A quick suggests not. BBC have looked at the ‘reckless’ strava

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A cyclist currently faces charges of manslaughter in San Francisco after accusations he ignored a red light and crashed into a 71-year-old pedestrian who later died from head injuries. According to prosecutors, the accused was using Strava at the time.
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As I get older I am less interested about how fast I am going”

Michael Horvath Chief executive, Strava

In a separate case, the family of a cyclist who died while trying to regain his recently beaten KOM title in 2010 is suing the firm.

William “Kim” Flint had been clocked going over 40mph (64km/h) downhill before he braked to avoid a car, causing his bike to flip over.

His family’s lawyer said Strava was partly responsible because it had created a “Wild West culture where that is encouraged and rewarded with no warnings about the risks”.

Both these would get thrown out of court in the UK surely. 😕

Waits for sensational Watchdog type programme on Strava…..

I like Strava. It’s fun.

The comment in the article surrounding a cyclists death

His family’s lawyer said Strava was partly responsible because it had created a “Wild West culture where that is encouraged and rewarded with no warnings about the risks”

makes me mad, however.

I’ve a computer mouse and cable in front of me.
If I choose to wrap that around my neck, really really tightly, and stop breathing, it’s not the fault of HP – it’s my fault. I don’t need a label saying “don’t wrap this around your neck”, because I’m not daft.

It’s the same for riding a bike really, really fast.
If you crash, it will hurt/kill more than riding the same bike slowly.
One does not need warnings for this…..

DrP

It’ll be interesting to see how the general public view the story

The only problem is that raising awareness of Strava gives this kind of bloke linky

more ammunition to have a moan. There are a couple of segments that go through the centre of his village.

I think everyone who reads it will just use it to reinforce whatever prejudices they already have, tbh, whether they are a cyclist or not.

martinhutch – Member

The only problem is that raising awareness of Strava gives this kind of bloke linky

more ammunition to have a moan. There are a couple of segments that go through the centre of his village.
To be fair, if people are going through Embsay at 50mph then they need to have a word with themselves.
However, the tour route doesn’t actually go there! So I’ve no idea what he’s on about. It’s all main roads from Skipton to Ilkley.

Strange story. Not sure whether it’s supposed to be news or a feature. It’s just all background stuff really.

Wonder if the reporter was told to do a piece on Strava and cobbled it together without really thinking?

It’ll be interesting to see how the general public view the story

The general public are, on the whole, present company excluded, stupid and will believe everything in it’s entirety. Therefore they will think that anyone who has a Strava account will be a speed maniac, who races everywhere with no regard for their own or others safey and are a ticking timebomb of death and destruction.

… so they will have a pretty good idea of what using Strava means then

🙂

Reading that 2nd article, was anyone elses first reaction “Mr Quinn could do with riding a few miles himself”?

The Sunday Times has already done its own fair, truthful and unbiased article.

http://road.cc/content/news/76061-sunday-times-strava-records-achieved-speeding-and-ignoring-red-lights

It amuses me – that is all.

I don’t know how many users Strava has but I’d be very surprised if the death per 100 users of Strava is any higher than the normal death rate per 100 cyclists 😥

Which is undoubtedly TOO high but probably NOT Strava’s fault!

However Strava could start putting warnings on it’s maps at locations where it knows an accident has occurred just to appease the feeble minded 😈

To be fair, if people are going through Embsay at 50mph then they need to have a word with themselves.

I think if they’re going through Embsay at 50mph, they actually need to get themselves on a pro team riding the TdF.

I presume the speeds he’s quoting are measured using his calibrated speed gun? No? In actual fact that story is just a typical local newspaper non news story.

but probably NOT Strava’s fault!

But Strava is promoting racing on open roads, trails, bridlepaths, etc. regardless of how many disclaimers they have. Strava really needs to have users make a legally binding declaration that their segment is not on a road/bridleway etc. If it is public right of way, then that segment can only be private. If it’s a dedicated trail where racing is permitted, then there can be a public KoM table.
If users lie on that declaration, then they deserve to be disciplined.

Strava really needs to have users make a legally binding declaration that their segment is not on a road/bridleway etc. If it is public right of way, then that segment can only be private.

😯 – well that would certainly be one way to kill off Strava. Just how many places near you are there where you can ride not on a road/bridleway? You seem to be misunderstanding what the problem (if there really is one) actually is.

But Strava is promoting racing on open roads, trails, bridlepaths, etc

Actually no it’s not – not any more than the local council is by putting up speed limit signs to sprint for.

Well if it publishes leader tables and times for people to beat, and awards “prizes” for doing so, then obviously it is promoting racing.

journalists are so lazy. in that Sunday Times article, they haven’t even ventured outside of London and describe segments on the South Circular! what they also probably don’t realise is that some KOMs aren’t set by people on bicycles and are done by people in cars, inadvertently or otherwise.

I don’t ride much different because of Strava, sometimes I try harder on a climb but going down its the same. All I have is a measure of my pace. Given that most riding is on shared routes common sense must prevail, but I don’t think Strava makes people idiots. Inconsiderate idiots were almost certainly riding like idiots before Strava.
Most of my riding is at night and I rarely see anyone else out. The chances of bumping into anyone at quarter to ten on Wednesday night as I come down from Red Screes is slim to none.
However, Strava creates a public perception and that is open to loons declaring it makes for dangerous roads, paths etc. The simple answer is to just mark any section you object to as dangerous and it will be removed.

No it isn’t, it’s about comparing times. I have used strava for ages to check my own performance AND that of others who ride the same routes. It helps me work out where I’m weak/slow etc. For me, the main part is beating myself but I’ve never jumped a red to get a KoM or jump up the table. I ride no less safely than if I was untimed but I’m able to analyse what I do significantly better so it’s not just “I think that was quicker than last time”.

One of my old local sprint sections was between two speed limit signs. You’d regularly see riders going all out trying to be faster than each other, sometimes at the same time ( 😯 ). For them, Strava even made it safer as they can go against the clock at their own leisure.

How do you propose to enforce this…

Or this…

Get over yourself.

Strava’s terms require users to indemnify Strava if the company is sucessfully sued. No idea how effective that would be in law (it reads more like a bit of boiler-plate than something that’s legally enforceable) but it shows how much they care about their users.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold Strava and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, representatives, employees, partners and licensors harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of Content you submit, post, transmit or otherwise seek to make available through the Site, your use of the Site, your athletic activities which generate the Content you post or seek to post on the Site (including, but not limited to, athletic activities in connection with any contests, races, group rides, or other events which Strava sponsors, organizes, participates in, or whose Site is used in connection with), your connection to the Site, your violation of the Terms, or your violation of any rights of another person or entity.

Before Strava, no-one ever tried to go fast. Little known fact, that. Strava actually invented competitiveness.

Ban all time pieces!

an idiot is going to be an idiot regardless of their mode of transport or choice of apps.

Before Strava, no-one ever tried to go fast.

No, what happened was that everyone who tried to go fast also recorded their times in a central, searchable registry together with the exact locations. Oh wait, no, that’s what Strava does.

As I posted in the other mammoth thread about the Workingman’s Race Series, it’s a bit like if every time you had a drink, you took a blood alcohol reading and uploaded it to the internet together with your location, for anyone to draw inferences from. Actually, that sounds more fun than Strava.

Right the following Articles NEED writing and planting on various News sites:

“Zoo keeper strangles Chimpanzee – Strava To blame”

“Strava Proven to have helped spread HIV”

“How Strava Created the current Global Economic Crisis!”

“Strava now endorsed by Scientology!”

“New Study finds that widespread Strava use could cause increased risk of Tsunami”

“Gaining 3 or more KOM’s on Strava proven to make users “More Gay” say respected sport psychologist”

“Hitler invented Strava in 1936 but Decided Nazi party was “Marginally Less Evil” according to recently found documents”

“Strava users eroded local Bridleway to core of the Earth! claims angry Oddball”

“Strava to release new happy-slapping app'”

“Man changes name to “Strava” by Deedpole!”

“Stava greater threat to Human life than all weapons ever created says NRA”

The other comment you always hear on these threads is “There’s no way that land managers or anti-cycling types would use Strava to try and shut down unofficial trails, restrict access, or accuse a rider of negligence in legal proceedings”.

These are the same people who would be astonished if a few years ago they were sacked or prosecuted because of something stupid they posted on Facebook. When the BBC and the Times are reporting on these things, the cat is most definitely out of the bag.

Both these would get thrown out of court in the UK surely.

I would sincerely hope so!

Right the following Articles NEED writing and planting on various News sites:

Wait till the Daily Mail gets on the case
“Will Strava lower the value of your house?”
“Jimmy Savile was Strava user claims secret report”
“Romanian immigrants use Strava to flood into Britain”

A cyclist currently faces charges of manslaughter in San Francisco after accusations he ignored a red light and crashed into a 71-year-old pedestrian who later died from head injuries. According to prosecutors, the accused was using Strava at the time.

So clearly riding like a dick. People rode like dicks before Strava, not really Strava’s fault.

In a separate case, the family of a cyclist who died while trying to regain his recently beaten KOM title in 2010 is suing the firm.

William “Kim” Flint had been clocked going over 40mph (64km/h) downhill before he braked to avoid a car, causing his bike to flip over.

So this is either the car drivers fault if the pulled out on the cyclist or the riders fault for riding like a dick. Again hardly Strava’s fault.

I like Strava. I have no illusions of getting KOM’s on every segment its just a nice way of recording my rides and getting a very rough idea of whether I am fast, slow or otherwise on a popular bit of trail

Romanian immigrants use Strava to flood into Britain

EU uses Strava to impose metric system on unsuspecting Britons

People don’t read the T&C’s in enough detail when the join Strava, I bet you all missed these didn’t you:

362.5.9.21a – By creating a Strava account the user pledges their allegiance to Strava. Should Strava go to War at some future date users are expected to fight and if required sacrifice their lives in defence of Strava.

362.5.9.21b – By creating a Strava account the user gifts their immortal soul to Strava inc’.

362.5.9.21c – By creating a Strava account the user agrees that Strava inc may choose to take possession of their first-born child or in the case of childless Strava users, their favourite pet.