You always need to be on guard

lenny

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 3, 2023
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"I was never frightened of traffic like I am today, absolutely terrified with a strong feeling it's going to happen again. My worst fear now is that my left leg will not hold me up through weakness which is happening more so these days plus my mental state is not too good. I don't laugh anymore. I get overwhelmed with the everyday occurrences, not being able to deal with multiple issues."

 

soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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if that was round here they would have got stabbed as well just in case :D
 

thelarkbox

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Aug 23, 2023
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oxon
Cant really say i have had any strong feeling about any sentencing the press has informed me of, certainly not enough to type a comment online

This however

The 2 yrs 3 months would have been fitting if he had stopped after the initial collision imho.
Drunk and hitting a cyclist, not good and a foreseeable perhaps expected consequence of driving drunk , but that exhibition was repeated attempts at murder, and should have been prosecuted as such imho..

the state of prison capacity is irrelevant the sentence should be fitting - if its changed/modified for any reason down the line at least the family(edit.. DOH! And the Victim!) would have a sense of justice at the trial

I Like probably all of you pass similar looking junctions daily..
 
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Ghost1951

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Jun 2, 2024
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You know the country is REALLY broken when a court of law seeing that evidence gives such a ridiculously lenient sentence as this. The ban of three years is utterly incredible. It ought to have been for life. That woman will still be suffering long after the driver is out of jail and back on the road.

But when I talk of how feeble the sentence was, why am I surprised? It is extremely rare that anything like adequate sentences are given for appalling driving, even when its consequences are monstrous.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,161
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I'm not going to comment on the car driver, everything that should be said has been said already.

I am going to harshly criticise the van driver. In overtaking the cyclist to turn right in the middle of a junction he caused her to take a momentary double look right, obviously startled by the van's presence.

Had he eased off slightly to let her clear the junction first, given that she was obviously a vulnerable road user, her undivided attention would have remained ahead, actually giving her enough time at her slow pace to slow or stop without going in front of the offending car.

So in impatiently overtaking on a junction using both sides of the road, always unsafe but even worse with other traffic, the cyclist present, he made a very real contribution to the accident happening. He knew that what he was doing was potentially unsafe since he saw the accident happen in his left mirror which was clearly still checking as he turned, causing him to stop after he saw it happen.

Two more drivers still not paying due care and attention and failing to make necessary allowances for vulnerable road users.
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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West Sx RH
The only way to try and make these potential peope killers pay is to take out private presecutions for compo and hit them hard in the pocket to make life as costly and as miserable as one can for them.

Btw I'm back after a torrid stay in hospital , I'm on the slow recovery road following some major scares post op after my digestive system and kidneys epsecially shut down, along with a lung issue occurring. My body took an objection to the 6 hour surgery.

The surgery it self went perfectly and was a complete success.
 
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soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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im going to the vets next time, got better drugs ;)
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,785
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Telford
The only way to try and make these potention peope killers pay is to take out private presecutions for compo and hit them hard in the pocket to make life as costly and as miserable as one can for them.

Btw I'm back after a torrid stay in hospital , I'm on the slow recovery road following some major scares post op after my digestive system and kidneys epsecially shut down, along with a lung issue occurring. My body took an objection to the 6 hour surgery.

The surgery it self went perfectly and was a complete success.
I thought you went a bit quiet. I hope you make a full recovery soon. What was the surgery for?
 

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
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The only way to try and make these potention peope killers pay is to take out private presecutions for compo and hit them hard in the pocket to make life as costly and as miserable as one can for them.

Btw I'm back after a torrid stay in hospital , I'm on the slow recovery road following some major scares post op after my digestive system and kidneys epsecially shut down, along with a lung issue occurring. My body took an objection to the 6 hour surgery.

The surgery it self went perfectly and was a complete success.
Glad to see you back, but sorry you had a bad time. I was wondering how you had got on. Hope you are soon mended and back to your old ways. :)
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,349
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Drivers can get off lightly having murdered a cyclist... or several I expect, if they don't murder them all at the same time causing embarrassing headlines. Prison sentences and bans wear off after a mere couple of years enabling them to do it again.

It was a drunk driver suddenly accelerating at me from a side street like that, which spurred me to install three bright 1800LM+ headlights on my bike - as I passed directly in front of him parked at a junction to my left (night, pub closing time), he suddenly accelerated toward me and hit the brakes shouting "FSCKING HELLl!!!" Lurched forward to a stop. All I could do was watch. Proverbial deer in headlights. From his perspective, a cyclist had apparated in front of his car's headlights. I couldn't see his eyes, too dark, I made the mistake of assuming he'd seen me. They don't pull out in front blind to me anymore, but after seeing this horrific video, I shall have two bright headlights lights on flashing mode instead of the usual one plus two constant (1800LM + 1800LM + 2400LM), and the other on constant. My lights are on day and night, but my headlights are on constant mode at night because I don't want to dazzle drivers and possibly cause accidents. I don't put up with this shiz at all. Despite my best efforts, I still don't have direct control of all driver's minds or laws, but I do have control over my bike's electrickery.

These days I glare into driver's eyes like a demon as I pass. If they're not looking, I slow down, but that's no guarantee of safety because they can look directly at you and still pull out. But not since I installed the very bright 6000LM headlights. I don't know how much cospicuity my flashing Aldi spoke lights add to the side lighting situation, but they look interesting enough to attract stares.

Since this video, I've arranged the headlights as a central triangle.


 
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Nealh

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Aug 7, 2014
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I thought you went a bit quiet. I hope you make a full recovery soon. What was the surgery for?
I had most of my larger bowel removed before my inherited defective genetic gene caused any cancer issues.
Apparently the human digestive system does not like major interference and goes on strike and then begins a slow reboot process , in between that happening events are a bit scary if not closely monitored .

I was in the East Wing of East Surrey Hospital and all the staff from the catering side, cleaning staff , assitants and nurses were absolutley amazing, considerate , caring and ultra professional .
Every one on shift got a massive hug from mean as I left and I can't simply put in to words how brilliant they were.
 

AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
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What a complete joke of a sentence.

Agree with the above. sue him in civil court. 2 years is just a pisstake from an 4r5ehole of a judge
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,785
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Telford
I had most of my larger bowel removed before my inherited defective genetic gene caused any cancer issues.
Apparently the human digestive system does not like major interference and goes on strike and then begins a slow reboot process , in between that happening events are a bit scary if not closely monitored .

I was in the East Wing of East Surrey Hospital and all the staff from the catering side, cleaning staff , assitants and nurses were absolutley amazing, considerate , caring and ultra professional .
Every one on shift got a massive hug from mean as I left and I can't simply put in to words how brilliant they were.
That's the same experience with the staff that I had when I was in hospital recently. Your guts go sleep after being manhandled, even without chunks cut out. Mine stopped for a week after a hernia operation, though there were no complications from that - just the worry while waiting for something to happen. Please keep us informed about progress, and start a celebration thread when you get back on your bike, but don't rush. It's too easy to think you're better when you're not.
 
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AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
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Did you know your intestines after being out for surgery rearrange themselves.
The surgeon just puts them back in, obviously without twisting, and the body does the rest.
There have been reports of people after intestinal surgery who can feel their insides moving back into the right position
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,161
30,578
To me it looks like he was not overtaking her. He was far behind.
He was alongside enough on the wrong side of the road to cause her to look twice as the van's sudden presence alarmed her. That lost time was crucial for her to stay looking ahead to see the car slightly earlier and be able to slow or stop enough to not have had the accident.

And for what? To save a tiny fraction of a second? That's the sort of driving we need to see an end of.
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