Girl injured after moving over for car

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A teenage aspiring model was 'run off the road' by a 'speeding motorist' whilst cycling round a reservoir on Dartmoor. The story is here in the Mail . She says in the text of the article;

"I looked behind me and the car was really close so I thought I'd move over,' she said.
"I didn't think I was that far over but my bike went head first into barbed wire and the car just drove off".

She goes on to blame the driver for 'ruining her life' as she wanted to be a model, but is she being unfair to the driver? She didn't have to pull over so far that she endangered herself, surely?
 

yello

Guest
It looks like the cuts are healing to me. Hopefully they are, she'll be able to loose the weight, enter the competition, win... she'll be so happy that she'll forget all about the day that she road into a fence.

I dunno, difficult to know what went on so I can't comment seriously. I'm more alarmed by the reports of passers-by ignoring her. She looked to be a bit of a mess so I'm not sure I can/want to believe that.
 

ChrisKH

Guru
Location
Essex
So a lack of assertiveness and it's her fault? The car didn't make sufficient provision for her as another road user, end of. I have been pushed to the side despite maintaining primary because some drivers just do not want cyclists on the road. In fact it's more basic than that; they don't want anyone in front of them, regardless. I'm not saying it couldn't have turned out differently had she been more assertive, but with some drivers it doesn't matter how you cycle.
 
Much is down to how the incident is described but if the cyclist felt in such danger from a car that they see the only action to be to throw themselves out of it's path then it must be the drivers who is to blame.
Really it must be down to the car driver to pass the cyclist in such a way that they are demostrating that they have seen the cyclist and are allowing room for them when passing. It should not be for the cyclist to just assume they have been seen and hope for the best.

I suppose there is a chance that she just judged it wrong and caught the edge of the road or something but even then, the car driver must have been intimidating her to cause her to react.
 

BrumJim

Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
Classic Daily Mail dilemma:

Only just legal, aspiring model, hurt by hit-and-run driver.

But was cycling on a road - paid for by the suffering British motorist.

So how do we spin the story? Must have taken hours in Mail Towers to sort that one out. But judging from the comments, they got it right this time in their reader's eyes. Obviously looks ranks above paying road tax.

(sorry - long while since I last had a good anti-DM rant. Feeling better now)
 

Greedo

Guest
If she's a model I'm Brad Pitt!!!!
 

Bandini

Guest
4F said:
So Brad what do you think ?

I don't think that he is here. And I don't think that she is ever very likely to be a model. The Mail couldn't put 17 year old NEET and be in anyway sympathetic or it would implode.
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
It's easy to say with experience - don't let the b*gg*rs intimidate you into riding in a dangerous (edge of road) position. But that's easy to say when one is hardened to the b*gg*rs. And even then the adrenalin will pump..................
 
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