the rider any more aware of your vehicle than it would if you were in rural Yorkshire and no one had just passed them.

This is a very good point. I've learnt through experience that it's when there's a string of traffic that I'm more likely to make an error and not realise there's something about to pass me. If a lorry passes you, and there's a car behind it, the lorry's engine totally drowns out any noise the car is making. THAT would be a time when a quick beep of the horn (by the car driver) would actually be useful.

The thing is, I live in a country where a lot of drivers beep their horns when they're coming up behind a cyclist, on an otherwise empty road in the middle of nowhere, and it doesn't make the roads any safer. When you hear a lot of beeping, it just becomes background noise, and no-one takes a blind bit of notice.

 

[Dan B]

This is a very good point. I've learnt through experience that it's when there's a string of traffic that I'm more likely to make an error and not realise there's something about to pass me. If a lorry passes you, and there's a car behind it, the lorry's engine totally drowns out any noise the car is making. THAT would be a time when a quick beep of the horn (by the car driver) would actually be useful.

I dunno. Unless there's a bend or a pinch point or a traffic island or oncoming traffic, if my road position is such that the lorry can get past, any following car can get past as well if I hold my line - so a beep is not going to give me any information I can act on. If there *is* a change in the effective road width, then hanging back until it becomes safe to overtake again would be a more appropriate action than tooting. In that situation I would tend to assume anyone beeping is saying "I'm coming past you irrespective of whether it's safe" or "I'm coming past and I can't tell whether it's safe" - which I grant you is better behaviour than a dangerous and silent overtake, but possibly not by much

 

[MontyVeda]

If the horn is loud/harsh and catches me compleatly by suprise then sometimes yes.

Do you cycle down a shared path and use a horn/shout at every walker to warn them that your approching from behind ??
If not, why not ?? because walkers are much less predictable than cyclists.

i ring my bell... but according to some on here... that is also offensive, aggressive, etc.

 

[Hitchington]

I wish i could find a way out of this thread but I keep getting sucked back in!

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=242H7F8DKHA

 

[Globalti]

I WISH drivers would sound their horn because with the wind rushing in my ears I don't usually hear them until they are a few yeards behind me. When I'm driving and I see cyclists I will sometimes pip my horn from about 100 yards behind them, it gives them time to react.

 

[lulubel]

I dunno. Unless there's a bend or a pinch point or a traffic island or oncoming traffic, if my road position is such that the lorry can get past, any following car can get past as well if I hold my line - so a beep is not going to give me any information I can act on.

And that was my point. When a lorry has just passed me, I can't hear a car behind, so it's easy to assume there isn't one. That's the only time I'm in danger of NOT holding my line as a vehicle is trying to pass.

I'm also not suggesting everyone should beep their horns in that situation. I'm saying it's the only time I can think of when it might actually be useful.

 

[lulubel]

I WISH drivers would sound their horn because with the wind rushing in my ears I don't usually hear them until they are a few yeards behind me. When I'm driving and I see cyclists I will sometimes pip my horn from about 100 yards behind them, it gives them time to react.

React? What do you want them to do? Get out of the way?

(Obviously not, but it seems a very strange thing to say.)