Son ran over pedestrian last night

[iacula]

My son (20) ran over a pedestrian in Brighton last night, she was taken to hospital, but is expected to be okay. Police were there, apparently not my son's fault, they tested his bike's brakes and I guess lights, though they would have been nothing more than the standard Cat Eye LED's, so not technically legal! So I'm a bit worried about ramifications..

 

[wafflycat]

LED lights can be legal... dependent upon standard

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4071

 

[fossyant]

He'll be fine - the police won't know the difference !

 

[Cubist]

Wafflycat.

Have just read through the CTC link and LOVED the last paragraph:

But since it became theoretically legal to ride a bike with only flashing lights on it, the Police are nowadays no more likely to quibble its legal status than one equipped with steady lights – unless they're rather dim or involved in an accident of course.

Looks like the CTC have a jaded view of the "boys and girls in Hi-Viz yellow."

Can't speak for the cops in Brighton, but I think that may apply to one or two of my colleagues up here in the grim North!!!!!!

iacula, can't promise, but unless it was a serious incident, no-one will have examined your son's lights for Kitemarks.

 

[LLB]

Coming past a junction in the dark last night (in my car), a car pulls up quickly to the 'give way' on it so I naturally run wide in case they lurch out in to the main road and as look back from a glance in this cars direction, a knob on a MTB without lights or reflectors, wearing dark clothing and a balaclava and giving his mate a lift on the seat comes towards me on the road in the other direction.

How I missed them was astonishing

 

[Cubist]

He'll be fine - the police won't know the difference !

Just taken delivery of six luvverly new Cubes for my team to ride round our patch. They come from Germany with a little sticker warning you that they don't conform to requirements. Ordered BS lights to go with them, and then decided to check to make sure I was up on lighting regulations. The LBS supplier and I now know that they also needed pedal reflectors, which were hastily ordered and I spent a happy couple of hours on Monday spannering 24 of the bloody things on.

Even if the average cop doesn't know the regs inside out, you can be sure some "expert" would have quickly pointed out that the team weren't conforming to the law!!!!

 

[Cubist]

Coming past a junction in the dark last night (in my car), a car pulls up quickly to the 'give way' on it so I naturally run wide in case they lurch out in to the main road and as look back from a glance in this cars direction, a knob on a MTB without lights or reflectors, wearing dark clothing and a balaclava and giving his mate a lift on the seat comes towards me on the road in the other direction.

How I missed them was astonishing

Pretty sure none of my lot were out last night..... you don't live in Yorkshire do you?

 

[iacula]

That's reassuring, thanks. He's bit shaken up, woman didn't seem to know what day it was nor did she have much English. Thanks for the link Wafflycat, law is much more liberal/ broad than I thought, his bike is ancient so probably it would get through on the "any old light category" in any case!

Your right cubist, don't think the police were interested in kite marks..

 

[dudi]

I bet he is a bit shaken, I did a similar thing a few weeks back, nutted the girl and had the ambulance out. left me very very shaken with a damaged shoulder.
My lights aren't technically legal, and the rozzers didn't bat an eyelid. also I was riding fixed with only one brake calliper (yes, rear wheel is classed as a brake on fixed) but the rozzers didn't even mention it.

These peds who step out don't learn though. this morning on my way to work, the very same girl that I ploughed into did almost exactly the same thing, right in front of me.on the phone, wandered out into the road. thankfully my view was better this time and I had chance to slow right down and get out of her way as she sure as hell didn't see me.

Hope your son gets over the feeling of "what could I have done to avoid it?" and keeps on keeping on. and hope the lass is alright, of course!

 

[downfader]

Sorry to hear of your son's accident. If the ped just stepped out last second then theres not much you can do, I hope he feels better soon and the police see it his way.

I nearly hit two young girls of about 12 a couple of years back. I was heading down hill, as as you know you can pick up some speed and these two kids just blundered out in front of me. I managed to swing around between them and the kerb, stopped, turned around and gave them a bloody lecture on the green cross code.

 

[matthew Linden]

Sorry to hear about your son. In centeral London I must have a near miss at least once a week. I wear hi viz jacket and have good lights but they just don't look.

 

[hackbike 666]

I've changed my riding in Central London to combat the ped threat although ironically my collision was where I would not really have expected it there.Walthamstow.Still they have peds in Walthamstow so that would probably explain why it happened there.

I Don't expect too much from peds because it's always going to be like this.Happily now I don't have a near hit every week.Reminds me I have to fit the new horn on,postponed from Sunday due to food poisoning.