Does Anyone Know How Many Cyclists Are Prosecuted
Discussion
For Breaking The Traffic Laws Every Year?
After all, they kill comparable numbers per passenger mile to motorists?
After all, they kill comparable numbers per passenger mile to motorists?
tonyrec said:
If it is a dry, empty motorway then why are BiB chasing a speeding motorist?
Because its against the Law and Traffic Police deal with Traffic Laws amongst other things.
Not enough cyclists are prosecuted. As a sometimes cyclist and sometimes motorist, I know that cyclists don't get enough respect on the road. Idiots on bikes disobeying common sense and the law can only reduce respect for all cyclists.
However, cyclists are mainly risking their own lives not anybody elses'.
Which would you rather be hit by? A drunk cyclist ignoring all the laws or any motor car sticking to the 20 mph limit? I know the uninsured cyclist will mean that you might be out of pocket for that nasty scratch down the side of your nice new car, but I have more important things to worry about.
When cycling, chicanes are a real pain. There are only there because the car drivers can't be bothered to stick to the limit. The council (Nuneaton for instance) won't put a lane beside them to let cyclists bypass them. But the biggest problem is that I have to give way in both directions, because a significant proportion of car drives will not give way when they should when it's "only" a cyclist.
However, cyclists are mainly risking their own lives not anybody elses'.
Which would you rather be hit by? A drunk cyclist ignoring all the laws or any motor car sticking to the 20 mph limit? I know the uninsured cyclist will mean that you might be out of pocket for that nasty scratch down the side of your nice new car, but I have more important things to worry about.
When cycling, chicanes are a real pain. There are only there because the car drivers can't be bothered to stick to the limit. The council (Nuneaton for instance) won't put a lane beside them to let cyclists bypass them. But the biggest problem is that I have to give way in both directions, because a significant proportion of car drives will not give way when they should when it's "only" a cyclist.
bogush said:
However, cyclists are mainly risking their own lives not anybody elses'.
Which would you rather be hit by?
But I posted:
bogush said:
After all, they kill comparable numbers per passenger mile to motorists?
The number of deaths of cyclists is quite a lot higher per passenger mile than for motorists.
"Cross modal comparison of fatality risk for passengers
2001 Fatalities per billion passenger kilometres
Motor cycle/moped 112
Foot 48
Pedal cycle 33
Car 3
Van 0.9
Rail 0.1
Water 0.4
Bus or coach 0.2
Air >0.01
Source: Road Casualties Great Britain 2002: DfT (2003)."
But I don't think that the number of people killed BY cyclists is anything like as high. OK, I can't find any statistics on it, but it's inconceivable that many people are killed by cyclists. Bikes just aren't fast enough or heavy enough to do a lot of damage. If you have any other statistics, I would like to see them.
bogush said:
For Breaking The Traffic Laws Every Year?
After all, they kill comparable numbers per passenger mile to motorists?
tonyrec said:
mcflurry said:
If it is a dry, empty motorway then why are BiB chasing a speeding motorist?
Because its against the Law and Traffic Police deal with Traffic Laws amongst other things.
Not enough...but i do my bit dont you worry.
Malin said:So who are you gonna blame? The motorists, whose impatient driving is borne out of frustration at the chicanes and pinch-points, or the council who not only put this knuckle-headed wreckage on the road but add insult to injury by refusing to make it cyclist friendly. At least the crazy golf course around here accomodates the pedal-powered.
The council (Nuneaton for instance) won't put a lane beside them to let cyclists bypass them. But the biggest problem is that I have to give way in both directions, because a significant proportion of car drives will not give way when they should when it's "only" a cyclist.
zorro said:
For Breaking The Traffic Laws Every Year?
After all, they kill comparable numbers per passenger mile to motorists?
I'd like to see the stats on this one.
Why?
Other road users do vastly more miles, in vastly heavier and faster vehicles.
Even if nearly all cyclists were paragons of virtue and nearly all motorists speedophiles
zorro said:
My guess is that many more cyclists are KSId by the faults of other road users rather than their own.
Malin said:
But I don't think that the number of people killed BY cyclists is anything like as high. OK, I can't find any statistics on it
Well, there's a surprise!
Malin said:
but it's inconceivable that many people are killed by cyclists.
Exactly.
But they are.
Currently the figures for pedestrians killed by cyclists in the UK is around 4 or 5 pa, but it's been a lot higher in the not too distant past, or in European countries (up to 18 pa?).
However an anti-motorist on another forum threw a current figure at me for all fatalities caused by cyclists which was plainy ridiculously too low, and was almost certainly the figure per x miles from the latest casualty figures.
I never checked it out, but, assuming it was, it put the total figure into the 20's pa.
Malin said:
Which would you rather be hit by? A drunk cyclist ignoring all the laws or any motor car sticking to the 20 mph limit?
im gonna tell you what happened to me in june 95,see what you think.....
i was taking a bike for a test-ride (honda cj250t,1978 vintage) everything was going great,the sun was shining and traffic had been light.on the way back i had to use the cowley high road (dual carrageway) as i was approaching moorfield road i had to pass some stationary cars that appeared to be going into mad max carpets,as a line of cars here was a usual sight (even on a sunday)i passed cautiously but as i got to the front of the line a cyclist who had already pulled off the kirb into the path of the first car and then fallen off his bike causing the driver to only just manage to stop before clouting him,wobbled out from infront of the first car into my path
. the rider didnt even look or see me approaching him.....i had absolutely no chance of avoiding him (even the car drivers said so) all i could do was hit the brakes and put my head down......i hit him,launched his bike from under him and carried him up the road for a few feet.when he came off the bike went down and i ended up going down the road with the bike.
i got up and brushed myself down(shishoni(sp) jeans are the bollocks!) and apart from my shoulder hurting (i later found out that i had bruised the bone) i felt fine as i had been wearing a hard leather bike jacket.....i then looked at the guy and there was blood pissing out the back of his head where i ended up head-butting him on impact.
the police were great,very fast to attend and they checked everything,skid marks (none),whitness's (a fair few!) and even checked the bike over (it had passed an mot a few days before) and they noticed the guy was pissed when they spoke to him,they breathalised him at the scene.....aparently (according to the cop i spoke to at west drayton nick)when he went to the hospital he'd said to the police about 'making me pay'...the police told him that as he was over the limit (3x) they wouldnt advise it as they would make sure they were called as witness's in any court proceedings.
if it were a car then i would have gone over the bonnet,possibly breaking an arm or a leg.....but id prefer that to the feelings i had at the scene because until the police arrived i had thought the twat was in a coma and going to die because he was bleeding from the back of his head and sparko for over 10 mins......i dont particularly want to go through that again.
>> Edited by cortinaman on Sunday 18th April 19:58
>> Edited by cortinaman on Sunday 18th April 19:59
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