Friday run to chippy brings me back an the new cycle route put in place to make it safer by missing the big roundabout..
LOL
LOL
And yet another near miss..
- Thread starter Gubbins
- Start date
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
Just in case you want the number, it's YA16 ZZF. Stick it on the bad drivers website.
I had exactly the same thing happen the other morning. Saw him coming up in my mirror he was indicating left...sure enough he cut right in front of me. I had slowed down a bit as I saw it coming.
Best thing was it was most likely a copper on his way to work turning into the police hq.
I wasn't as polite as you lol
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Best thing was it was most likely a copper on his way to work turning into the police hq.
I wasn't as polite as you lol
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I couldn't see the number... but if your sure it's right I will add it to the video title. I had rear camera running but silly mudguards got in the way
Why I insist a mirror is essential for cycling safety, this to avoid vehicles cutting across to left turn being it's most effective use.
E-biking's often greater speed increases the risk of this happening, car drivers caught out through not expecting such a fast approach by a bike.
.
Yes it is.
9 misses per wipeout is the rule of thumb.(except flecc he never gets hit)
What's the bad drivers website and does it do any good.
I have only ever once reported an incident to the police and I don't think they bothered to follow it up. I suppose they have enough to do chasing crims and druggies without adding near misses.
But I don't ride in darkness or the worst weather, so that makes my odds very much better.
.
And as well as not riding in darkness or the worst weather, I should have added that my 26 years of retirement has meant only rarely riding in the rush hour either.
That really leaves out most of the peak accident times.
However my riding from 10 to 54 years old was also completely injury free, so having accidents can be largely under one's control.
.
As a year round commuter I use my shift pattern to mitigate my risk. On late shifts I use a mostly cross country route to avoid cars. I can still fall off of course but with no car involved.
The 10 miles of B road I use to get home is thought of locally as dangerous for cycling, but I am cycling home usually after midnight when there are far fewer cars around. I do use two bright flashing rear lights and wear a high viz cycling jacket. As soon as I put a modern much brighter flashing rear light on I noticed that many more cars had at least noticed I was there and I was overtaken with more consideration.
On early shift I ride both ways on the road, with the ride to work again at a time when there are far fewer cars. The return journey is done anywhere from 1:00PM to 5:00PM, but usually early afternoon when it is quieter but still with some traffic before the rush hour.
One day without thinking I set off to work on my B road closer to the morning peak time and found the volume of cars and general impatience with me quite frightening at times, and although I had a perfect right to be there resolved to avoid riding on this road at this time again. I refuse to ride in the gutter, but don't ride in the middle of the road either.
On that journey on a narrower section of curves with overhanging trees a car coming towards me prevented the impatient driver approaching me from the rear of being able to overtake immediately and he tailgated me with his high beam on and blasting his horn to vent his frustration until he could get past me. I don't know what he expected me to do but I found that experience quite frightening as it emphasized my vulnerability.
I have found that getting up earlier to use a longer off road route that avoids cars much better than being on that road at a peak time. I don't use my bike to save money and have a car to use if I want to but choose to ride my bike as I enjoy it so much.
When I find myself on this road at busier off peak times now I find probably 9 out of ten cars overtake me with some consideration but there are still quite a few that come past me at speed too close. And like Gubbins I have a few that overtake before turning left. They may have underestimated my speed but way before ebikes were around the highway code cautioned drivers not to do this, and anyway a fast road rider can be travelling as fast or faster than me. It may be a sign that more people are becoming self centered and selfish but there have always been good and bad drivers.
As I ride a lot now, I have found it beneficial to think carefully about the way I get to work to avoid the risks of an accident as much as possible. Nothing will get rid of that risk all together. As a motorcyclist I learnt very quickly to ride in a defensive way and assume that no one has seen you. There is no point being in the right and lying in casualty.
If I need to ride on a busy road I will and I ride confidently and quicker than most. I don't ride in the gutter and expect cars to treat me with respect and overtake me with due consideration. However you can reduce risk with good road craft and being aware of where the risks might come from and sometimes a small change to your route, can make your journey a lot safer.
However as I and brightonebikes have found a bad driver can still get you if they do something that leaves you no time to avoid them. Then you really have to make them remember that day as an unpleasant day if you can.
In my case despite their reluctance I got The Police involved and eventually got the driver interviewed by The Police and sent on a "Drivers Awareness Course".
I also pursued a personal injury claim against their insurance company that paid out eventually.
Hopefully the combination of these things and a higher insurance premium will make that driver think harder about their driving and cyclist in future.
The 10 miles of B road I use to get home is thought of locally as dangerous for cycling, but I am cycling home usually after midnight when there are far fewer cars around. I do use two bright flashing rear lights and wear a high viz cycling jacket. As soon as I put a modern much brighter flashing rear light on I noticed that many more cars had at least noticed I was there and I was overtaken with more consideration.
On early shift I ride both ways on the road, with the ride to work again at a time when there are far fewer cars. The return journey is done anywhere from 1:00PM to 5:00PM, but usually early afternoon when it is quieter but still with some traffic before the rush hour.
One day without thinking I set off to work on my B road closer to the morning peak time and found the volume of cars and general impatience with me quite frightening at times, and although I had a perfect right to be there resolved to avoid riding on this road at this time again. I refuse to ride in the gutter, but don't ride in the middle of the road either.
On that journey on a narrower section of curves with overhanging trees a car coming towards me prevented the impatient driver approaching me from the rear of being able to overtake immediately and he tailgated me with his high beam on and blasting his horn to vent his frustration until he could get past me. I don't know what he expected me to do but I found that experience quite frightening as it emphasized my vulnerability.
I have found that getting up earlier to use a longer off road route that avoids cars much better than being on that road at a peak time. I don't use my bike to save money and have a car to use if I want to but choose to ride my bike as I enjoy it so much.
When I find myself on this road at busier off peak times now I find probably 9 out of ten cars overtake me with some consideration but there are still quite a few that come past me at speed too close. And like Gubbins I have a few that overtake before turning left. They may have underestimated my speed but way before ebikes were around the highway code cautioned drivers not to do this, and anyway a fast road rider can be travelling as fast or faster than me. It may be a sign that more people are becoming self centered and selfish but there have always been good and bad drivers.
As I ride a lot now, I have found it beneficial to think carefully about the way I get to work to avoid the risks of an accident as much as possible. Nothing will get rid of that risk all together. As a motorcyclist I learnt very quickly to ride in a defensive way and assume that no one has seen you. There is no point being in the right and lying in casualty.
If I need to ride on a busy road I will and I ride confidently and quicker than most. I don't ride in the gutter and expect cars to treat me with respect and overtake me with due consideration. However you can reduce risk with good road craft and being aware of where the risks might come from and sometimes a small change to your route, can make your journey a lot safer.
However as I and brightonebikes have found a bad driver can still get you if they do something that leaves you no time to avoid them. Then you really have to make them remember that day as an unpleasant day if you can.
In my case despite their reluctance I got The Police involved and eventually got the driver interviewed by The Police and sent on a "Drivers Awareness Course".
I also pursued a personal injury claim against their insurance company that paid out eventually.
Hopefully the combination of these things and a higher insurance premium will make that driver think harder about their driving and cyclist in future.
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