Worrying and a touch frightening

[Tripster]

Hello,
I am coming back to road riding after a few years away and enjoying reading the forum.
This particular section makes frightening reading with all the near misses, hit and runs and sadly deaths on the roads. Shocking to read. 😞

 

[sleuthey]

It’s principally the same with Motoring forums like Honest John. You mainly hear the horror stories about the cars that go wrong. You don’t hear as much about the umpteen thousand cars that do a 5 year stint with no problems at all.

 

[Drago]

Statistically you're less likely to die on a bicycle than you are when walking. You might want to stay in bed.

 

[Mike_P]

Make sure they have to be blind not see you, yellow shoes or bright green or yellow socks work well, they certainly make me feel when driving I am still too close to a cyclist despite being well away. Bright helmets equally are useful. Not wearing a dark coloured jersey helps, sun and shade can make you disappear; once driving could not see why each lead car ahead on turn was suddenly braking and it turned out to be a cyclist entirely in black. By the same score if the sun is low ahead or to the side switch a rear light on.

 

[All uphill]

Ironic isnt it that the perception of danger puts people off using a bicycle instead of a car, yet until we have many more people cycling we are unlikely to get better infrastructure.

My personal thing is to work with a local campaign group to push local government to act on their laudable policies. Climate Emergency, healthy lifestyles, social distancing, air quality: yes they have policies for all those, but they'd rather build a few more roads than do anything helpful.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

It’s principally the same with Motoring forums like Honest John. You mainly hear the horror stories about the cars that go wrong. You don’t hear as much about the umpteen thousand cars that do a 5 year stint with no problems at all.

This.
Hundreds of members on here are riding every day but their ride is just nice and pleasant and completely uneventful and unremarkable. There's one thread for that ("your ride today") and many don't post on it, probably because they thought it was an unremarkable ride.
On the other hand people will start a new thread for every extreme close pass or near miss, precisely because it's not a norm and is worth remarking on. It's human nature.

Driving is much, much riskier. Go out and have a ride!

 

[sleuthey]

people will start a new thread for every extreme close pass or near miss, precisely because it's not a norm and is worth remarking on.

Ive noticed that and always thought it’s odd as when I view the footage or read the description it’s what happens to me every day. I would love swap my commute with theirs as it’s obviously not the norm for them.

I only submit footage to the police if I feel endangered enough to brake or swerve - it’s up to them whether they prosecute. I never upload anything to the public domain

 

[boydj]

Statistically you're less likely to die on a bicycle than you are when walking. You might want to stay in bed.

Is it not the case that more people die in bed than anywhere else?

 

[fossyant]

I'm missing part of my spine but have carried on, although not so sure MTB'ing is particularly safe.

 

[numbnuts]

There's a lot of old git's on this forum so it can't be that bad

 

[Phil Fouracre]

Hey! Who are you calling old? You are right though😂😂

 

[classic33]

Is it not the case that more people die in bed than anywhere else?

Over 200 people a year die as a result of falling out of the bed, in the UK.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Over 200 people a year die as a result of falling out of the bed, in the UK.

Yeah but how many die who didn’t fall out (of bed)

 

[hatler]

If you're worried about the risks, read this - https://www.gicentre.net/blog/2013/11/24/risk-cycling-and-denominator-neglect

 

[Drago]

Is it not the case that more people die in bed than anywhere else?

I thought that was on the toilet, uh huh huh?