Mate got hit by car, mrs not keen on me cycling anymore...

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Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
Mrs Slick is the exact same but she has never been involved in any incident but the fear of such is enough to stop her driving any distance. I would love to be able to do something about it.
@Andy in Germany @Slick I'm the same.
Reluctantly got a driver's license years ago, but never really drove, because I hate it.
I'm not exactly feared of crashing, it's just that I feel I'm not a safe driver.
Driving stresses me, so I don't do it, never had a problem living car-less.
 

Slick

Guru
@Andy in Germany @Slick I'm the same.
Reluctantly got a driver's license years ago, but never really drove, because I hate it.
I'm not exactly feared of crashing, it's just that I feel I'm not a safe driver.
Driving stresses me, so I don't do it, never had a problem living car-less.
In truth, neither has Mrs Slick, it's probably more me that is trying to encourage her to increase her level of independence if nothing else.

I probably shouldn't push it though, especially when she has such a handsome chauffeur. :angel:
 

icowden

Veteran
Location
Surrey
Because it's one of those simple, obvious and wrong answers. Doing whatever superstitious nonsense people demand (even if they're family - and I've had this sort of discussion with some of my own family, of course) won't help anyone in the long term. Once a rider complies with one baseless "common sense" demand, there may well be pressure to comply with another... possibly continuing forever. How many hoops should someone have to jump through before getting on a bike, before you'd say it was too much? And if some of us are right and so-called hi-vis is more often dazzle camo and it puts the rider at more risk, shouldn't we try to dissuade all involved before they get hurt?

@mjr By your own admission there is almost no evidence that wearing safety equipment is superstitious nonsense. Repeating such myths may discourage cyclists from taking steps that they feel improve their personal safety, which may reassure their loved ones, and which may or may not prevent injury. Please don't exploit this collision to push your own agenda.

Let's agree that all safety equipment is Schrodinger's safety equipment until such time that a proponent of either side of the argument can provide a scientific randomised double blind trial that supports the use of the aforementioned safety equipment.

In fact lets agree that the only person who can decide whether or not equipment such as reflectors or helmets is a good idea or not, is the person making the decision, and keep the thread on topic :smooch:
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
@mjr By your own admission there is almost no evidence that wearing safety equipment is superstitious nonsense. Repeating such myths may discourage cyclists from taking steps that they feel improve their personal safety, which may reassure their loved ones, and which may or may not prevent injury. Please don't exploit this collision to push your own agenda.
1. Saying "X doesn't work" when there is no evidence that it works is not itself a myth.
2. Calling certain fashion items "safety equipment" is itself begging the question and should be challenged in any rational society.
3. Discouraging people from wasting time on placebos is itself a good thing.
4. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so thank you.

Let's agree that all safety equipment is Schrodinger's safety equipment until such time that a proponent of either side of the argument can provide a scientific randomised double blind trial that supports the use of the aforementioned safety equipment.

In fact lets agree that the only person who can decide whether or not equipment such as reflectors or helmets is a good idea or not, is the person making the decision, and keep the thread on topic :smooch:
Double-blind trials of most of this shoot is not possible any more. Epidemiology is good enough.

I'm very happy to let riders make their own decisions as long as it hurts no-one else - or at least it almost hurts no-one else (maybe excusing secondary effects like reducing cycling that are vague and hard to prove). Note my first post here did not mention any of the snake oil victim-blaming products and I only mentioned those after others suggested them. When a post on a thread like this gives controversial bad advice, such as wearing plastic dazzle camouflage clothes to make oneself "visible", surely other views should be presented too?

BTW: I still would like to know how to be invisible because there are some cycleway obstructions that I'd like to remove and that would be easier if I was invisible.
 

united4ever

Über Member
Brings back memories for me this, new to cycling and driver didn't see me at a roundabout....cue a lot of contemplation from me and family questioning why I take the risk. In the end I returned but vowed to keep off roads as much as possible and really analysed ways I could minimise risk and changed some things like routes, having lights on and flashing in daytime, I will only choose bright cycling clothes....thought about a camera but didn't bother in the end. Really enjoy zipping about town on the roads but just cannot trust drivers anymore so try to minimise road journeys and stick to shared cycle paths if possible.
 
D

Deleted member 26715

Guest
Out on the bike today & pulled over for a woman on horseback so she could pass on a narrow bridleway, we got talking & she also commented on the lack of empathy for hoorse riders on the road now, she won't go on one unless she has to.
 

Cycling_Samurai

Well-Known Member
Best of luck to you mate. Terrible thing to happen. I had a bad incident when I was young and didn't pick up cycling until last year. My brothers and my father all surf. I had one experience that nearly put my eye out and haven't surfed since. My father has been hospitalized and nearly killed 3 times but he still surfs. Point is you choose what's best for you. I also ride motorcycle and have gone down several times but I keep riding. You learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others.
 
The one possible approach would be Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, but honestly, I'm not interested. I learned to drive late and most unwillingly, because I was persuaded that in rural Bavaria I "needed to be able to drive"*. I never got used to being in a box so low down with blind spots, and not being able to hear anything. And the awareness that this thing can kill so very easily.

I was fine working in a city farm and driving the tractor because it was high, slow, and has relatively few blind spots.

*This was absolute twaddle, as it happens. There were cycle ways to most places and almost no traffic.

Ironic that this came up again today: my (hopefully) new employer has said I'll have to drive occasionally, because I'll have to take clients to job interviews and then visit them to make sure they're doing okay.

It's a rural area so no city driving, and they said I can have a company car and plenty of time to practice. also the rest of the job is what I'd really like to do, so it looks like I'll be trying again.
 
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