When I find out a cyclist has died in my area

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Rooster1

I was right about that saddle
Hello

Sadly I found out a rider died near where I live, on a route I regularly ride.
And on the route I take to work, another rider died recently.

I find it very sobering and off-putting, and obviously tragic.

What do we do in these situations, how do we simply ride on.

Sorry. I'm really struggling with this today
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
Its a sobering thought, personally i'd be thinking a few things...
Where were they killed and is it a sensible place to cycle, is it inherently dangerous (fast roads, junctions etc) and could i avoid it.
A former colleagues son was in a accident decades ago, knocked off and was permanently in a wheelchair after. But where he was knocked off was on a dual carriageway , at the exit, very fast traffic, lots of movement of cars. Not defending it, but theres a lot going on at speed, i used to cycle the duals round Pboro but not any more, just too dangerous.

And equally, thousands of cyclists out every day do fine, as have i 99.9% of the time.
It makes you a bit more situationally aware, you hopefully don't get complacent....but 99.9 % of cyclists go home every night.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Yes, we simply ride on. We have to.
Over the past 15 years I have seen untold bike/car related collisions, crashes and incidents. More often than not car drivers faults.
I was also a witness to a young lady who got killed by a bus. It wasn't pleasant to see or to have to ride on after. That was really hard hitting.
It also wasn't pleasant for my own misfortunes. Going through a windscreen of a van and being knocked out by an illegal u turning copper just to name two.
All those times I do question myself if cycle commuting is worth it. But these times are very few and far between thankfully.
And as cyclists we travel many miles between us all without any incident, some times in glorious weather. just enjoying being on a bike. All these times far outweigh any bad.
 

snorri

Legendary Member
It's a bummer when tragedy occurs close to home, but we must carry on, take precautions, maybe campaign for local improvements to infrastructure, but don't forget to look at the wider picture in which thousands of cyclist get home safely every night.
 

Dan77

Senior Member
Location
Worcester
I try to avoid main roads as much as possible. Even if it were safe, it doesn't feel it and it is much less enjoyable than riding on roads with lighter traffic.

I like to find interesting routes and extend my commute considerably and in multiple ways to keep it interesting whilst avoiding undesirable roads/junctions. There's a particularly horrible stretch just near my work which I can't avoid, so I ride on the path (only for about 200 metres). I know I shouldn't but I've seen a few bikers knocked off there and I refuse to be the next victim of the rush hour madness on that stretch. The path is generally not well used and if somebody is on it I will slow to a crawl and even dismount if necessary.

I also use Zwift a lot. I still haven't ridden outdoors yet this year, although I would have this weekend had other commitments not got in the way whilst the weather was nice. Hopefully will be back to commuting and long outdoor rides soon.

Also, I recommend daytime running lights. A flashing light really does make you more visible even on a bright day. Reflective clothing helps too.
 
yes yes, all valid, thank you - appreciated
I wouldn't stop flying, driving, walking, swimming etc etc for that reason so cycling should be the same.
I need to stop focussing on this stuff!
This is the rational response 👍

But don't forget that it is normal to also have the irrational responses - like sadness and fear - too. They will pass in time.
 

Randomnerd

Bimbleur
Location
North Yorkshire
Didn’t there used to be a ghost bike campaign, where a white painted bike was locked up near to the fatal accident or riders route? Might make a few motorists think... I know of one bad crash on a ride I do, which has me gripping a little harder when I go past. Keep riding is all we can do, and campaigning to parliament for more and safer cycling routes

edit. Ghost bikes usa Linky
 
Location
España
It's a subject probably worth a bit of teasing out.

If I say I'm planning to drive to X or fly to Y it would be unusual to hear "oh that's dangerous". Change plane or car to bike and in my experience, someone will say, explicitly or otherwise, that it's dangerous. So when something happens to reinforce the "dangerous" feeling we respond. That very process allowed us to evolve.

In some parts of the world, cycling is seen as inherently dangerous and that subtle message is transmitted all the time.

On a cycling forum like this there are regular horror stories.

Then something happens and that messaging becomes more "real".

It's all very well to "know" that you're safe, that cycling gives you advantages in other areas, it's a very different kettle of fish to "feel" that.

I often think that it's not the danger in cycling that puts people off, it's the fear of that danger that does. A subtle difference, perhaps, but a difference.

The challenge then is to deal with the fear.
Logic, of course helps, but only when the emotional side is calm.

So does an openness to a bit of self evaluation. Is my cycling style "safe"? Am I sometimes cycling too fast, taking riskier shortcuts? Am I cycling in the best (or worst) places.
Things can change very slowly, day by day, week by week. We don't even notice. We can become complacent, a bit relaxed.

Deep breathing, trying to clear my head helps me to calm the mind. Then, I like to look at the facts (as much as I know them) and relate them to me. Do they apply, can I learn something?
Just the fact of a cool, clinical analysis can put my fears back in their box.

Then, how you wish to remember the fallen cyclist is up to you.

Good luck
 

classic33

Leg End Member
yes yes, all valid, thank you - appreciated
I wouldn't stop flying, driving, walking, swimming etc etc for that reason so cycling should be the same.
I need to stop focussing on this stuff!
The closer to home, the more you think about it. You'll probably have gone past the same spot many times and not had the thought of an accident occurring enter your head. Then one makes you think.

I just hope it's no-one I know, if I see one.
 

HMS_Dave

Grand Old Lady
In fairness, i think it's very much why people believe in fate. You could perhaps adjust your route and go down a quiet country farm track then get mowed down by a tractor with a trailor attachment. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/cyclist-killed-crash-tractor-brewood-18314490

Its not a thought i give when i drive, even though there are far more accidents involving a car. I do occasionally think about my mortality when on my bike, i think it is only natural. Perhaps its the feeling of vulnerability, or increased exposure to the elements... But it doesn't stop me.
 

a.twiddler

Veteran
It's a paradox, isn't it? Road deaths in or by motor vehicles are so common place that unless it happens locally or to someone you know it doesn't even tend to register. It's seen as the price society pays for convenient transport. Somehow individuals are seen as expendable in the interests of the greater good.

Yet cycling road deaths are so uncommon that they are picked up by the media immediately as a sign of how unsafe cycling must be, and local opinion sources are full of demands that "something must be done" and even cyclists, as the potential victims, are made to feel somehow at fault and inviting death and destruction just by daring to set tread on the road. Something must be done all right, but it's hard to see how an alternative view to the widespread motor centric one that prevails widely can be promoted in a way that the average person can accept and apply. I suppose the answer is " more cyclists" which increases other road users' expectations of seeing a cyclist in unexpected places, but if they are fearful of cycling they won't be there. Despite the publicity, and the awful grief and loss and recriminations surrounding a fatal accident, it must be remembered that cycling in itself still remains one of the safest pursuits that humans can take up, even if sometimes with high traffic levels it doesn't feel like it. I remember reading that the annual number of deaths from falling off furniture far exceeds the death rate from cycling. Should we therefore stop sleeping in beds or sitting on chairs?

I don't know about other posters, but despite my age I can detect approaching tyre noise from a good distance and try to have an escape route just in case. This doesn't mean that I perpetually ride in a state of clenched buttocked terror but that in the back of my mind there is the idea that ending up in a muddy ditch is a lesser evil than ending up under someone's vehicle. Sometimes, despite all your best intentions, shoot happens.

As a long time motorcyclist I remember being told as a beginner to always be aware of your surroundings, as it was the one you don't see or hear that will get you. Likewise, don't do anything that a driver might consider unexpected. They're locked into their blinkered four wheeled expectations, and two wheeled vehicles (motorised or not) move quite differently which can surprise someone with no experience of such things.
Things like nipping through gaps, filtering through traffic, sudden manoeuvres into spaces a car couldn't get in to etc.

Accidents don't usually happen just because of one thing. It's usually because several factors occur any one of which not occurring might cause it not to become an accident. Something as simple as being in the wrong place at the wrong time, driver had a row with his wife, going a bit too fast, low sun causing him to miss seeing a cyclist. Bad weather. Tiredness, bad day at work, dodgy brakes, oil on the road. Some might call it fate.
A decent level of competence and self awareness on the part of the driver of the heavier more powerful vehicle could probably avoid a lot of these. They don't seem to be able to avoid colliding with each other, so cyclists are probably the least of their worries. As a cyclist most of these factors are beyond your control.

All you can do is do the best you can, be alert, maybe choose your routes and times, and never attribute to malice in other road users that which can be explained by incompetence. Being assertive is helpful in getting yourself noticed, but it's good to know where to draw the line. "It was my right of way" doesn't look good on anyone's tombstone.
 
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