Consideration For Other Road Users

[Yamdude]

For your sake I very much hope so too. I've no idea of your age but you obviously have a very alert and capable mind. I have the impression that such a mind coupled with flexibility of thought militates against the incidence of dementia.

At my age i've known a number of people who've suffered dementia, and they've either been relatively inactive mentally and/or inflexible in their attitudes. Perhaps the best known example was Margaret Thatcher, who was famously inflexible and who declined into dementia quite rapidly.
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I'm 55 and my Father is now 80 and is now in a care home. He has Vascular Dementia, which is small strokes in the brain and can affect younger people, so its probably hard to predict who can or will get it.

 

[KirstinS]

I dont believe anyone are a 100% perfect driver..... because being human there is always the possibility of making a mistake or having a momentary lack of concentration, it may be unintentional but it happens.
Its vulnerable road users that need to take responsibility for their own safety, that doesn't mean its right that they should have to, but you simply cannot expect all other road users to care about your safety or even be aware of you sometimes.

I agree

This, sadly, is the same way as being a small car driver vs an hgv. You are the more vulnerable so you look after yourself accordingly

It's not, ultimately, about who is right or wrong

Just survival

 

[flecc]

I'm 55 and my Father is now 80 and is now in a care home. He has Vascular Dementia, which is small strokes in the brain and can affect younger people, so its probably hard to predict who can or will get it.

I understand, that physical cause is not the sort of thing I meant of course. It's sad to hear of someone my age affected in this cruel way.
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[Yamdude]

I agree

This, sadly, is the same way as being a small car driver vs an hgv. You are the more vulnerable so you look after yourself accordingly

It's not, ultimately, about who is right or wrong

Just survival

Exactly...... Being the innocent party doesn't do you much good when you've been crushed by a larger vehicle.

 

[Yamdude]

One of the main problems i see with cyclists, is their absolute aversion to having to stop, its almost as if its built into their psyche that they must keep moving at all costs.
I get the fact its annoying to lose momentum and have to start pedaling from a standing start..... but is it really worth squeezing through the inside of an artic when its stopped briefly.
Makes me wince when i see em doing it.

 

[KirstinS]

One of the main problems i see with cyclists, is their absolute aversion to having to stop, its almost as if its built into their psyche that they must keep moving at all costs.
I get the fact its annoying to lose momentum and have to start pedaling from a standing start..... but is it really worth squeezing through the inside of an artic when its stopped briefly.
Makes me wince when i see em doing it.

Absolutely, this is a major issue

Which is quashed by having a ebike godammit!!

 

[Yamdude]

I understand, that physical cause is not the sort of thing I meant of course. It's sad to hear of someone my age affected in this cruel way.
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Yes i understood what you meant..... there's many forms of dementia of course, including Alzheimer's.
With an ageing population, its becoming ever more apparent as well.

 

[KirstinS]

Yes i understood what you meant..... there's many forms of dementia of course, including Alzheimer's.
With an ageing population, its becoming ever more apparent as well.

My day job is in pensions, the stats are frightening over the percentage pensioners vs workers over next 10 to 20 years

 

[flecc]

One of the main problems i see with cyclists, is their absolute aversion to having to stop, its almost as if its built into their psyche that they must keep moving at all costs.
I get the fact its annoying to lose momentum and have to start pedaling from a standing start..... but is it really worth squeezing through the inside of an artic when its stopped briefly.
Makes me wince when i see em doing it.

Me too, and it annoys me even more when it's an e-bike which is so much more easy to get back up to speed. We've even had forum members posting their videos showing them dangerously doing this and similar.
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[Yamdude]

My day job is in pensions, the stats are frightening over the percentage pensioners vs workers over next 10 to 20 years

Yes, its a perfect storm on the horizon.....
But i've no doubt the gov has a cunning plan to kill most of em off...... along with the sick, disabled and anyone else that has the audacity to be a burden on society.

 

[flecc]

My day job is in pensions, the stats are frightening over the percentage pensioners vs workers over next 10 to 20 years

I'm already a part of this of course, and I have a target to reach 92.

Why?

Because that will mean that for each year that I worked, I will have had a year of retirement. That's more than a pensions problem, it's a pensions nightmare!
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[anotherkiwi]

Perhaps the best known example was Margaret Thatcher, who was famously inflexible and who declined into dementia quite rapidly.
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Around 25 years old IIRC...

 

[anotherkiwi]

Because that will mean that for each year that I worked, I will have had a year of retirement. That's more than a pensions problem, it's a pensions nightmare!
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Who was it that said if you aren't part of the solution you are part of the problem?

 

[Ruadh495]

One of the main problems i see with cyclists, is their absolute aversion to having to stop, its almost as if its built into their psyche that they must keep moving at all costs.
I get the fact its annoying to lose momentum and have to start pedaling from a standing start..... but is it really worth squeezing through the inside of an artic when its stopped briefly.
Makes me wince when i see em doing it.

The thing I've found really makes a difference here is having a throttle. Being able to move off easily makes one much happier to stop, whether it's for a red light or just to let backed up traffic pass on a hill.

 

[Steve UKLSRA]

I'm with Yamdude, I've driven tanks to mopeds on the public roads (ok, the tanks were back in the 70's) and have run a transport company for 25+ years...the way I see cyclists ride in current day traffic is abysmal...last minute dashes on a red light, sudden swerves to the opposite kerb with not even a life-saver...that's all I can recall from this week, so much so that all my vehicles now have dashcams fitted to keep US safe! I/We ride off-road only, as I know the kind of people who are driving cars nowadays and Carole (SWMBO) really likes the countryside and wildlife passing by