Saddened by ninja

[Steve Saunders]

I did see one once on a police camera stop type program. A young female driver had hit a cyclist, I can't remember the road I'm sorry, but it was if I remember correctly an unlit section of a dual carriageway. The driver went straight home afterwards with a windscreen which was totally caved in on the passenger side and was then, if memory serves, convinced by her parents that she should contact the police to inform them of the collision. The cyclist had by this time been found and so the police went to her house resonably certain that she was driver of the vehicle which had hit him. She claimed to have seen nothing and had thought that she had maybe hit a deer. The cyclist had no lights, he also died, the driver was not charged with anything.

I think I remember watching that episode ... it was a Mini wasn't it ? If it was I think it was Road Wars.

 

[lukesdad]

How many ninjas do you actually hear about getting mowed down by cars? None.
How many 'proper' cyclists do you hear about getting mowed down by cars? Loads.

Ninjas seem to have an invincibility cloak surrounding them. Oh yes, it's called the pavement.

You have pavements

 

[HLaB]

How many ninjas do you actually hear about getting mowed down by cars? None.
How many 'proper' cyclists do you hear about getting mowed down by cars? Loads.

Ninjas seem to have an invincibility cloak surrounding them. Oh yes, it's called the pavement.

Given the amount of ninjas I encounter down south I'm amazed by that (but not disputing it ), especially given that I encounter a lot on the road, although you are right the vast majority are on the pavement. I travel relatively slow pace though adjusting my pace to the visibility etc and can easily take avoiding action, some drivers don't

 

[Nebulous]

I've been struggling to get my lighting to my satisfaction since the clocks changed. Infact I've just ordered a super super new front light. I still manage 2 front and 2 back however.

I've been out much more in the evening recently as we've acquired a dog and I've been amazed at:-

a) the number of people still cycling.
b) how many of them are well lit. I must see 20 with decent lights to every ninja.

 

[eddiemee]

The issue is not so much seeing the ninja, it's WHEN you see them, as the OP has already pointed out.

I think most people on here would agree that reading the road ahead, anticipating hazards and being ready for them is a much better way of riding safely than simply reacting to hazards when they actually happen. If you see a red light 200 yards ahead, you anticipate that there will be a car/bike/motorbike/ped/horse attached to it, and your mind gears up towards passing it safely. If an otherwise unlit cyclist comes into view in your headlights when you're only 50 yards away then you have much less time to react. Some people may panic, swerve into the other lane and potentially oncoming traffic, brake hard (following traffic may be too close, but that's another topic), or may not have time to react at all and end up hitting the cyclist.

Yes, we all SEE ninjas all the time, but we'd see them 10 or 20 seconds earlier if they had lights.

 

[Drago]

Sneak up behind them in a police car and give them a blast of the wailers. The shock usually makes them have a coronary or sheet themselves, sometimes both.

 

[Mugshot]

I think I remember watching that episode ... it was a Mini wasn't it ? If it was I think it was Road Wars.

That sort of rang a bell and it also brought to mind that the cyclist had a violin so I did a little search and HERE it is.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Personal opinion,I don't see how that is "band wagon".

Sorry, I was just being silly.

I've never done it before and will never do it again.

It isn't a bandwagon.

Although if it were, it would need lights.

 

[400bhp]

I suspect there's actually quite a few ninja's mowed down, it's just that we don't see the stats for it.e

Ninja's will, on average, cycle far fewer miles than most us here, so perhaps they actually do have a greater chance of an accident than the rest of us.

I saw some ninja's today, but I have no idea how many i didn't see.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Note that key word "see".

yes by dint of shining a light on them. They would be more easily seen, from a greater distance and less prone to the last minute swerve to not hit them if they were lit as well.

its not about them being invisible per-se but the reckless and unneccesary abdication of any sort of responsibility for their own safety to the good practice and reflexes of other people.


why are we happy to slag off dangerous selfish idiotic car drivers but ok to find feeble excuses and cop outs for cyclists acting just as irresponsibly - the upshot of it going wrong is invariably going to be the same either way.

 

[400bhp]

It's better to see a cyclist early than too late or not at all.

 

[400bhp]

In an idea world yes, but drivers make errors of judgement.

Most things a sensible cyclist will do is endeavour to mitigate the risk of an accident. So, for other people looking on at a cyclist that doesn't have one of the most obvious items to mitigate risk then it's perfectly reasonable for them to assume the cyclist is careless at best.

 

[400bhp]

I know - sh1t happens in real life doesn't it.

 

[Headgardener]

Sneak up behind them in a police car and give them a blast of the wailers. The shock usually makes them have a coronary or sheet themselves, sometimes both.

 

[ComedyPilot]

I did see one once on a police camera stop type program. A young female driver had hit a cyclist, I can't remember the road I'm sorry, but it was if I remember correctly an unlit section of a dual carriageway. The driver went straight home afterwards with a windscreen which was totally caved in on the passenger side and was then, if memory serves, convinced by her parents that she should contact the police to inform them of the collision. The cyclist had by this time been found and so the police went to her house resonably certain that she was driver of the vehicle which had hit him. She claimed to have seen nothing and had thought that she had maybe hit a deer. The cyclist had no lights, he also died, the driver was not charged with anything.

I saw the same program, the comentator was voicing over and saying the bike was unlit, but on film in the background behind the police officers on screen the wreckage of the bike was blatantly visible reflecting the camera lights....? I immediately thought, "If I can see the bike reflecting on camera lights, why couldn't the driver see that?"