Motorist fails to slow/stop for five year rider and dad.

[boydj]

It's seems to me the child was trained to ride one open door away from stationary vehicles but not to anticipate oncoming traffic. He held the line and did not attempt to move inside when the car approached.

Well trained yes but not competent. When you teach a pet or a young child by rote this is what you will end up with. And you cant blame the child.

So you think, to accomodate the inconsiderate driver, the child should have ridden in the door zone?

Seems to me, as a qualified bikeability instructor, that the child's riding was textbook and only the driver was at fault. The cyclists reached the road narrowing due to parked cars well before the motorist, who clearly should have given way.

 

[Arrowfoot]

So you think, to accomodate the incosiderate driver, the child should have ridden in the door zone?

Thats really poor on your part suggesting that. Disappointing. If I trained my child, I would have taught him to come to a stop and to move to the side as the car came close. Certainly not keep at that speed.

If you read my very post on this thread. I stated that the driver should have stopped when he saw the child. Never tempt fate and think that Mary Poppins is behind the wheel. The adult or parents in these case should always take the lead as well as primary in that tight space.

 

[boydj]

Thats really poor on your part suggesting that. Disappointing. If I trained my child, I would have taught him to come to a stop and to move to the side as the car came close. Certainly not keep at that speed.

If you read my very post on this thread. I stated that the driver should have stopped when he saw the child. Never tempt fate and think that Mary Poppins is behind the wheel. The adult or parents in these case should always take the lead as well as primary in that tight space.

First, it is accepted practice that an adult cycling with a child cycles behind and outside the child to protect from vehicles approaching from the rear.

Secondly, the cyclists were passing the parked car well before the oncoming car approached. It was perfectly reasonable to expect the driver to slow or even stop before the narrowed aea was reached. Had I been the adult cyclist I would have moved into the middle of the road to force the driver to slow down or stop.

 

[matticus]

Here you go

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=174&t=2009268&i=0

Not sure what you're linking to there - did you intend a specific page/post?

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Not sure what you're linking to there - did you intend a specific page/post?

Not to worry.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

View: https://youtu.be/05ksLVwW_Xw

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

No??

You obviously haven't kept yourself up to date with the changes in the Highway Code

Have a look here

 

[Alex321]

View: https://youtu.be/05ksLVwW_Xw

A very sensible analysis.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Has the motorist involved been traced/asked to justify their driving? Numberplate would have clearly visible in the original video. Have the police been involved? Careless driving? Close pass?

 

[matticus]

A very sensible analysis.

Yup. Hard to fault it, overall. I did also like this comment:

I agree with the analysis. My only thought playing devils advocate would be that maybe the father of the boy was worried about him stopping. Perhaps he knew the boy was fine while moving as you said but sometimes was a bit wobbly stopping and he didn't want him to fall off into the path of the oncoming car while trying to stop in a tricky spot? Sometimes it's safer to keep moving?

 

[icowden]

Anyone who has cycled with children knows it is stressful. Sometimes it is much better to use the road than the pavement. This child cycles well, the road is quiet and there is no reason to use the pavement. The car should have waited. Even if the driver misjudged they could have come to a quick stop and had a quick "sorry!".

 

[steveindenmark]

This is clickbait for the cyclist v drivers debate. There was nothing wrong with the cycling or driving. These are the conditions the 5 year old will get riding to school. Do not sanitise it.

Pointless putting a sad face on anything without some type of explanation.

 

[dutchguylivingintheuk]

It really shows how much of a car centric society it is when most of the comments outside of cycle forums etc. are like ''shouldn't be a problem'' and something in the lines of ''child shouldn't be on the road'' and anything in between.

in for example the Netherlands the discussion would be about
- the state of parking, nowhere in europe they park so much along the road as in the uk
- state of the cycle path, the child would be flat on his face and/or soaking wet if he drove there.(considering the amount of puddles)
- the driver would have been roasted for making that pass.

But then again most children cycle to school so this situation would be a bit different it would be more like a long train or busy stream going in that direction. (considering he was driving to school.)
The comment about stopping(what you hear the boy ask in the clip is not a smart one, because if there is a car behind it creates a more dangerous situation where as the other car might accelerate to be close to the other car and when the child possible doesn't see that en restarts you alsways have that movement more to middle of the road when getting up to speed. so that would be a potential more dangerous situation.