Keith Oates
Janner
- Location
- Penarth, Wales
That's a good idea, beanz, but even if that can't be arranged due to lack of bikes, compulsory lessons on the highway code with a written test at the end would be another step in the right direction!!
yenrod said:Hairy, it is a bit more dangerous as people in cars REALLY want to get somewhere !
I've done it on and off ove the years but've recently done it quite alot BUT the last time cost an new pair of wheels + £30...
They're not messing around - waiting for things to happen that shouldn't (like we all know how you should approach the road)...
Still, you've got to watch it if you do commute...!
beanzontoast said:Col - which is why I think, if sport/p.e. is compulsory in schools up to a certain age, why not build in compulsory cycle training as an element? Admittedly there would be logistical problems to overcome (equipment cost - assuming situations where own bikes couldn't be used - for one) but surely the benefits would be worth it in health/safety/environmental and cycling promotion terms - even maybe starting off some in the sport?
Hairy Jock said:If you read the report referenced you will see that "With one cyclist death per twenty million miles of cycling, the absolute level of risk is clearly a small one. The average cyclist is scarcely more likely to be killed per year than the average driver,... but the risk is low at 0.0083% per year... The life-extending
benefits of cycling are taken to compensate this burden 10-20 times over. This cyclist will be ten times less likely to kill another road user than a driver." ... "The belief that British cyclists face high actual risks is not sustained by the evidence; the actual risks are very low in everyday terms." ... "Perceived
danger is not revealed by casualty data."
The one factor which has been show to decreases the risks to cyclist on the road is an increase in the number of cyclist on the road. However the the biggest factor keeping people back from cycling on the road is the danger myth!
beanzontoast said:You shouldn't be on the road if you don't know the rulesGood point. Cyclists are one exception to mandatory training for road users. (So are horse riders though, and I don't think there's compulsory training for them is there?).
I think in most cases, horseriders aren't on the road unless they are experienced, or have a lead rider who is. The school I go to, if we go on a hack, we have an experienced rider with us, and for kids doing courses, they have lessons specifically to learn road use. And we all wear hi-vis jackets.
Just as a cyclist, adult or child, can take part in cycle training, horse riders can do courses. But don't have to...
I suppose it would be possible for a kid who'd only learned basic horse control to have their own horse, be over-confident and go out on the road without experience, just as a cyclist can.
I think compulsory roadcraft/cycle training at school would be a good idea - not only would it make sure kids knew about the rules and so on, but it might provide a better platform for learning to drive. And it should include practical and theory aspects.