Just When I Thought It Was Safe To Back Outside!!

[Mac_user82]

I get buzzed a lot by cars overtaking too close which is why I have ordered the varia radar. Biggest problem is traffic calming where if I know cars are aproaching behind I try to "own" the lane to stop them attempting to squeeze through.
I read that the police are fielding officers on cam equipped bikes to raise awareness.

From what i have seen from your video which you have shared on the forum i can honestly say that you the Varia would be a massive help to your safety when you are on the road cycling.

i do hope it is a massive improvement for you when you are cycling because every driver or cyclist deserves to be safe on the road

When i was thinking about buying i just thought there isn't a price on your safety when you are cycling on the roads and of course it got to be better than being knocked from behind

i read somewhere that 40% of accidents with cyclist are hit from behind which is quite a large scale at the end of the day you can only control what is in front of you but not what is behind you a least you can move out of the way in front you from behind you just have to hope for the best
but using the Varia least you have some sort of warning be so you could move

 

[anotherkiwi]

I also own lanes but even that doesn't stop the stupidest trying to get past even to the point of getting up on the curb! I invited a "gentleman" to descend from his car when he used his horn a while back, he declined... Yesterday a "lady" almost touched my leg forcing her way through a small gap at the same spot. I didn't hear her coming which scared me a bit. And yes I did have my arm out to turn at the roundabout just after the corner... There are two spots like this where there isn't enough space for a car and a bike on the route to my GF's house. It takes me all of 5 seconds to get out of the way at both...

 

[Gubbins]

One of my problems is that turning my head to look behind makes me wobble with a tenancy to veer slightly to the right. If I need to get into a right hand lane and traffic is heavy I usually stop and wait for a gap, but then I have lost momentum and am doubly at risk until I get back up to speed. The mirror helps but I dare not rely on it totally .. my ears are my best defence....

 

[Mac_user82]

I get buzzed a lot by cars overtaking too close which is why I have ordered the varia radar. Biggest problem is traffic calming where if I know cars are aproaching behind I try to "own" the lane to stop them attempting to squeeze through.
I read that the police are fielding officers on cam equipped bikes to raise awareness.

From what i have seen from your video which you have shared on the forum i can honestly say that you the Varia would be a massive help to your safety when you are on the road cycling.

i do hope it is a massive improvement for you when you are cycling because every driver or cyclist deserves to be safe on the road

When i was thinking about buying i just thought there isn't a price on your safety when you are cycling on the roads and of course it got to be better than being knocked from behind

i read somewhere that 40% of accidents with cyclist are hit from behind which is quite a large scale at the end of the day you can only control what is in front of you but not what is behind you a least you can move out of the way in front you from behind you just have to hope for the best

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

As a driving instructor . You won't be surprised to learn that each of those cars would fail a test . Unnessary overtaking , no forward planning , dangerous driving. The examiner could take their pick.

I've seen my own brother do it to a bus. Overtake then turn left right in front. When I pointed out the pointlessness of it he said 'bloody instructors...'

So it's not surprising they do it to bikes. They Arent scared of getting hit by a bike. But desperately want to get round as they find us disconcerting.

 

[flecc]

i think the people that were driven need to re-pass their test there is no way you were given 1 meter of room which is the law to any cyclist on the road

I often see this quoted in here and elsewhere, and it has no validity.

Do cyclists give a metre of more room when they ride up the inside to pass slower vehicles? No of course they don't.

Do cyclists give a metre or more room when the pass a slow moving vehicle more correctly on the offside? No of course they don't.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If cyclists want drivers to conform strictly to the letter of the highway code, they should start by setting the example .

At present if cyclists had a riding test to the standards of the the driving test, it's likely most of them would fail.

Accidents are all too often caused by inattention, poor manners, lack of consideration for others, intolerance and aggression. And in my experience cyclists are overall no better than drivers in these respects, often much worse.
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[Gubbins]

Just thought I would get the rear cam off the bike and look at this from a different angle.. And as is clearly shown, the diver did give me a lot of room.. And judging by how the next car suddenly has to brake , the left turn was a last minute decision..

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

I see where your going with that flecc. However the fact that a cyclist chooses to risk their body by going close to a car doesn't absolve drivers from their responsibility . In both cases given the cars are going slow and the cyclist is making the decision.

However a tonne of metal going at overtake speed can be a killer. That's why they should give more room.

I agree cyclists on the road should have at least a required CBT.

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

It's not the room in those videos that caught my eye. It was the unnecessary overtake preceding a left turn.

 

[flecc]

I see where your going with that flecc. However the fact that a cyclist chooses to risk their body by going close to a car doesn't absolve drivers from their responsibility . In both cases given the cars are going slow and the cyclist is making the decision.

However a tonne of metal going at overtake speed can be a killer. That's why they should give more room.

I agree cyclists on the road should have at least a required CBT.

I could reply at length about the problems cyclists cause drivers by their very close passing on both sides, often simultaneously in London. But I'm sure your experience makes such an explanation unnecessary.

The vulnerability of cyclists is not relevant to good road behaviour, behaviour is either good or poor.
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[flecc]

It's not the room in those videos that caught my eye. It was the unnecessary overtake preceding a left turn.

Agreed, but I think some of the above posts show intolerance, one of the many things that cause accidents.

As I observed, the third driver did use her mirror responsibly before actually turning, and seeing her mistake, immediately stopped to avoid a consequence. Some recognition is due, not the posted intolerant reactions making no allowance for a mistake. Have the posters never made a mistake?

The second rear view video posted clearly shows momentary indecision about whether it was safe to pass the cyclist. Our experience knows it was not, but it seems that woman lacked sufficient experience to assess that correctly. She will have gained a little more experience as a result.

There's also the question of the claimed lesser spatial awareness abilities of women in general, which may be a factor.
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[Tugwell Gibson]

I have a fairly common sense approach to teaching this subject. It's along the lines of overtaking is risky why bother if your about to turn off? I'm the same with any junction even roundabouts. Why overtake a bike on approach to a roundabout . As they may well be going a completely different direction. Just hold back a few seconds and hopefully they will have sodded off.

As I've found even the greenest of learners have an inbuilt fear of how to deal with cyclists. They aren't scared of them. They are scared of a truck coming toward them. They will happily plough into a bike to avoid the truck.

Rather I find the anxiety is more like a bloke holding a new born baby. He's not scared of the baby , he's scared of the responsibitly. So I put it to them like that. Think of cyclists as a fragile baby, or a woman pushing two toddlers in a double buggy.

We aren't packed with cyclists here. It's not central London. We can go an hour without meeting one. So I found learners deep rooted fear and worry of cyclists was completey out of proportion. So I asked questions to get to the bottom of it.

 

[Gubbins]

Commons sense is always a good option and in this case we made eye contact as I passed and i nodded to aknowledge the way the driver dealt with her error.
No shouting or head shaking from me.. not like some of these youtube vids where bikers seem go out looking for motorists to berate...
Driving a car can be stressful enough without having irate cyclists shout at you..

 

[flecc]

I have a fairly common sense approach to teaching this subject. It's along the lines of overtaking is risky why bother if your about to turn off? I'm the same with any junction even roundabouts. Why overtake a bike on approach to a roundabout . As they may well be going a completely different direction. Just hold back a few seconds and hopefully they will have sodded off.

I agree. The problem with drivers is that in today's traffic conditions they feel they are constantly being held up. That often leads to them wanting to get a move on, sometimes prompting them to be impatient and take a chance.

That's especially true when the vehicle potentially holding them up is slow and seemingly narrow enough to pass easily, like a bike.

That's why I practice and preach tolerance, since it's the start point of helping each other to get around on our congested roads. I know that as a cyclist I can and do help drivers to get around without inconvenience or any accidents to myself, but that's a behaviour I rarely see from other cyclists.
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[flecc]

Commons sense is always a good option and in this case we made eye contact as I passed and i nodded to aknowledge the way the driver dealt with her error.
No shouting or head shaking from me.. not like some of these youtube vids where bikers seem go out looking for motorists to berate...
Driving a car can be stressful enough without having irate cyclists shout at you..

Good to learn, my attitude exactly in similar circumstances.
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[Mac_user82]

I always try my best to cycle as safe as possible and not cause any problems to the road user at all that is one of the reason i bought
the Garmin Varia to make cycling more safe for me and the road
user i haven't bought it for a fashion icon if it was no good i would
sent it straight back and claim the money back straight away.

Thier is good cyclist on the road and their is some very poor cyclist on the road too the same with motorist but my point is a lot of motorists have no respect for cyclist on the road that is my point

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

Regarding these clips. Each driver would have had a much easier drive if they had just waited 2 or 3 seconds for the bike to pass the junction. Just a bit of forward thinking. That's most likely what they would fail,for.plus inconveniencing other road users.

 

[Tugwell Gibson]

I had never heard of the Garmin varia. So looked it up. Would a half decent mirror not be better? I have one that sort of bungees on to my right hand grip. Does the job. Round here I fear that the Garmin will just constantly telling me someone's behind and getting closer. Followed by someone else.

With a mirror I can see what sort of vehicle , likely behaviour , position in road .

 

[flecc]

Yes, I'm a mirror user and wouldn't be without one. I much prefer to see the actuality than a Garmin type display, since I can read more information from a mirror image.

Costs a bit less too!
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[Gubbins]

The real issue though is where does it end? as in an earlier clip in the dark shows, hence the thread title .
Do we eventually secumb and either give up or get hurt..