improving safety

[BSRU]

I make myself as visible as possible but still expect other road users not to see me.

If the road user is paying attention, all I have done is removed the potential false claim they did not see me, which they could try to use as a mitigating reason.

 

[dawesome]

I make myself as visible as possible but still expect other road users not to see me.

If the road user is paying attention, all I have done is removed the potential false claim they did not see me, which they could try to use as a mitigating reason.

Quite. And a driver at fault will almost certainly offer in mitigation that the cyclist had no lights. Of course with fatalities we only have the driver's version of what happened. I view lights as partly an insurance policy, I give drivers no excuses. Most people I see without lights are chavvy kids smoking joints as they ride along. I tail them for a few minutes, shielding them from traffic, inhaling.

 

[cyberknight]

I make myself as visible as possible but still expect other road users not to see me.

If the road user is paying attention, all I have done is removed the potential false claim they did not see me, which they could try to use as a mitigating reason.

+1 to that , all you can do is give them no excuse not to see you by good road positioning, good road behavior and making yourself as visible as possible.

 

[jonny jeez]

But sadly not common.

+1...nuff said

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

a lot has been said with regards accidents involving cyclists, there seems to be a lot of blame put on the motorist.
Though I cycle to / from work, half of my working day involves driving, I regularly see cyclists riding in the dark with no lights and wearing dark clothing, this really does make me cringe!! a lot of cyclists also wear high vis clothing but dont use lights, this is fine in day light, but come darkness high vis clothing is no substitute for good quality lights.
I said half my working day is spent driving, the other half is spent in the back of an emergency ambulance, sometimes dealing with an increasing amount of injured cyclists who for one reason or another choose to ride without lights in the dark, but who insist it was the drivers fault! sadly, some do not get a chance to blame anyone.
Not every accident involving a vehicle and cyclist is the drivers fault, as the dark nights are aproaching, consider your own safety and how you can improve it, a few quid spent on simple improvements, lights, helmet etc, can make a big difference to your own safety, and make you more likely to get to your destination in one piece.

Is there anyone other profession that relies so much on it's own "experience" compared with statistics as those allied to the medical ? And is there any other group so willing to inflate figures to allow them to preach? There are from memory about 120 cyclists killed a year in the UK. Again from memory over 25% of those are involved in left turning HGV "accidents" where I doubt where an ambulance would be of any use. That leaves most about 80 a year who make it to an ambulance , 80 spread through the UK, through night and day, 7 days a week, across all the ambulances . How many exactly have you had in die your ambulance to allow you to pontificate about "some do not get a chance to blame anyone." ? You sound to me, to be of the same ilk as that stupid BeHit woman ,who talks of the hundreds of children she has seen die due to lack of helmets. She couldn't do maths either , and she seemed to think that being a nurse gave her some special insight into trauma prevention rather than treatment. The medical trade are the panel beaters of the human world, if I want to keep my car out of an accident I will take advice from an engineer or a driving coach, not a panel beater.

 

[gaz]

Silly Cyclists. that is all

 

[boydj]

Silly indeed not to be as visible as possible. However, the twice I've been taken out by cars, I've been well-lit, in high-viz with a great deal of reflective material - and still got SMIDSY.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Yeah, that's right LYB: stick it to the damn medic; give him a good, sound thrashing with your logic-stick!

 

[fossyant]

The reality is that most cyclist vs motor vehicle collisions tend to be the driver's fault. Not all, mind. The most common cyclist crash is one done all by ourselves with no other vehicle involved.

Still, looking at ourselves and our riding habits is always good. Decent lights, good conservative vehicular riding style, and that'll avoid most driver mistakes, and likely a few of our own as well.

Blimey BM.....

Agree.

Nope it's up to us who use bikes to make sure we get to where we need to and get back SAFE. We also need to watch out for idiots, cars/bikes - that's life. I ride in a heavy student area, and they have no idea how to ride on a road - most have not been on a bike since a young child - it's very very worrying. The Uni's do a fair amount to make them aware, but I saw a couple of early 'returners' wobbling over the road today - the good point, the drivers gave them room.

Some mistakes at junctions are about another vehicle turning, and folk thinking because that's moved, so can I - it doesn't work. I learnt that as a kid in a car. 1 car turned, I pulled out and bang. Slow car to car bump, but I learnt.

We all get too comfortable in cars these days - they are so removed from real life it is scary for cyclists. A bump from a car (even a little sh!tty one - like I know) can cause massive damage. I'd love to say I was flattened by a HGV and got up, nope, it was a Fiat Seicento

 

[growingvegetables]

make yourselves visible. Don't kid yourself that it means drivers won't hit you though.

+1

 

[pooly1uk]

Is there anyone other profession that relies so much on it's own "experience" compared with statistics as those allied to the medical ? And is there any other group so willing to inflate figures to allow them to preach? There are from memory about 120 cyclists killed a year in the UK. Again from memory over 25% of those are involved in left turning HGV "accidents" where I doubt where an ambulance would be of any use. That leaves most about 80 a year who make it to an ambulance , 80 spread through the UK, through night and day, 7 days a week, across all the ambulances . How many exactly have you had in die your ambulance to allow you to pontificate about "some do not get a chance to blame anyone." ? You sound to me, to be of the same ilk as that stupid BeHit woman ,who talks of the hundreds of children she has seen die due to lack of helmets. She couldn't do maths either , and she seemed to think that being a nurse gave her some special insight into trauma prevention rather than treatment. The medical trade are the panel beaters of the human world, if I want to keep my car out of an accident I will take advice from an engineer or a driving coach, not a panel beater.

statistics are usually (but not always) drawn up by pen pushers locked in a room somewhere being force fed information that they havent got a clue about, then they spout off in numbers and percentages in the hope that a few might just believe the crap they are trying to feed them, sound familiar LYB.
I did not use any numbers or percentages, my point was SOME accidents could be avoided if more people made themselves more visible as the dark nights aproach, i have no idea who the nurse is you speak of who supposedly speaks of seeing hundreds of children die due to not wearing helmets, they have there place and can prevent some injuries, but that is another debate im sure has been covered already.
As for taking advice from an engineer or driving coach to keep you and your car accident free please print their phone numbers on here so that everyone who have been unfortunate to have had accidents can contact them so they can be sure of guaranteed accident free motoring in future.

 

[dawesome]

statistics are usually (but not always) drawn up by pen pushers locked in a room somewhere being force fed information that they havent got a clue about, then they spout off in numbers and percentages in the hope that a few might just believe the crap they are trying to feed them, sound familiar LYB.
I did not use any numbers or percentages, my point was SOME accidents could be avoided if more people made themselves more visible as the dark nights aproach, i have no idea who the nurse is you speak of who supposedly speaks of seeing hundreds of children die due to not wearing helmets, they have there place and can prevent some injuries, but that is another debate im sure has been covered already.
As for taking advice from an engineer or driving coach to keep you and your car accident free please print their phone numbers on here so that everyone who have been unfortunate to have had accidents can contact them so they can be sure of guaranteed accident free motoring in future.

I appreciate your contributions pooly!

What ambulance service do you work for and what were the circumstances of the cyclist accidents you attended, anything in the press please?

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

statistics are usually (but not always) drawn up by pen pushers locked in a room somewhere being force fed information that they havent got a clue about, then they spout off in numbers and percentages in the hope that a few might just believe the crap they are trying to feed them, sound familiar LYB.
I did not use any numbers or percentages, my point was SOME accidents could be avoided if more people made themselves more visible as the dark nights aproach, i have no idea who the nurse is you speak of who supposedly speaks of seeing hundreds of children die due to not wearing helmets, they have there place and can prevent some injuries, but that is another debate im sure has been covered already.
As for taking advice from an engineer or driving coach to keep you and your car accident free please print their phone numbers on here so that everyone who have been unfortunate to have had accidents can contact them so they can be sure of guaranteed accident free motoring in future.

You forgot to answer the question....

How many cyclists have you had die in your ambulance? That's the problem with wanting to use your "experience" to bolster your argument, you need show that your experience is actually relevant.

 

[pooly1uk]

I appreciate your contributions pooly!

What ambulance service do you work for and what were the circumstances of the cyclist accidents you attended, anything in the press please?

unfortunately i am not willing to discuss the above, as it would breach my terms of employment, im sure you can appreciate that.

 

[pooly1uk]

You forgot to answer the question....

How many cyclists have you had die in your ambulance? That's the problem with wanting to use your "experience" to bolster your argument, you need show that your experience is actually relevant.

No LYB I didnt forget to answer your question, I deliberately didnt answer it, because only a sick dim-wit would want to know something like that, and I do not have to justify myself to a fool like you.