WRONG.
It should become (be made) to be a problem for everyone on 4 wheels. It is not our problem that drivers dont look, it should become their problem.
This guy didnt look..it wasnt that he didnt see you ...he didnt look. If he did, he would have seen the two cyclists, one of which was a copper (pretend or not).
SMIDSY has got to become an acceptance of guilt. If someone uses this excuse they should be prosecuted for driving without due care immediatley, not let of with a "oh well that's okay then".
I couldn't argue a speeding ticket away by saying I had no idea what the speed limit was, its my responsibility to see and know.
Rant over
I totally agree but how do you "make" drivers see us ? I believe part of the problem is that the roads / junctions are so busy that drivers have a "quick glance" and then choose to go for the gap, rather than waiting for a decent gap in the traffic and having a proper look around for all road users.
I totally agree that it should be any drivers responsibility to check the road is safe before pulling out but how do we make this happen ? for whatever the reason if motorists dont see us then they will pull out.
As I said in my original post I think its a slightly better excuse than just pulling out because "its only a bike" I also dont think many motorists particularly the non cycling ones have the faintest idea how fast some people can go an a bike.
Until there is a huge change and even bigger government push to make the roads safer for cyclists, these close calls (or worse still accidents) will continue to happen far too often.