Cycle death near my home

[steveindenmark]

A cyclist was hit from behind and killed yesterday, not far from my home.

The car driver stated that he was travelling in the same direction as the cyclist but did not see him because of the low sun.

I think it is a good idea to ride with your lights on all the time at this time of the year.

My rear light is a Smart light and it is the best I have found, especially in flashing mode.

Smart Lunar R1 1 Watt Rear Light 2012 | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com

My front light is a Hope Vision 1 and is very effective.

They can both removed in seconds.

Be careful out there.

Steve

 

[tillson]

Good advice Steve. I use one of these at all times of day throughout the year.

 

[WALKERMAN]

I use a Cateye 'Opticube' rear light in flashing mode all the time which is mounted on my seat post. It has two banks of led lights and is visible even in bright sunlight. I also have it angled up slightly so that lorry drivers will see it. When I first started doing this several years ago I noticed that 'most' drivers gave me more space when passing. The two AA batteries last for ages as well, so it doesn't cost much to run.

 

[tillson]

I also have it angled up slightly so that lorry drivers will see it.

It will need to be good to catch the eye of a lorry driver. They are usually engrossed in their laptop computers or watching a DVD as they thunder along.

 

[lemmy]

My Tasman has nice powerful dynamo powered lights which I leave on all the time. I have noticed no difference between leaving them on or not, unfortunately.

As tillson says, so often drivers are either distracted or don't care whether you are there or not.

Given the good view of the traffic you get from a bike, I find it scary the number of drivers who are on their mobile phones while they drive. So everyday is it that I think the law against it should be repealed since it is not enforced and universally ignored.

Instead, just add a part to the driving test where the candidate must safely negotiate a roundabout or right turn while distracted and using only one hand.

 

[eddieo]

when I was young I was in hospital with a dislocated hip after a (no fault) car accident. One night a chap who I thought I recognised was shipped into one of the beds opposite......It turned out the reason I recognised him was that he had cycled in earlier that evening to visit a friend on our ward, and on his way home an old lady had run over him and dragged him up the road totally oblivious of the fact..

He was badly damaged but survived!

Be careful out there!

 

[tillson]

Given the good view of the traffic you get from a bike, I find it scary the number of drivers who are on their mobile phones while they drive. So everyday is it that I think the law against it should be repealed since it is not enforced and universally ignored.

I have noticed this too. Not only on their mobile phones but, increasingly, the number of people sending text messages or ,with the increased popularity of smart phones, updating their Facetube / Titter status whilst driving. This is worse than holding a conversation because it absorbs more attention than just holding and talking and involves two hands!

Young women seem to be the worst offenders here and some compound the situation by constantly checking the state of their facial renovation works in the rear view mirror.

So everyday is it that I think the law against it should be repealed since it is not enforced and universally ignored.

I find it really difficult to accept this sort of attitude but, reluctantly, I have to agree.

 

[flecc]

I find it scary the number of drivers who are on their mobile phones while they drive. So everyday is it that I think the law against it should be repealed since it is not enforced and universally ignored.

I can't agree. The simple answer is the automatic loss of driving licence for six months with the DVLC notifying the insurer of this, in turn meaning a marked increase in future car insurance premiums.

The use of mobile phones while driving would then become much less popular.

 

[tillson]

I can't agree. The simple answer is the automatic loss of driving licence for six months with the DVLC notifying the insurer of this, in turn meaning a marked increase in future car insurance premiums.

The use of mobile phones while driving would then become much less popular.

.........and then the number of people driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance would increase. What do we then do with these people?

 

[lemmy]

I can't agree. The simple answer is the automatic loss of driving licence for six months with the DVLC notifying the insurer of this, in turn meaning a marked increase in future car insurance premiums. The use of mobile phones while driving would then become much less popular.

My fault. I was being sarcastic and forgot to include a smiley. I didn't think anyone would take my suggestion of adding a distracted driving section to the test seriously

Incidentally, I don't agree about the penalty, Flecc. You would stop mobile mobile use with a £30 fine if every other time you did it you were caught. You can apply a death penalty for the offence but if no-one is ever caught, what would it matter?

 

[TylerD]

I have a Dinotte 400R rear light which I had to buy from their American website.Price is $209 and I also had to pay customs duty but it is a fantastically bright light and I have found that most traffic pulls right out to overtake.Unfortunately there will always be some idiot not paying attention but this light greatly increases my chances of being noticed

 

[flecc]

.........and then the number of people driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance would increase. What do we then do with these people?

I agree that is a problem, but with ANPR it is a reducing problem, detection improving as ANPR spreads. Also the latest tactic by the DVLC, computer linking all registrations to insurance notifications with all having to be either SORN or insured is revealing most of the uninsured now.

Add some liberal publicity about the penalties suffered by those caught and the desired effect is largely achievable.

These show how a little imagination and enterprise can solve even the most intractable problems.

 

[mike killay]

It might be helpful to add 'hands free' to the MOT test. Regardless of whether or not you personally wanted it, if it was a compulsory part of a car then it might be a help.

 

[tillson]

I agree that is a problem, but with ANPR it is a reducing problem, detection improving as ANPR spreads. Also the latest tactic by the DVLC, computer linking all registrations to insurance notifications with all having to be either SORN or insured is revealing most of the uninsured now.

Add some liberal publicity about the penalties suffered by those caught and the desired effect is largely achievable.

These show how a little imagination and enterprise can solve even the most intractable problems.

The problem with ANPR is that there are already so many vehicles with markers on them that the system is overwhelmed with hits. Heavy filtering is used to remove the background clutter of unpaid fines, no keeper, no insurance and possibly used by disqualified driver markers, just to stand a chance of noticing some of the more serious crime.

Just to police the ANPR hits as they stand today and deal with them properly would require a small army of additional staff, so most go un-noticed or not investigated. Add to this many more ANPR hits which could potentially be generated by handing out disqualifications for mobile phone use and it would make it an even more pointless exercise.

New laws and rules and tougher stances and less tolerance and crack downs and purges all fail in the end. They fail because we don't punish properly. There are no consequences. The law is all fart and no pooh.

 

[PennyFarthing]

The amount of truck and lorry drivers on their phones or sat navs and not looking is really scarey. I am aware I am in danger of this, but low sun didn't occur to me - of course, being a car driver also I see how its possible this would happen. Not sure what we can do about it.

The poor family of the cyclist. :O(

What will happen to the driver? Is it a Prison sentence?

I had a friend get pulled 3 cars up in front of my car recently. She was on her phone (she is always on her phone) and she was just told off and let on her way. When I asked her about it she said she was lucky as she wasn't wearing a seatbelt either! I did wonder at the time why she flew out the car at 100mph before the policewoman got to her door. WHY did she just get a telling off?! As far as I'm concerned she was caught using it. Its a subject matter that really annoys me. I always wanted to have a campaign that went 'honk twice at mobile phone using car drivers" or similiar, but there is a law about honking horns so.....

 

[Synthman]

Honestly, I hold the opinion that if other road users lack the awareness, or have such poor eyesight that they cannot see other traffic in daylight, let alone at night, they should not be driving/riding/walking/flying/sailing in the first place.

 

[flecc]

The problem with ANPR is that there are already so many vehicles with markers on them that the system is overwhelmed with hits. Heavy filtering is used to remove the background clutter of unpaid fines, no keeper, no insurance and possibly used by disqualified driver markers, just to stand a chance of noticing some of the more serious crime.

Just to police the ANPR hits as they stand today and deal with them properly would require a small army of additional staff, so most go un-noticed or not investigated. Add to this many more ANPR hits which could potentially be generated by handing out disqualifications for mobile phone use and it would make it an even more pointless exercise.

New laws and rules and tougher stances and less tolerance and crack downs and purges all fail in the end. They fail because we don't punish properly. There are no consequences. The law is all fart and no pooh.

All very true Tillson. I think though that the DVLC's latest tactic off all having to be SORN or insured will relieve ANPR of some of the burden, though as with speed cameras, useless if there is no adequate support and follow up.

 

[indalo]

With regard to the mobile phone issue, the sensible answer, in my opinion, would be for manufacturers to engineer signal blocking technology into all new vehicles so that mobile phones cannot be used while a vehicle's ignition is switched on. I believe that is possible with current technology and probably wouldn't be overly expensive.

I'd much prefer to see abusers hanged though!

Indalo

 

[flecc]

Good idea Indalo, blocking "hands free" as well, which I'm also opposed to. Good driving is a full time job, there is no spare time and concentration for other things.

The much higher accident rate of cars with passengers compared with driver only is a clear indication of that, as the Government's Road Research Laboratory has observed.

 

[funkylyn]

With regard to the mobile phone issue, the sensible answer, in my opinion, would be for manufacturers to engineer signal blocking technology into all new vehicles so that mobile phones cannot be used while a vehicle's ignition is switched on. I believe that is possible with current technology and probably wouldn't be overly expensive.

I'd much prefer to see abusers hanged though!

Indalo

Hmmmm......HANGING ?.......well, I suppose it would solve the unemployment figures

The blocking idea is good though...........though HOW I could then be expected to keep in contact with all my friends whilst on a long journey would just be a nightmare....as well as boring

Yes....OK....before I get hanged....that IS a joke ......and I KNOW its a serious subject really.....

Lynda