Coming back home about ten minutes ago on the motor bike, through town centre clear road and only doing about 20 mph when two idiot girls just charge across the road towards a bus – full on sheeeet emergency stop and frantic dab to avoid dropping the bike – really hacked off with the kids and got back home in a foul mood. minor rant over

We need Darth Vader on telly telling us how to cross roads again.

Try driving through Bolton on a Saturday night I think the pissed up idiots walking/running across the road in front of the the 2 tonnes of 4×4 I drive think it has air brakes 😯

Typical motorist apologist, those children have as much right to be on the road as you do. 😉

Does my head in, once had to avoid some stupid woman and her flock only to charge into the back of a van. She didn’t see me apparently (white shirt, bright orange DK General Lee) >:(

squirrelking – Member

Typical motorist apologist, those children have as much right to be on the road as you do.

Dead ones don’t. 😈

I have seen teens running across road chasing each others for a good laugh without given due consideration to traffic at all. Luckily the traffic was moving slowly.

Its when you get them deliberately walking in the road with their backs to traffic that infuriates me, once came across a group of 7 or 8 girls doing this – really don’t understand why they do it.

muddydwarf – Member
… once came across a group of 7 or 8 girls doing this – really don’t understand why they do it.

Strength in group size (assuming more visibility) or it’s either Friday or Saturday evening. Common sight in the GeordieLand where you see a group of large women (could be men in shirts) crossing the road. Don’t mess with them because they will deck you using their waist size thunder arms!

The shame is that people nowadays are so wrapped up in the use of motorised transport that they are no longer aware of the true purpose of the public highway. Pedestrians, horse riders, horses and carts, cyclists all historically and without licence can use the public highway and operaters of motorised transport should recognise and be aware of this fact. Drive accordingly: when you see a bus and children, expect the children to run out; when you drive along a rural road, expect the unexpected around each bend, maybe a group of schoolgirls; when driving through a town centre late on a Saturday night, expect pissheads to do the unexpected.
Get your heads around the fact that motor vehicles don’t have exclusive use of the roads (motorways excepted) and drive accordingly. Just because a poor driver in a tonne and half of metal trumps an over-excited child in the darwinism stakes doesn’t give you the moral high ground.

I had two silly little girls 15/16 or so cross the road in front of the van. They suddenly thought it would be cool to slow down, how I missed one of them with the wing mirror I don’t know. Certainly would have wiped the smug teenage look off her face.

Stupid people do stupid things when they aren’t thinking clearly. The trick is to spot the warning signs and plan accordingly to deal with their stupidity.
Sounds like you were doing something right if you managed to avoid them,
I did a bikesafe course with the police and spent some time learning the roadcraft manual and trying to put it into practice. I’m still a shit rider but my hazard perception is loads better.

On the way to an emergency call, full blues and sirens, I had to contend with half of the crowd from Aberdeen exhibition centre pouring out of the darts. Oh how I laughed as they tried to flag me down by standing in the road with their arms raised. 😯

4
Young children should not be out alone on the pavement or road (see Rule 7). When taking children out, keep between them and the traffic and hold their hands firmly. Strap very young children into push-chairs or use reins. When pushing a young child in a buggy, do not push the buggy into the road when checking to see if it is clear to cross, particularly from between parked vehicles.

This is bollox! Everyone knows the buggy is there to act as an early-warning device to prevent the adult pushing it coming to harm!
😉