Teasel FTFY

🙂

Superb! Loving the matching sheath…

I wonder what percentage of “failed to look properly” accidents could have been avoided by cyclist putting themselves in positions where they can be seen more easily and not up the inside of a truck turning left. I recon theres a good portion of blame on both sides. If every cyclist often drove and every driver was a regular cyclists, then there would be a little more mutual respect and understanding of each others road positioning, and the ability to predict each others actions that would inevitably make it all a little safter.

Lets face it, we are all drivers, as well as cyclists and none of us are perfect. I am obsessive about cleaning my windscreen (Anal, according to the mrs)and there are still times when sunlight/shadow combinations make sections of the road totally blind.

In any incident involving a bike and a car, the cyclist will always come worse off, so its in our best interests to avoid one at all costs. Blaming the driver isnt much use when you are dead!!

Blaming the driver isnt much use when you are dead!!

no but in unfortunate scenarios such as these passing the blame onto the cyclist and letting the driver “getaway” with manslaughter doesn’t exactly incentivise other drivers to look properly and drive in a safe way in future. Passing the blame is a bad move, do all you can to help obviously (I do) but ultimately it’s the driver in charge of all the dangerous machinery* so it’s their legal responsibility to drive carefully and safely around other road users.

I recon theres a good portion of blame on both sides

I’m vertainly not saying all cyclists are blameless but I reckon the vast majority KSIs the fault will be firmly on the drivers.

*I’ve heard bike brake rotors can be pretty dangerous if you’re not careful, keep fingers away from rotating objects people!

when going outside after dark there are two well known hazards that the average person should mitigate for every time.

bad drivers and zombies.

you KNOW that you are likely to be run over by a stupid SMIDSY driver so you must help them to see you, and also help yourself avoid being inconveniently dead, by wearing something bright.

For Zombies, you need a chainsaw.

If you come off worse in a confrontation with either, without heeding this sound advice, you must accept some of the blame.
Perfectly Put
#Edit After previous objections to me suggesting not riding all in black, bright includes reflective stuff

Wearing dark clothes at night is not blaming the victim it’s pointing out that it’s stupid to not be visible at night

Strangely, when I cycled 200+ miles per week in That London I didn’t have a single accident.
I put it down to wearing black clothes – if them drivers can’t see you they can’t run into you! It’s a variation on “look where you want to go”.

Cheers for hauling that back from page 1. I still stand by it….
SMIDSY as you were clad in black with no lights or reflective bits on an unlit road (Not quite as catchy)

SMIDSY as you were clad in black with no lights or reflective bits on an unlit road

don’t recall anyone saying going out with no lights was a good idea, lights are a legal requirement on a bike going out head to toe in hi viz and scotchlite on bike or on foot is not a legal requirement afaik and so should not be classed as contributary (in normal situations – yes there may be variations)

Alcohol as a possible contributary factor I won’t argue with, being pissed and falling infront of a moving vehicle certainly is contributary.

so should not be classed as contributory (in normal situations – yes there may be variations)

Honestly I think that each situation should be assessed by people in full possession of the facts and not generalised. If at the end it was the view of those people that x y or z was a factor people should listen to that. I was mostly trying to balance that sometimes people could do more to be visible along with drivers looking harder. As posted above somewhere the moral high ground isn’t much use when your dead.

SMIDSY as you were clad in black with no lights or reflective bits on an unlit road (Not quite as catchy)

I did have lights at night – but this was in the days of rubbish bike lights.
I felt that the presence of a very heavy bike chain around my chest made some drivers think twice before cutting me up!

I was mostly trying to balance that sometimes people could do more to be visible along with drivers looking harder

but with a system that seems to be consistently leniant on drivers who kill and more and more “contributary” comments by judges and media (no helmet? your fault. Helmet but no hi viz, your fault. Helmet and hi viz but no DRLs your fault. ipod? Are you insane? you should be compensating the driver for emotional trauma) I don’t think you need to add that balance, the system is pretty unbalanced already in the drivers favour. When drink/drugs are involved yep the ban hammer is swung pretty rapidly, mobile use more increasingly too but drivers who hit peds and cyclists on straight roads with good visibility and conditions with no other excuse than innattention….well, you look up the results, they normally walk drive away from court. Any other situation with inattention or mistake leading to death would be taken very seriously. Imagine if there were 2000 workplace deaths p.a., how much outrage would that cause?

Long and well written critique of ‘safety in numbers’

I think everyone should have to wear one of these suits when outdoors.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIX3ntiTV-g[/video]