Do drivers really understand the dangers of speed?

[GrasB]

I was wondering do the majority of motorists actually realise how dangerous a meagre 20mph can be to a pedestrian &/or cyclist in an accident?

I saw a guy today getting berated by a motorist for not using the pinch point bypass. He took a very strong position, centre of the road heading straight through the middle of the pinch point & tried to take his priority but the driver simply ignored his road position & blocked his way. The bike he was on was a flat bared road bike which I'd guess had handle bars as wide as the bypass. He mentioned his speed to the motorist several times but every time the motorist said it doesn't matter. In all honesty it was down right dangerous for him to be cycling close enough to the kerb at the speed he was doing. So one has to wonder if motorists actually have a clue about the dangers of even relatively low speeds on the road.

 

[Browser]

'Course they don't, why should they? Unless they commit a specific offence, they are tested on their ability to parrot instructions and pass a test once in their driving careers and that's it, so unless they're interested they have no concept of the responsibilty they hold every time they get behind the wheel.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Never not until they hit someone or something ...

 

[Davidc]

The only ones who do are also cyclists, and possibly motorcyclists.

one of the effects of modern car and van design is to isolate the driver from the rest of the world, and as a result the impression of speed is lost.

 

[gbb]

I've got to say if a motorist started berating me for anything like that, i'd simply reply
'look mate, i don't give a monkeys fcuk what you think'

Its a mistake sometimes to get into any other dialogue with them...they've got blinkers on and won't see anything other than their own view.

 

[ufkacbln]

MY reply is to get out the mobile, explain that if they are concerned that my cycling is dangerous then the best thing to do is for me to call the Police so they can decide.....

Shuts up 95% on the spot

 

[mcshroom]

I've definitely gained a better understanding of driving speed through cycling.

Being so cut off in a car you can get conditioned to certain speeds. For example try changing from driving a decent distance on a motorway straight to a 30mph road. If you are conditioned to driving at 70, going at 30 seems like crawling.

As for those pinch point bypasses, are you on about the sort of thing that kicks you straight back into the path of accelerating motorists on the other side of the pinch point?

 

[Tynan]

don;t get the OP, if you take primary, you take it, if youlre doing it so late that the car has a say in it, you;re doing it too late and the car has reason to be riked seems to me

otherwise, not sure, bad driving is the overwhelming cause of accidents, not speed, speed is easy to easier is all

 

[Lurker]

don;t get the OP, if you take primary, you take it, if youlre doing it so late that the car has a say in it, you;re doing it too late and the car has reason to be riked seems to me

otherwise, not sure, bad driving is the overwhelming cause of accidents, not speed, speed is easy to easier is all

/pedant mode on/ cars don't have a view, their drivers may.... /pedant mode off/

 

[GrasB]

The point is there's a guy going at a fair pace, doing over 20mph in a 20 limit, actually he was keeping up with the traffic, & a driver thinks it's safe for this rider to go through a gap at that speed that's barely wider than the handle bars, putting the said rider within inches of peds.

As for his road position, he was riding in primary from the moment that I noticed him & moved to an even stronger primary as he approached the pinch point. The driver simply ignored his road position then berated him for not using the cycle lane, which would be putting him within inches of peds, something which was blatantly dangerous considering this guy was doing over 20mph.

 

[trustysteed]

pass a test once in their driving careers and that's it

as opposed to cyclists who pass how many tests?

 

[Dan B]

Cyclists frequently pass the "staying alive and not getting hit by anything" test which car drivers are exempted from by their tin boxes.

Seriously, what proportion of cars do you see with dents?

 

[BSA]

I saw a guy today getting berated by a motorist for not using the pinch point bypass. He took a very strong position, centre of the road heading straight through the middle of the pinch point & tried to take his priority but the driver simply ignored his road position & blocked his way. The bike he was on was a flat bared road bike which I'd guess had handle bars as wide as the bypass. He mentioned his speed to the motorist several times but every time the motorist said it doesn't matter. In all honesty it was down right dangerous for him to be cycling close enough to the kerb at the speed he was doing. So one has to wonder if motorists actually have a clue about the dangers of even relatively low speeds on the road.

I'm a bit confused, was ther car coming the other way? Is it one of those pinch points that gives priority to vehicles going a certain direction.

 

[schlafsack]

All it takes is one serious crash for a driver to realise the dangers of speed. I was 'lucky' in that I had a bad crash just after passing my test. I hit a tree at 30mph in a metro after being dazzled by an oncoming car. The doors popped open and, when the back wheels were on the ground, the front wheels where about 6 inches off it. Bits of engine came into the footwell.

For all the metal thats in a car, they are pretty soft once you get over a certain speed.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

My opinion is that this incident isn't due to speed perception, it's more likely due to one driver's sheer terror that anyone would be impeding his progress.

"Oh god no! I've got to slow down! How dare the non-tax paying cyclist destroy my life like this! He should have dived into a roadside ditch so I could carry on!".

Some people believe we are lower form of life that should be removed.