"If cyclists wore hiviz & lights there wouldnt be any accidents!"

[buggi]

No, you are correct, she wasn't looking. When your speeding along in a time trial on a straight road, holding your line, and the dual carriageway is clear in both lanes, why would you look behind you?

 

[cyberknight]

I understand what you are saying but I haven't been hit in the last year i've been regulary cycling - tempting fate I know but any "dodgy" roads I will just take primary.

pandering to the calls for helmets won't make things better imho.

I agree primary helps but it does not stop some one hitting you if they are not paying attention, i never said anything about helmets .

I would say that i am in the cover all bases camp but that's a personal preference and i agree that we all know that helmets do not help that much but surely taking every precaution you sensibly can to minimize the chance that a ruling could be altered by the lack of something is not a risk i am willing to take .

 

[cyberknight]

I see what you are saying, if she didn't she the car coming, maybe she wasn't looking (naturally no one will know).

Surely looking is another form of pandering like helmets , should we have to look to see if we are about to be hit from behind?

 

[lit]

No, you are correct, she wasn't looking. When your speeding along in a time trial on a straight road, holding your line, and the dual carriageway is clear in both lanes, why would you look behind you?

Time trial or not you're still responsible for your own safety and I think shoulder checking is the safest thing you can do.

Surely looking is another form of pandering like helmets , should we have to look to see if we are about to be hit from behind?

I look to know what is behind me and deal with accordingly, I see a lot of the cyclists wearing helmets move without looking behind them first, for some helmets seem to create a illusion of safety.

 

[cyberknight]

Time trial or not you're still responsible for your own safety and I think shoulder checking is the safest thing you can do.




I look to know what is behind me and deal with accordingly, I see a lot of the cyclists wearing helmets move without looking behind them first, for some helmets seem to create a illusion of safety.

Its ok i was just stirring a little

 

[lit]

Yeah i kinda had cottoned onto that but thought i'd just answer anyway.

 

[downfader]

Time trial or not you're still responsible for your own safety and I think shoulder checking is the safest thing you can do.

I look to know what is behind me and deal with accordingly, I see a lot of the cyclists wearing helmets move without looking behind them first, for some helmets seem to create a illusion of safety.

IIRC on time trial there are often advanced warnings (I've never been on one, but a couple of guys at work have). Warning includes signs that are put out, plus guys dressed in hiviz tabbards (ironically) that marshall the riders.

It was me who mentied the dreaded "H" originally iirc.

Philip Hammond, our own Transport secretary seemed to think we should be looking behind us to avoid being crashed into, I seem to remember him saying when he took over. We dont have the same message to drivers as such, drivers who rear-end another are typically seen as at-fault straight away. And for good reason.

 

[gbb]

I understand what you are saying but I haven't been hit in the last year i've been regulary cycling - tempting fate I know but any "dodgy" roads I will just take primary.

pandering to the calls for helmets won't make things better imho.

I'm sure (or i hope) you're not assuming that road positioning will save you from not being seen, every single time for all time. You're quite rightly taking control of the road around you as much as you can, but the overwhelming message thats coming across in this discussion is that however you dress, whatever lights you use, whatever your road position is...if a driver has.nt seen you because he's distracted, has poor eyesight, whatever...nothing you do will help.
Its a scary thing if you think about it too much, but then, i got 'hit', (bumped more) like for the first time ever in 40 years of cycling by a driver who didnt see me, despite the fact it was daylight, i was wearing a yellow jacket and i was RIGHT in front of him. The odds are good based on that.

Ironic...drivers, insurance companies, police even doctors are 'demanding' cyclists wear highviz or helmets on baseless biased and often completely incorrect opinions, sit back, and we're all debating it !!!!
Because society is so so car dependant, any crap they spout is taken as gospel. Thats not only ironic..its downright...words fail me...

 

[Sam Kennedy]

I've had near misses and people pull out on me regardless of whether I am wearing hi-viz or using lights or not.

I'm not a gutter hugger, I cycle reasonably far out, and take primary when I need to.

It seems as if drivers either notice you are there or not, hi-viz or lights don't seem to make too much of a difference.

 

[fossyant]

Folk, don't get worried about this TT death stuff - it happens like any bike riding, just get's reported a bit more as it was a 'race'. TT deaths haven't risen since I TT'ed in the 90's...just the interweb gossip.. but that bit is good.

Bad news is TT riders are recommended to get a rear 'light'. Might be something with the dual carriageway affiction they have........

I TT'ed for years, but used my local courses - i.e. main roads..... the big fast courses were on 70 mph roads..... you take your gamble - I did the odd one....but we don't have too many here.

 

[cyberknight]

Yeah i kinda had cottoned onto that but thought i'd just answer anyway.

Sorry LIT i had a "fun" week and was blowing off steam i normally try to more coherent and less trollish

 

[buggi]

if i looked behind every time i heard a car i would spend more time looking behind than where i am going and would probably crash. you can't look behind you all the time.

 

[lit]

Sorry LIT i had a "fun" week and was blowing off steam i normally try to more coherent and less trollish

No probs, all good.

 

[david1701]

a bit off topic, but for visibility should I have my rear light flashing or solid?

 

[mcshroom]

If high-viz is going to make such a difference, then why isn't it mandatory that cars are all painted fluorescent yellow with retro reflectives stuck on them?

I usually cycle in bright clothing, often with reflectives on it, but I don't see why anyone should be compelled to do so.