SMIDSY is an admission of guilt
- Thread starter Red Light
- Start date
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Alembicbassman
Confused.com
I always dread hitting one of those Ninjas, they're usually on heavy steel Adsa mountain bikes and would damage my car horribly unlike a nice crunchy carbon bike 
deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
Last time I drove, the car I was driving had lights and I'm convinced that they helped me drive safely and see what was in front of me.
I've noticed a lot from online chatter that just running straight into someone seems to be a lot more excusable in the US than over here. I guess with their laws on jaywalking, the long, wide straight roads, and generally much larger distances travelled, that there is a lower expectation of paying attention to whats in front of you.
I read a story a while back about a guy who was killed doing a long distance run for charity whilst running along the side of a road where there was no 'sidewalk'. The more popular comments were from those saying well he shouldn't have been on the road. Comments suggesting the driver really should be paying attention to whats on the road recieved short shrift.
I read a story a while back about a guy who was killed doing a long distance run for charity whilst running along the side of a road where there was no 'sidewalk'. The more popular comments were from those saying well he shouldn't have been on the road. Comments suggesting the driver really should be paying attention to whats on the road recieved short shrift.
Alembicbassman
Confused.com
To be serious. In the absence of witnesses it's a hard task to show careless or dangerous driving, Gary Mason was killed 12 months ago when a WVM knocked him off his bike early in the morning - the case against the driver was dropped in October due to no witnesses. The Highway code recommends the wearing of high vis, lights and a helmet, the lighting regs require lights and reflectors at night. Whilst the highway code is not law it can be offered as persuasive evidence, lighting regs are law. Best stance to adopt is leave as little doubt as possible by adhereing to the guidelines and law - it can only help your case.
Headlamps reach about 40 ft infront of the car on dip. If you're doing 40mph and a cycle is doing 10mph you close at 30mph (43 feet per second), that gives you less than 1 second to react, it takes 0.2 seconds for the brain the send the message to the limbs and then more time to apply the brakes/steer.
A well lit bike can be seen from over 200ft away.
Headlamps reach about 40 ft infront of the car on dip. If you're doing 40mph and a cycle is doing 10mph you close at 30mph (43 feet per second), that gives you less than 1 second to react, it takes 0.2 seconds for the brain the send the message to the limbs and then more time to apply the brakes/steer.
A well lit bike can be seen from over 200ft away.
ferret fur
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Roseburn
How do you know? I thought they were supposed to be invisible
No of course they are completely visible. Just like the cat
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63916749@N02/6721308375/
What ever happened to the old rule of driving at a speed where you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear?
Actually unlit cyclists are the cause of a tiny number of accidents:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/15/cycling-bike-accidents-study
MrHappyCyclist
Riding the Devil's HIghway
- Location
- Bolton, England
If you can't stop in the distance you can see, then you are driving too fast for the conditions.
The single most important thing we could do to make cyclists safer is address driver behaviour, not cyclists'.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
Well, that is my take on it anyway.
