Accident with cyclist - Seeking advice

[Orionaut]

continuing thread diversion on bad cyclists behaviour.
I/they do not seem aware that for uk, "Based on the time spent travelling, a cyclist is five times more likely to have a fatal accident than a car driver."
so need better training/education(like that for cigarettes?), if not an insurance requirement, too. (what percentage of cycling commuters are insured today?)

From the same article,

Starting with distance traveled, a cyclist traveling a mile in Great Britain is 15 times more likely to have a fatal accident than a car driver going the same distance.

This isn't just comparable with the risks of DUI, it is comparable with the risks of DUI at well over the limit.

With this in mind, I am astonished that it is considered acceptable to strap a child to the back of a bicycle as a pillion passenger. a child in this position is at considerably greater risk of serious injury or death than it would be in the passenger seat of a car driven by a really rather drunk driver. Something that would be universally condemned as grossly irresponsible..:/

 

[SexyGreyFox]

The sheer number of clueless morons that drive on the roads these days is unbelievable, the same seems to be the case with cyclists. It’s not cyclists or drivers, it’s the people that are the morons. Many cyclists drive as well, do you think these morons are any more considerate drivers? Everyone seems to think their journey is the only one that matters and it doesn’t matter what mode of transport you travel by.

When I took up cycling for commuting 6 years ago, within days I became a more relaxed and better driver.
Nothing seems to bother me when I'm driving because of the crap I have to put up with when I'm cycling.
Any other cyclists have this experience?

 

[Bear]

From the same article,

This isn't just comparable with the risks of DUI, it is comparable with the risks of DUI at well over the limit.

With this in mind, I am astonished that it is considered acceptable to strap a child to the back of a bicycle as a pillion passenger. a child in this position is at considerably greater risk of serious injury or death than it would be in the passenger seat of a car driven by a really rather drunk driver. Something that would be universally condemned as grossly irresponsible..:/

102 cyclists died last year on the roads, 448 pedestrians were killed on the roads and 816 motorists were killed. I would say the issue is firmly with the motorist no matter how stupid some cyclists ride
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/648081/rrcgb2016-01.pdf

When I took up cycling for commuting 6 years ago, within days I became a more relaxed and better driver.
Nothing seems to bother me when I'm driving because of the crap I have to put up with when I'm cycling.
Any other cyclists have this experience?

I cycle for excercise only and as such I only ride early in the morning at the weekends when there is very little traffic on the roads so it’s nice and peaceful. I’ve been a relaxed driver for quite a while, it all changed when I stopped driving sporty cars and started driving big luxo barges. It’s just a much more comfortable and relaxing place to be, no more wanting to tear around everywhere which builds up stress etc. Just waft.

 

[VincentHanna]

102 cyclists died last year on the roads, 448 pedestrians were killed on the roads and 816 motorists were killed. I would say the issue is firmly with the motorist no matter how stupid some cyclists ride
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/648081/rrcgb2016-01.pdf

You're assuming equal amounts of journeys, when realistically far more people drive cars than cycle everyday.

 

[Bear]

You're assuming equal amounts of journeys, when realistically far more people drive cars than cycle everyday.

I’m not assuming anything, I know there are about 25million cars in the UK and there certainly aren’t that many cyclists. As I said, the issue is with motorists.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

You're assuming equal amounts of journeys, when realistically far more people drive cars than cycle everyday.

You are trying to percentage it, the issue is still with motorists.
If 448 pedestrians got killed it was probably by all motor vehicles except the one in London recently.
It would also be interesting to know how many of those cyclists were killed by motor vehicles and it wasn't the cyclists fault.

 

[Haggisman]

Had the OP looked left BEFORE pulling away the accident wouldn't have happened. There wasn't a cyclist coming from the other direction. Not that I could see from the video anyway.

And had the OP looked left before pulling away and the cyclist had been coming from the right then he still would have hit him.

Makes more sense to look where potential hazards SHOULD be coming from than where you've just checked is clear

 

[Dis86]

You are trying to percentage it, the issue is still with motorists.
If 448 pedestrians got killed it was probably by all motor vehicles except the one in London recently.
It would also be interesting to know how many of those cyclists were killed by motor vehicles and it wasn't the cyclists fault.

Between 2007 and 2014 there were 276 recorded incidents where a cyclist was killed in an accident involving a motor vehicle.

- Of these 276 incidents, 148 resulted in the driver of the vehicle being charged with an offence - that's 54%.

So at least 54% of the time the driver was at fault. We can assume that on some other occasions it was also the drivers' fault but they either didn't commit an offence or there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.

 

[Nasher]

But how many blamed the driver by default I wonder, even when it wasn't really their fault...

 

[hornetstinger]

Would I have cycled in front of a car that was likely to pull out from a driveway? No I would have stopped, or if there's room gone behind the car.

 

[mattyg]

Would I have cycled in front of a car that was likely to pull out from a driveway? No I would have stopped, or if there's room gone behind the car.

Would the OP have pulled out on the cyclist had he been looking left (where he was going) Probably not.

Just for giggles.

What the video again. with your own commentary .

When the cyclist first comes into view. Say "there he is get ready" then as the car moves forward say "haha got him".

 

[SexyGreyFox]

But how many blamed the driver by default I wonder, even when it wasn't really their fault...

Well 100% of drivers would blame the cyclist no matter what happened

 

[Bear]

But how many blamed the driver by default I wonder, even when it wasn't really their fault...

Probably a lot less than you think. Oxfordshire (IIRC) police force did a close pass initiative where police were riding bicycles and radioed ahead if a driver passed them at a distance they thought was dangerous and was pulled over. They stopped about 45 drivers within the first few days and the vast majority when asked why they did it, they said they didn’t even see the cyclist. So either the drivers were not even paying attention to what they are doing or they are liars, my guess is that they weren’t paying attention to what they were doing.

 

[Nasher]

Sounds like speculation, how close is "too close" and how close to the side of the road should the cyclist be? UK roads are quite narrow.

Also how close should a cyclist ride to a pedestrian? I think they need to start doing checks on that...

 

[Mysterae_]

Unlucky OP, this is something that could have happened to any one of us (drivers). I don't think your wheels had half a rotation from moving to stopping so the cyclist must have been really close, what made him decide to dice beats me.

By the way, this thread really needs a poll! Who's to blame - the cyclist, the motorist, both or neither?

 

[Bear]

Sounds like speculation, how close is "too close" and how close to the side of the road should the cyclist be? UK roads are quite narrow. If you use up more space, your going to get less space by someone overtaking.

You can try and worm out of your responsibility of being a reasonable motorist but luckily your opinion is worthless as it’s the opinion of the police that mattered in those instances as it was a police initiative. This is supposed to be the recommended space given to cyclists http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/5516.html

 

[FrenchTart]

Sounds like speculation, how close is "too close" and how close to the side of the road should the cyclist be? UK roads are quite narrow.

Also how close should a cyclist ride to a pedestrian? I think they need to start doing checks on that...

First part - the guidelines are quite clear. The fact you don't know this undermines your point.

Second part - much like tarring all drivers with the same brush is unfair, doing the same to cyclists is not reasonable. That said, I've seen plenty of poor passes on both sides. One does not excuse the other, however.

 

[Nasher]

You can try and worm out of your responsibility of being a reasonable motorist but luckily your opinion is worthless as it’s the opinion of the police that mattered in those instances as it was a police initiative.

They can have an opinion like everyone else. Doesn't mean it's law or will stick in a court. How many people were actually fined? Maybe just a few silly ones that almost took their arm off.

I've never been hit by a car, but I've been hit by a cyclist. On the pavement.

 

[Bear]

They can have an opinion like everyone else. Doesn't mean it's law or will stick in a court. How many people were actually fined? Maybe just a few silly ones that almost took their arm off.

I've never been hit by a car, but I've been hit by a cyclist. On the pavement.

This is the result from the West Midlands police as a result of the close pass initiative http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/6025.html

From the 448 pedestrian road traffic deaths two of them were caused by a cyclist last year.

 

[Nasher]

But statistically your more likely to be killed on your bike by falling off on your own. Second most likely is being squashed by an HGV or Bus at junctions. That tells a story.

The education is targeting the wrong area, it should be teaching cyclists how to be safe on junctions.