The opposite problem is when you try and distinguish "Cyclists" from "People on bikes"
One of the main problems is that all too many of these people are on bikes for financial or other reasons, and are simply rideing with the same lack of skill, courtesy and knowledge that they have got away with when driving their car!
Do we need training courses - perhaps we do but that is another argument.
What we do need to do though is to get away from the simplistic "sticking plasters" that are the usual answers to road safety when involving cyclist safety..
Cyclists being cut up and SMIDSY - wear HiViz and ignore the root cause of the problem
Cyclist suffering injuries - wear a helmet and ignore the root cause of the problem.
Cyclist being killed by HGVs - put the responsibility on cyclists and again ignore the root cause of the problem
Dismiss it as "motorist bashing" if you like, but sooner or later it comes down to the fact that as road users we all have to take responsibility for our actions and their consequences. ..... and in this case driving an unroadworthy and faulty vehicle is unequivocally a contributory factor.
sandman,would you like to read the thread? Everything you've just claimed has already been posted.
I don't think we need to win over anyone, nor do I really care for any stereotypical view of cyclists such lycra louts, riding without lights etc. Because for every one of these cyclists there are ten car drivers that will routinely break the law in some way. This view will always exist no matter what imo.
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With this mindset cycling will never advance, people will ride a bike without the skills needed and will only further the them and us attitude.
Right, which is being contradicted by yourself by saying that the driver could not see down the n/s.
This is incorrect, only one of the mirrors were missing not both. If you want to make a post based on established facts and not opinion then at least get it right.
The driver of a lorry involved in a fatal collision with a cyclist has become the second in months to escape prosecution.
Prosecutors dropped the case against Simon Weatherley after accepting he could not have seen cyclist Daniel Cox because of a “blind spot” in his view from the driver’s cab.
The same defence was used when charges were not pursued against Olympics delivery driver Gurpreet Shergill, who drove the HGV that killed cyclist Svitlana Tereschenko at Bow roundabout last November.
Mr Weatherley, 52, of Bromley, had a charge of causing death by dangerous driving dropped days before he was due to stand trial at Snaresbrook crown court in March.
Mr Cox, 28, a Goldsmiths graduate, died in the Royal London Hospital in February last year after colliding with the HGV at lights at Dalston Junction. His inquest will be held at Poplar coroner’s court on Monday. He is thought to have cycled along the inside of the HGV as it waited at traffic lights at the junction of Dalston Lane and Kingsland Road.
It is believed that the lorry — which had a mirror missing — had been indicating right until Mr Weatherley realised right turns were not allowed and decided to turn left. No witnesses were able to verify his claim that he indicated left.
The opposite problem is when you try and distinguish "Cyclists" from "People on bikes"
One of the main problems is that all too many of these people are on bikes for financial or other reasons, and are simply rideing with the same lack of skill, courtesy and knowledge that they have got away with when driving their car!
Do we need training courses - perhaps we do but that is another argument.
What we do need to do though is to get away from the simplistic "sticking plasters" that are the usual answers to road safety when involving cyclist safety..
Cyclists being cut up and SMIDSY - wear HiViz and ignore the root cause of the problem
Cyclist suffering injuries - wear a helmet and ignore the root cause of the problem.
Cyclist being killed by HGVs - put the responsibility on cyclists and again ignore the root cause of the problem
Dismiss it as "motorist bashing" if you like, but sooner or later it comes down to the fact that as road users we all have to take responsibility for our actions and their consequences. ..... and in this case driving an unroadworthy and faulty vehicle is unequivocally a contributory factor.
1884423 said:You are so right, smiling indulgently the way you would at a naughty puppy is going to cure all that so much more effectively.
There is a difference between a "Cyclist" who is aware of their surroundings, and who rides defensively using primary and secondary position, and the "Person on a bike" who would shoot down th inside lane in their car, so does the same thing on a bike.
Which again proves why "sticking plasters" such as HiViz and Helmets are an issue....
The evidence is overwhelming in that training is as efficient as any of these "remedies"
The bonus is that it also addresses more than one issue so is in fact more effective than either of the "plasters" in isolation.
Helmets don't increase visibility, HiViz doesn't reduce head injury - training has been shown to do both.
... and then we have the added bonus of reducing the other incidents due to poor road positioning, poor maintenance and all the other factors.