[Closed] A centimetre from a very serious accident

@GeeTee - had the very same thing last week with a Discovery towing a caravan.

I was not hard over as it was a decent two carriageway road but he cut back in before he was fully past me and the caravan forced me up onto the grass verge.

He stopped and was very apologetic, he'd forgotten that he was towing a huge double axle caravan! 😯

He stopped and was very apologetic, he'd forgotten that he was towing a huge double axle caravan!

I'm sure it's what happened here as well.

He stopped and was very apologetic, he'd forgotten that he was towing a huge double axle caravan!

Caravanner with a 4x4. Generally the biggest ****s going

As for this, it's OK, I don't think you're having a dig, at least not now. I would be happier with some sympathy but if you're challenge makes me think a little better next time and keeps me safer as a result then I will be grateful

Yep, that is largely what i was getting at, just trying to pose a different side to avoid a repeat, albeit possibly coming across badly. I'm glad nothing happened and it must have been terrifying at the time. The number of cyclists I've seen approach the front of traffic lights in London which are on a bend when there is already a stationary lorry there makes me shudder. Technically they're in the right but you can't throw a highway code book at someone from 6 feet under.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I’ve got some deliveries to make and this trailer is really slowing me down. 😀

ton - Member

in busy traffic area's like leeds city center, i ride on the pavement.

[img] [/img]Don't go complaining that the road network is optimised almost exclusively for motor traffic and parts of it are bloody dangerous. You just need to grow a pair!

a lot of road cyclists take the 'I own the road' approach

I'm never surprised when I'm cut up in a bike....it also happens when I'm driving a bloody big van, generally to many cars on the roads and people being under pressure to 'be' somewhere.
All company drivers should have limited hours not just lorry drivers, it frightening how many people are so tired they shouldn't be driving and how many people are on the phone while driving - sadly it has become the norm. A generally more selfish attitude in society doesn't help. 😳

also far too many, probably older motorists driving with poor eyesight - shudder.

Bunny hop I was thinking a similar thing the other day - you can pass your test at 17 and drive for 50 odd yrs without having your sight checked??????

It should be done at least every 10yrs

Madness 😯

All company drivers should have limited hours not just lorry drivers

Yeah we're told not to drive more than I think 4 hours if we've got a full day of work.

myheadsashed - Member
All company drivers should have limited hours not just lorry drivers.

Was at a client meeting recently when he told me that there is an extension to the tacho rules coming into force for smaller commercial vehicles, and that those who tow a trailer for commercial purposes will require an additional license. It sounds like a very good thing, he's a clued up bloke so no reason top assume he is incorrect.

Always thought an additional test element should be needed to tow, esp bit stuff like caravans and horse boxes.

there's always a lot of chat about how the roads in France and the Netherlands are better because of cycling culture and because of respect for cyclists.
is it not (also) because there's far less traffic on the roads? because there's less people and also because they're less inclined to go to the shops to buy stuff every other minute and because the shops aren't obliged to open 12 hours a day 6 days a week?

Hope it hasn't shaken you up too badly GeeTee. I'm still on edge from my last road ride in Kent when some C*** in a white Audi convertible thought it would be amusing to buzz Katie and I at 60mph. An A road, clear in the other direction, and he passed literally inches from my right side. The first I heard was Katie scream as he passed her. Then jeering from him and his female passenger as I screamed at them.

here's always a lot of chat about how the roads in France and the Netherlands are better because of cycling culture and because of respect for cyclists. Is it not (also) because there's far less traffic on the roads?

Population density in the Netherlands is nearly twice the UK (463 vs 257). The driving in the Netherlands is just as bad as the UK BUT the roads are organised so that you don't come into conflict with motor vehicles. Pretty much any road where traffic is travelling at over 20mph will have a separate bike track. Small roads are closed to through traffic or made priority for bike (a country lane would be both slow and have bi-directional bike lanes marked and a single lane for traffic).

Rural France is lovely for cycling - and that does come down a lot to the less busy roads. (I've just come back from the south). The french drive terribly though - always too fast, always tailgate, always try to overtake even if you're driving at the speed limit. Don't anticipate other traffic.

BUT they do tend to leave more space when passing. Helped by clear equiv of highway code that says leave 1.5m of space rather than 'as much space as you would a car' (I pass cars with inches to spare officer, that's fine isn't it?)

Nice to see these signs both in France and Basque Spain:
[img] [/img]

Would have been a much better investment here than 'nicewaycode' shit.

Tell you what I've noticed a few times, being overtaken by about 3-4 cars then the first one indicates to turn right, slows and the others, ie the ones now right at the side, don't know what to do so either stop dead or squeeze you out onto the kerb.

Bad enough on the MTB but at least you can bunnyhop onto the kerb, a skill I've yet to master on the road bike.

[img] [/img]

That's me that is.

Say what you want about riding on the path (and some of you no doubt will), but i've had [b]ZERO[/b] encounters with crazy drivers almost killing me while doing it. I'll admit i've spooked the odd ped who wasn't paying attention but i've never hit anyone. There are occasions when i take to the road, but only when the path is busy.

I suggest everyone starts doing it. It's a better and safer (for us) way to draw attention to the lack of decent cycle paths.

I rode through Leeds city centre in the rush hour the other day. Didn't feel the need to use any pavements, assumed every other driver would do something really stupid that would endanger my life, so when one or two of them did, I'd already reacted when it happened.

get a cheap 7dayshop camera

some of my near misses here

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSadcyclist?feature=watch

still looking for the boss or owner of the white transit van.

He stopped and was very apologetic, he'd forgotten that he was towing a huge double axle caravan!

If I'd had that sort of attitude from the old boy who tried to kill me with his caravan I might not have reported him to the police (sadly he was based in the West Midlands police area, and whilst my local force say they'd have paid him a visit they didn't reckon WM police would bother). It's a really good job I swerved left when the car came past close enough to touch, as I'm convinced the caravan was on a collision course with me until I did. When I caught up with him at the next junction, apparently I was "swerving all over the road" - well I had moved into the middle of the lane just before he passed to avoid the awful road surface to the left, but as I pointed out to him, if I was swerving all over the road, shouldn't he give me more space, not less. I honestly don't think he'd have cared if he did hit me.