Autumn's here (SMIDSY content)

It’s usually when the clocks change you get a rush of commuters desperate not to pay attention…this am on my way to work 3 other road users failed to see me and came within 0.5s of taking me out. 1 granny (didn’t hear my shout), one minibus driver (did, waved an apology), one female student on a bike sailing over a roundabout (didn’t hear/ignored me).

I suppose I was wearing black so it’s my fault 😐

I had a go at a driving instructor yesterday for allowing his pupil to nearly wipe me out. He didn’t seem to care. The DSA will probably care though… 😉

I had a go at a driving instructor yesterday for allowing his pupil to nearly wipe me out. He didn’t seem to care.

They often don’t – I’ve nearly been flattened when they’re practicing their turns in the road and when advised to look first it actually just means other cars, cyclists are fair game.

I suppose I was wearing black so it’s my fault

Well,it certainly doesn’t help, does it?

Yes! I got one!

Great victim-blaming there reuben.

There is case law stating that there is no duty on cyclists to wear visible clothing.

Well,it certainly doesn’t help, does it?

Agreed. The OP needs to have long hard look at himself.

Which might be difficult, what with him wearing all black like some big hitting ninja.

Out of interest – which colour/pattern is easiest to see?

It’s almost as if the whole point of your OP was to provoke the comment you want to slap down.

Well,it certainly doesn’t help, does it?

Drivers would find it much easier to see each other if their cars were painted fluorescent yellow.

thread degeneration in 3…2…1…

martinhutch – Member

It’s almost as if the whole point of your OP was to provoke the comment you want to slap down.

Not at all – I didn’t even consider that I’d get the response I did, but I’m happy to have the chance to challenge/educate.

Out of interest – which colour/pattern is easiest to see?

Vertical stripes. Also has the benefit of making one look slimmer.

I did, but I’m happy to have the chance to challenge/educate.

TJ??!

Great victim-blaming there reuben.

It’s not victim blaming, blaming drunk girls in short skirts is victim blaming. Saying a cyclists was wearing black clothes in the twilight is just mitigating blame on the drivers, how exactly were they supposed to see you dressed as a ninja?

Drivers would find it much easier to see each other if their cars were painted fluorescent yellow.

Car’s are 10x the size, often metalic, covered in lights. If a car didn’t have it’s lights on it would probably be found at fault for collision too.

For balance a pedestrian tried to run into me in plain daylight the other day – I think I was wearing either a bright blue or read t-shirt and was on the road, she left the pavement to cross the road and despite no other road users made a b-line for the side of me!

It’s not victim blaming, blaming drunk girls in short skirts is victim blaming. Saying a cyclists was wearing black clothes i the twilight is just mitigating blame on the drivers

🙄

who mentioned twilight?

Car’s are 10x the size, often metalic

Yes, and?

If a car didn’t have it’s lights on it would probably be found at fault for collision too.

In daylight?

Out of interest – which colour/pattern is easiest to see?

Well on the basis that for my latest SMIDSY near miss I had on a Pearl Izumi LS jersey in what is referred to as “Screaming Yellow”, it was a clear morning & bike had flashing LEDs front & rear, it’s really not about what’s easiest to see.

I did point out to the soppy bint that I could probably be seen from space 👿

who mentioned twilight?

In daylight?

It was a post about commuting and the clocks changeing, pretty sure we’re discussing riding in the twilight/dark.

Not at all – I didn’t even consider that I’d get the response I did, but I’m happy to have the chance to challenge/educate.

Go on then- educate me.
Would you advise your nipper that it’s OK to cycle wearing black, happy in the knowledge that if they did get run down “It was someone elses fault”? or would you teach them to swing the odds in their own favour?

pIt was a post about commuting and the clocks changeing, pretty sure we’re discussing riding in the twilight/dark.

You should probably try re-reading the OP, and working out whether you’ve changed your clocks.

I’m always of amazed that the wearing of bright / reflective clothing is so controversial.

I’m even more shocked that no one has gone for “but what about wearing hi-vis on a sunny day going down a bright tree lined avenue during summer in the sunshine with a low sun – won’t my black clothing be more contrasting then?”

I drive a big silver van and folk still don’t see me, because they’re just not looking.

Car’s are 10x the size, often metalic, covered in lights.

Yet cars keep crashing into each other. It’s almost as if the problem is the failure of drivers to look where they’re going.

Wearing Black isn’t against the law obviously, but it is largely considered Contrary to common sense…

There’s still a few Stealth commuters round my way at the minute, dressed in balck and grey, one piddley Red LED on the back and some flashing POS up front (a few seem to be using green, is that legal?)…
TBH Much as a drivers who don’t spot them are at fault, holding the moral highground, has yet to defend anyone from a Mondeo…

Bright Orange is a good colour I’m told, Hi-Viz Yellow has become a bit ubiquitous, So Bright Orange the way to go…

And as much retro-reflective paneling, stickers and RED LEDs as you can fit on you/your bike…

Give us time….

Ignore the trolling, we all know that drivers should be held up against an impossible-to-achieve level of perfection while ninja cyclists can have the satisfaction of being the most smug group in A&E 😉

thisisnotaspoon – Member
It’s not victim blaming, blaming drunk girls in short skirts is victim blaming. Saying a cyclists was wearing black clothes in the twilight is just mitigating blame on the drivers, how exactly were they supposed to see you dressed as a ninja?

Who said it was twilight?

How is “mitigating driver-blame” different – it’s just apportioning blame in the way I did but calling it something slightly different.

I think the government should fund free sets of these for all cyclists:

- Amazon

TBH Much as a drivers who don’t spot them are at fault, holding the moral highground, has yet to defend anyone from a Mondeo…

Similarly, my bright flashing LEDs were of zero protection against an idiot in a Mini this morning.

we all know that drivers should be held up against an impossible-to-achieve level of perfection

If said perfection is seeing things before driving into them, then yes that seems a reasonable level of impossible-to-achieve perfection to expect of them. I note that the vehicle drivers are the ones introducing danger to an environment which would be very safe without them.

suburbanreuben – Member
Go on then- educate me.
Would you advise your nipper that it’s OK to cycle wearing black, happy in the knowledge that if they did get run down “It was someone elses fault”? or would you teach them to swing the odds in their own favour?

Happy to – in your first post you are victim-blaming, in the second you aren’t.

Ignore the trolling, we all know that drivers should be held up against an impossible-to-achieve level of perfection

I’ve never had any trouble spotting cyclists wearing normal clothing during daylight. Have I been doing it wrong?

It appears so, ransos, because it’s unreasonable to expect drivers to look properly.

MoreCashThanDash – Member

We all know that drivers should be held up against an impossible-to-achieve level of perfection

SERIOUSLY?

I am talking about 3 incidents within 10 minutes, all of which could have put me in hospital, 2 could have killed me.

Is it too much to ask that this doesn’t happen?

think youll fiond the specialist wording for that type of nerar miss is.

Looked but didnt see and comprehend

Is it too much to ask that this doesn’t happen?

It would appear so.

SERIOUSLY?

I am talking about 3 incidents within 10 minutes, all of which could have put me in hospital, 2 could have killed me.

Is it too much to ask that this doesn’t happen?

Hey I agree OP, if you’ve managed to comply with the minimum legal requirements for riding in low light conditions, it’s fair to expect you won’t get squished, and I’m sure “Lawyers4U” will happliy chase anyone who knocks you off on that basis, but wouldn’t you rather stay un-injured?

Maybe consider that it’s only early October, yep it’s a bit damper and darker this morning than it’s been for a month or so, but the weather and light conditions are only going to get worse over the coming months and you’ve already had three close calls in one morning…

Driving standards in the UK are not what they should be, I can’t dispute that fact and every change of the seasons has an effect on Driver’s ability to cock things up, many of us know this, hence we choose to exceed that minimum standard and dress like Day-glo Christmas trees, for one thing it improves the likelihood of being noticed, it also serves to make any attempt at the SMIDSY defence that bit weaker allowing you to be that wee bit smugger…

All we’re saying is perhaps you should take your morning adventure’s as an indicator, and think about bolstering your visibility for winter OP…

doesnt matter what your wearing.

i got some corking footage last week – i was approaching a round about to turn right – car comming from opposite side.

can see right into the cab the lads looking down between his legs – doesnt seem to be slowing so i stopped even though i had right of way.

sailed straight through the round about.

i tooted my megahorn as he passed by and he looked up from his phone and started tooting his horn AT ME !

if they aint looking they wont see you.

if they aint looking they wont see you.

That’s exactly it. You can be lit up like a Christmas tree and wearing all the high vis in the world, but if a driver or pedestrian isn’t looking you’ve no chance. Even if they are looking, if they’re not looking for a bike you’re often still stuffed.

cookeaa – Member
All we’re saying is perhaps you should take your morning adventure’s as an indicator, and think about bolstering your visibility for winter OP…

As above, it wouldn’t have made a single bit of difference this morning (I was there!).

SERIOUSLY?

I am talking about 3 incidents within 10 minutes, all of which could have put me in hospital, 2 could have killed me.

Is it too much to ask that this doesn’t happen?

And you still maintain it was ENTIRELY their fault they couldn’t see you?
You need to wise up fella!

And you still maintain it was ENTIRELY their fault they couldn’t see you?

Well unless he has an invisibility cloak or they’re blind, then clearly it wasn’t an issue of couldn’t, but one of them not looking properly. I’m not sure who else you’d suggest is at fault for that.

Why is there this assumption – even from plenty of people on a forum supposedly for cyclists – that drivers shouldn’t be expected to see everything which is in front of them?