How Unbelievable is this?

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My GF and I were out on sunday and stopped at a traffic controlled T junction. We were on the main road and going straight on. My GF was in front of me, and we both pulled up at the red light, stopping against the kerb (one behind the other).

An old woman driving some miniature car pulled up next to us, and I signalled to her that we would let her pull away first as she was so tight I wouldn't be able to pull away before or at the same time as her.

When the green light showed, I looked at her, she waved, pulled away, and then drove straight into my GF. AFTER she had actually seen us both, made eye contact and acknowledged our existence.

She drove off without even realising she'd made contact. Luckily my GF hadn't yet started to move off, and just got a nudge, but FFS. If we had pulled away at the same time, as I normally do, we'd both have been squished.:smile:

Made me wonder why I cycle at all.
 
Notification to the cops a.s.a.p. ! People like this do things like this precisely because they are unaware they have, so they need alerting to their terrbile driving standards.
 

Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
Please don't take this the wrong way, because driving like that is unacceptable and IMHO leaving the scene should be a licence loser BUT .....

if you're pulling up by the kerb then you're giving following drivers the chance to pull up alongside, squeeze you out or left hook you. Even if you all start off ok, you're out of the stream of traffic and you're going to put yourself in more danger by trying to get back in. It's just not a good idea. If you're first at the lights, claim the lane.

I'll stress again that this is not your fault - just pointing out (with hindsight etc etc) how to control your environment to reduce the risk of it happening again.
 

bauldbairn

New Member
Location
Falkirk
Paul Walters said:
An old woman driving some miniature car pulled up next to us...I looked at her, she waved, pulled away, and then drove straight into my GF.

Hope your girlfriends okay!

I'm also surprised at the amount of close passes I get from IQ's/Smart's/Aygo's/C1's driven by old biddies.
I believe they genuinely aren't spatially aware of anything they pass on the road. I never get the feeling of agression from them that I do from some of the other groups that close pass deliberately.
I think at a certain age there skills and hazard perception should be reassessed.
 

bauldbairn

New Member
Location
Falkirk
Bollo said:
If you're first at the lights, claim the lane.

I'll stress again that this is not your fault - just pointing out (with hindsight etc etc) how to control your environment to reduce the risk of it happening again.

+1, Good tip! :smile:
 
Bollo said:
Please don't take this the wrong way, because driving like that is unacceptable and IMHO leaving the scene should be a licence loser BUT .....

if you're pulling up by the kerb then you're giving following drivers the chance to pull up alongside, squeeze you out or left hook you. Even if you all start off ok, you're out of the stream of traffic and you're going to put yourself in more danger by trying to get back in. It's just not a good idea. If you're first at the lights, claim the lane.

I'll stress again that this is not your fault - just pointing out (with hindsight etc etc) how to control your environment to reduce the risk of it happening again.

+1

As Bollo says, not your fault, but but you can significantly reduce the risk of it happening by taking the lane.
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
bauldbairn said:
Hope your girlfriends okay!

I'm also surprised at the amount of close passes I get from IQ's/Smart's/Aygo's/C1's driven by old biddies.
I believe they genuinely aren't spatially aware of anything they pass on the road. I never get the feeling of agression from them that I do from some of the other groups that close pass deliberately.
I think at a certain age there skills and hazard perception should be reassessed.

Although I don't want to generalise, I do find this makes common sense. Elderly people can loose spatial awareness, both on foot and in vehicles. I see some elderly people who are also physically restricted and unable to turn their necks/bodies to park, or pull out of junctions.

I also know people in their 80's that ride motorcycles and are, in my opinion, very considerate and capable drivers (after decades on the road).

..but these are, unfortunately, the exception to the general rule.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Yikes! I'm glad that your GF is okay, but it's scary when this kind of thing happens.

Ask PaulB about it... Last year he set off to meet up with goodspeed and me for one of my hilly Yorkshire rides but never made it to the rendezvous point. I got a call from him to tell me that some old dear had just knocked him off his bike when she came round a downhill bend on his side of the road. She tried to drive on but a witness forced her to stop. She was told by Paul, her husband and the witness what she had done but she still refused to accept it! Apparently, her husband said that he was going to stop her driving after that.

I think that drivers over a certain age should have to take regular driving tests to make sure that they are still fit to drive. Perhaps at 70, 75 and 80 and every couple of years beyond that. My father was a good driver until his last few years when he really was starting to struggle. It took us 2 years to get him to stop driving and he only really agreed to it then because he was having problems getting in and out of his car.
 

PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
Paul Walters said:
My GF and I were out on sunday and stopped at a traffic controlled T junction. We were on the main road and going straight on. My GF was in front of me, and we both pulled up at the red light, stopping against the kerb (one behind the other).

l.


I recommend that you get yourself a copy of cyclecraft:

Traffic signals......

... If you intend to go straight ahead or turn left, occupy the primary riding position at the signals, whether they be red or green..... do not allow any other vehicle to share the same lane to the side of you.....this will maximise your chances of being seen.....and also protect you from close overtaking as the signals change.
 

adscrim

Veteran
Location
Perth
User3143 said:
Granted I know you cannot compare a car to a truck or bus but the principle should apply in some respects.

Absolutely you can. If driven without due care and attention, both can kill. I think it shocking the lack of personal responsibility you can claim simple because you happen to be behind the wheel of a car.
 

joebingo

Über Member
Location
London, England
User3143 said:
Look at your position on the road and NEVER be that submissive to car drivers...

I often let drivers go off at lights before me, no skin off my back and it means that there's one less possible crash behind me. I only do it if it's only me and one other car though, and always make sure that they've seen me give them the go.

*edit*

Oh, and only if they'er going straight on or right, if they're going left they can wait behind me until I'm clear of the turn.
 

joebingo

Über Member
Location
London, England
Care to elaborate, Lee?

The way I see it, is that I'm slow when setting off compared to a car. I also have to clip in which can be inaccurate at times. I'd rather have a driver in front of me thinking "oh, that was nice of the cyclist" than behind me thinking "bl**dy cyclists"
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
I'm with Lee - if I'm first at the lights, I'll take primary. If I'm not first, I won't always filter to the front if the junction will be fast moving, but I'll still take primary.
 

PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
joebingo said:
Care to elaborate, Lee?

The way I see it, is that I'm slow when setting off compared to a car. I also have to clip in which can be inaccurate at times. I'd rather have a driver in front of me thinking "oh, that was nice of the cyclist" than behind me thinking "bl**dy cyclists"

One foot (right for me) clipped in at all times when at the lights, if necessary take the first couple of rotations on the left instep accelerating away faster then the car over the first few yards, move over to secondary (if appropriate) and clip in
 
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