Cyclist fatalities continue to decline

[Drago]

3 to 6 people are killed annually by lightning strikes in the UK. 7 to 8 are killed by stampeding cattle.

Both of those are considered incredibly rare deaths, yet those numbers combined are in the same century range as cycling deaths.

This makes it strange that cycling is considered so dangerous by the public, even stranger when one considers that regular cyclists live on average 7 years longer than sedentary car drivers.

 

[wafter]

This makes it strange that cycling is considered so dangerous by the public, even stranger when one considers that regular cyclists live on average 7 years longer than sedentary car drivers.

A far more understandable perpective if considered in the context of the general public being thick, prejudiced and eager to swallow any agenda the mainstream media sees fit..

This bizarre bigotry is laid starkly bare on social media; on my local feed recently:

An accident involving a car and bike - cue loads of posts assuming the cyclist was to blame with zero supporting evidence, anecdotes about past incidents involving cyclists, calls for greater regulation and general sweeping anti-cyclist sentiment.

An accident involving a single car and a row of shops - nothing to parallel the above in the context of cars; no comments about generally poor driving / speeding / DUI. One pr*ck even attempting to hypothetically exonerate the driver by sugginging they might have swerved to avoid a drunk cyclist...

The level of bigotry, stupidity and hatred towards us from some muppets is enormous and quite frankly bizarre..

 

[Dogtrousers]

This makes it strange that cycling is considered so dangerous by the public, even stranger when one considers that regular cyclists live on average 7 years longer than sedentary car drivers.

People consider cycling to be dangerous because it looks dangerous and when you try it, with all these close (and not so close) passes whizzing past it feels dangerous.

 

[Happy_Days]

with all these close (and not so close) passes whizzing past it feels dangerous.

That’s what put me off cycling for many years.

 

[Deleted member 121159]

A far more unstandanable perpective if considered in the context of the general public being thick, prejudiced and eager to swallow any agenda the mainstream media sees fit..

This bizarre bigotry is laid starkly bare on social media; on my local feed recently:

An accident involving a car and bike - cue loads of posts assuming the cyclist was to blame with zero supporting evidence, anecdotes about past incidents involving cyclists, calls for greater regulation and general sweeping anti-cyclist sentiment.

An accident involving a single car and a row of shops - nothing to parallel the above in the context of cars; no comments about generally poor driving / speeding / DUI. One pr*ck even attempting to hypothetically exonerate the driver by sugginging they might have swerved to avoid a drunk cyclist...

The level of bigotry, stupidity and hatred towards us from some muppets is enormous and quite frankly bizarre..

Social media doesn't regulate the contents except for the most extreme, graphic, and offensive. It also emboldens people to express their deepest prejudices by creating echo chambers of views and opinions where these prejudices are safely shared and repeated by others. Contents are often taken out of their proper context to increase ambiguity which encourages biased perceptions. Frankly it's scary what some people say about others on social media, but I hope that that reflects the nature of the platform rather than their true personality.

 

[wafter]

Social media doesn't regulate the contents except for the most extreme, graphic, and offensive. It also emboldens people to express their deepest prejudices by creating echo chambers of views and opinions where these prejudices are safely shared and repeated by others. Contents are often taken out of their proper context to increase ambiguity which encourages biased perceptions. Frankly it's scary what some people say about others on social media, but I hope that that reflects the nature of the platform rather than their true personality.

I'd not be so optimistic tbh - as you suggest it emboldens people, while presumably those self-reinforcing echo-chambers have a real effect on peoples' personalities on and off social media.

Regarding the first point I guess it's analagous to alcohol - it reduces inhibitions and makes people behave in ways they otherwise wouldn't, however the core drivers / underlying motives and attitudes don't change; they just become more openly manifested.

Social media might make you more of a bellend, but you still have to be a bellend to begin with

 

[presta]

The volume of cycling traffic in the 1950s is unbelievable especially since the population was so much smaller!

In the heyday of cycling a lot of people rode bikes because they were cheap transport, leisure, and holidays for the working classes, but as living standards improved people could afford "better".

A far more understandable perpective if considered in the context of the general public being thick, prejudiced and eager to swallow any agenda the mainstream media sees fit..

This bizarre bigotry is laid starkly bare on social media; on my local feed recently:

An accident involving a car and bike - cue loads of posts assuming the cyclist was to blame with zero supporting evidence, anecdotes about past incidents involving cyclists, calls for greater regulation and general sweeping anti-cyclist sentiment.

An accident involving a single car and a row of shops - nothing to parallel the above in the context of cars; no comments about generally poor driving / speeding / DUI. One pr*ck even attempting to hypothetically exonerate the driver by sugginging they might have swerved to avoid a drunk cyclist...

The level of bigotry, stupidity and hatred towards us from some muppets is enormous and quite frankly bizarre..

From Ian Walker:
“What you see in discourses about cycling is the absolute classic 1960s and 1970s social psychology of prejudice,” he explains. “It’s exactly those things that used to be done about minority ethnic groups and so on – the overgeneralisation of negative traits, under-representation of negative behaviours by one’s own group, that kind of thing. It’s just textbook prejudiced behaviour.”

 

[wafter]

In the heyday of cycling a lot of people rode bikes because they were cheap transport, leisure, and holidays for the working classes, but as living standards improved people could afford "better".



From Ian Walker:
“What you see in discourses about cycling is the absolute classic 1960s and 1970s social psychology of prejudice,” he explains. “It’s exactly those things that used to be done about minority ethnic groups and so on – the overgeneralisation of negative traits, under-representation of negative behaviours by one’s own group, that kind of thing. It’s just textbook prejudiced behaviour.”

Absolutely - however sadly we're an unfashionable minority; espousing such generalised hatred and bigotry towards others on the basis of skin colour, religion, sexual orientation (or god forbid f*cking pronouns) would see you publically nailed to the floor. We're fair game though because apparently nobody likes a cyclist..

 

[MontyVeda]

People consider cycling to be dangerous because it looks dangerous and when you try it, with all these close (and not so close) passes whizzing past it feels dangerous.

cycling doesn't feel dangerous to me. if it did, i wouldn't do it.

 

[presta]

cycling doesn't feel dangerous to me. if it did, i wouldn't do it.

Everyone has their own personal appetite for risk, some love it, some avoid it.

The problems mostly arise when one person tries to make another have the level of risk they want (or think they'd want) for themselves, not least because people are 1000 times more sensitive to a risk that imposed upon them than they are to one that they choose. When circumstances change, people change their behaviour in ways that try to re-assert the level of risk that they're satisfied with.

(This is why I insist that one of the best ways to improve road safety would be by making people cycle before they're allowed to have a driving licence. That way they get to experience for themselves the risk they're imposing on others.)

 

[Dogtrousers]

cycling doesn't feel dangerous to me. if it did, i wouldn't do it.

Well, I was talking about "the public" in general rather than regular cyclists, their experience when they try cycling, and suggesting why they think cycling is dangerous.

That said, some cycling can feel dangerous to me sometimes. A few years ago I tried commuting into work (burbs to central London) and gave it up because it was too stressful.

My wife regards cycling as marginally safer than base jumping.

 

[Punkawallah]

A far more understandable perpective if considered in the context of the general public being thick, prejudiced and eager to swallow any agenda the mainstream media sees fit..

This bizarre bigotry is laid starkly bare on social media; on my local feed recently:

An accident involving a car and bike - cue loads of posts assuming the cyclist was to blame with zero supporting evidence, anecdotes about past incidents involving cyclists, calls for greater regulation and general sweeping anti-cyclist sentiment.

An accident involving a single car and a row of shops - nothing to parallel the above in the context of cars; no comments about generally poor driving / speeding / DUI. One pr*ck even attempting to hypothetically exonerate the driver by sugginging they might have swerved to avoid a drunk cyclist...

The level of bigotry, stupidity and hatred towards us from some muppets is enormous and quite frankly bizarre..

It’s worth remembering that 10% of the population have an IQ under 81 - the point at which even the US Army can do anything with them - and free access to t’Interwebs.

 

[Happy_Days]

I hope I’m not required to have an IQ test before being allowed to cycle

 

[MontyVeda]

I hope I’m not required to have an IQ test before being allowed to cycle

don't worry... IQ tests measure nothing of importance.