RE: Motorists To Take Blame For Cycle Crashes
Discussion
andyps said:
I am sure there was a petition on the Number 10 site about this but can't find it at the moment. If there isn't a petition there should be, this proposal goes completely against the principle of innocent until proven guilty and as such opens up far too many possibilities for fraud if nothing else.
Because it isn't policy, it's, as you yourself said, a proposal from a Labour think tank still churning out legislation despite the impending death of the party, like a chicken running around minus it's head. 
As has previously been alluded to, this is common practice in several European countries. However, they have the infastructure in place to support a larger volume of cyclists in a safer fashion.
Ministers will not consider this this side of an election.
I ride a lot on the road (~200 miles per week) and I see a lot of poor decisions from both motorists and cyclists. My own pet peeve is cars passing too close to me (1 foot = too close chaps). If you do that and then stop at traffic lights etc further down the road then you can expect to be having a discussion with me about your spatial awareness
Ministers will not consider this this side of an election.
I ride a lot on the road (~200 miles per week) and I see a lot of poor decisions from both motorists and cyclists. My own pet peeve is cars passing too close to me (1 foot = too close chaps). If you do that and then stop at traffic lights etc further down the road then you can expect to be having a discussion with me about your spatial awareness
B Oeuf said:
andyps said:
I am sure there was a petition on the Number 10 site about this but can't find it at the moment. If there isn't a petition there should be, this proposal goes completely against the principle of innocent until proven guilty and as such opens up far too many possibilities for fraud if nothing else.
Because it isn't policy, it's, as you yourself said, a proposal from a Labour think tank still churning out legislation despite the impending death of the party, like a chicken running around minus it's head. 
Ok, so cyclists feel that maybe they are unsafe on our roads. Many have died being caught out by buses, trucks, and people not concentrating in their cars. It happens. But, and this maybe just me here, but who else feels that cyclists live in their own little world?
For example, I am fortunate to travel around, and every time I have visited a city that has a mass cyclist population, I have nearly been witness to many a cyclists death. This is due to a few simple facts. If you ride the road, you should wear a safety helmet, have lights on your bike, and a reflective jacket. This is so us car folk can see you and avoid you, because lets face it, no matter who hits who, the cyclist will come off worse. The second thing, and this is a biggy, is a little something called THE HIGHWAY CODE!
How many of you have seen the lights go red, slowed down as pedestrians have begun to cross, only to see a cyclist fly through the lights and nearly take someone out. It happens everywhere in this country. They cut down the side of you, take chances, jump lights, constantly go on and off the pavement, and generally poodle along like they own the road.
If anyone has ever been to Amsterdam, and seen the amount of cyclists out there, you will know that over there they abide by the highway code, giving way and stopping at lights, and fatalities are slim.
So, should US MOTORISTS always be blamed if something goes tits up with a cyclist?
On your bike mate!
For example, I am fortunate to travel around, and every time I have visited a city that has a mass cyclist population, I have nearly been witness to many a cyclists death. This is due to a few simple facts. If you ride the road, you should wear a safety helmet, have lights on your bike, and a reflective jacket. This is so us car folk can see you and avoid you, because lets face it, no matter who hits who, the cyclist will come off worse. The second thing, and this is a biggy, is a little something called THE HIGHWAY CODE!
How many of you have seen the lights go red, slowed down as pedestrians have begun to cross, only to see a cyclist fly through the lights and nearly take someone out. It happens everywhere in this country. They cut down the side of you, take chances, jump lights, constantly go on and off the pavement, and generally poodle along like they own the road.
If anyone has ever been to Amsterdam, and seen the amount of cyclists out there, you will know that over there they abide by the highway code, giving way and stopping at lights, and fatalities are slim.
So, should US MOTORISTS always be blamed if something goes tits up with a cyclist?
On your bike mate!
t, I could do with a a couple of grand - oh I know I'll throw my bike in front of a car... sorted.For your information: this rule applies to motorists in Belgium already for a few years now. Main argument: objectively, cars are more dangerous then bicycles in an accident because of their mass = force at impact on an exposed cyslist. But this only relates to the insurance and in no way to responsabilities. In court, the one who is responsable for the accident remains the one that will be pursued.
There was a lot of fuzz upfront, with similar arguments as stated in the posts on the forum. But it has all gone quite now. Only difference was
a slight increase in the insurance rate and more financial compensations for medical care etc for the cyclist.
Once you get used to the standpoint, it seems to be pretty logic and even fair.
Frank
There was a lot of fuzz upfront, with similar arguments as stated in the posts on the forum. But it has all gone quite now. Only difference was
a slight increase in the insurance rate and more financial compensations for medical care etc for the cyclist.
Once you get used to the standpoint, it seems to be pretty logic and even fair.
Frank
Hello,
As someone who has been knocked of his bike and is currently off sick due to a careless car driver, maybe he would have checked his door mirror before undertaking a car and hitting me if there was more of a penalty for his inattention. As for road tax, I would happily pay VED on my 5 bikes since they would be in band A. The current fee for band A vehicles is £0, so where do I send the cheque?
In any case, my 2.2 Alfa 159 has a VED of £215 and it's sat on my drive most days so can I get a rebate?
As someone who has been knocked of his bike and is currently off sick due to a careless car driver, maybe he would have checked his door mirror before undertaking a car and hitting me if there was more of a penalty for his inattention. As for road tax, I would happily pay VED on my 5 bikes since they would be in band A. The current fee for band A vehicles is £0, so where do I send the cheque?
In any case, my 2.2 Alfa 159 has a VED of £215 and it's sat on my drive most days so can I get a rebate?
Bladedancer said:
Interesting.
Someone that doesn't need a licence (and was not proven capable of handling a vehicle, using the road or having any knowlegde about highway code) should have more rights than someone that has a licence and was tested and certified as "roadworthy".
Have we crossed onto the other side of the mirror already?
Whilst this is, as has been pointed out, a non story, I would like to suggest that the cyclist has a right to be on the road. It is the motorist who has to be licensed and, if they fail to conform to the requirements, cannot use it. Someone that doesn't need a licence (and was not proven capable of handling a vehicle, using the road or having any knowlegde about highway code) should have more rights than someone that has a licence and was tested and certified as "roadworthy".
Have we crossed onto the other side of the mirror already?
fluffyducky said:
Staffy1984 said:
... they're gonna be a target........50 points for a cyclist, 100 for a tandem......that's right isn't it? 
Ha!My last and first bike v car incident resulted in my hitting a Ford KA at 30MPH with no time to hit the anchors. I put my knee through the passenger side window and dented the window frame with my thigh. The poor girl thought she'd been hit by one of the range rovers she shot between.
What do I get... 10000 points?!
For my next trick I'll take on something bigger.
That's right. Pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders have a right to use any public highway, motorways excepted. Motorists have to earn the right to use it by paying VED, having a valid licence and insurance, plus MOT if applicable. People should remember that most roads were here long before cars came along.
I think the principle behind this policy is to make drivers more aware that cyclists are fragile things which when you hit them. They aren't protected by a big metal box like you are when you're in a car. As a rider I don't agree that the introduction of this policy on its own will achieve anything. There needs to be a significant change in much broader policies, like those that govern the delivery of proper infrastructure for bikes too. In the Netherlands where they already have this attitude to car liability, bike lanes are physically divided from roads by kurbs and traffic priority given to cyclists, pedestrians and cars is different.
Yes it is fair to say that some cyclists ignore the rules of the road. It drives me mad every day - I actually have a go at the f***ers who give us all a bad name. Clearly they've never been in a bad car vs bike accident. If they had they'd have a lot more respect for the road traffic act and wouldn't jump the lights etc. Over the years through no fault of my own, I have been over the bonnet three times of cars that pulled out of side streets onto a main road without looking and once through a windscreen.
So the flip side to this is whilst there are bad cyclists there are a lot of bad drivers out there too. Many don't have insurance, so insurance premiums are linked to this too. When cyclists crash into cars then clearly insurance is an issue. Some cyclists do have insurance through British Cycling, CTC and IMBA amongst other organisations. It's not compulsory, but when you are riding in some cases a bike that is several grands worth of kit, you get insurance to make sure you don't end up out of pocket through no fault of your own in a crash.
Interesting to follow this and see where it goes. There are a lot more riders on the roads since the economic downturn. For me riding everyday gives me savings I can invest into my car - I can't wait to get my throttle bodies fitted
Yes it is fair to say that some cyclists ignore the rules of the road. It drives me mad every day - I actually have a go at the f***ers who give us all a bad name. Clearly they've never been in a bad car vs bike accident. If they had they'd have a lot more respect for the road traffic act and wouldn't jump the lights etc. Over the years through no fault of my own, I have been over the bonnet three times of cars that pulled out of side streets onto a main road without looking and once through a windscreen.
So the flip side to this is whilst there are bad cyclists there are a lot of bad drivers out there too. Many don't have insurance, so insurance premiums are linked to this too. When cyclists crash into cars then clearly insurance is an issue. Some cyclists do have insurance through British Cycling, CTC and IMBA amongst other organisations. It's not compulsory, but when you are riding in some cases a bike that is several grands worth of kit, you get insurance to make sure you don't end up out of pocket through no fault of your own in a crash.
Interesting to follow this and see where it goes. There are a lot more riders on the roads since the economic downturn. For me riding everyday gives me savings I can invest into my car - I can't wait to get my throttle bodies fitted
I have been testing a new camera system for vehicles that covers front and rear views, speed position and g force. I see video recording as a way to go to protect yourself if these lobby groups keep dreaming up such silly ideas.
Maybe we motorists should lobby government asking that cycles should have insurance as standard so motorists can claim for all the scratches they cause diving between cars, take a cycling test, have a road worthiness MOT, factory fitted lights, ID plate so I can report them, etc. etc...
Maybe we motorists should lobby government asking that cycles should have insurance as standard so motorists can claim for all the scratches they cause diving between cars, take a cycling test, have a road worthiness MOT, factory fitted lights, ID plate so I can report them, etc. etc...
Edited by ukspeedtraps on Wednesday 30th September 12:22
Luckily I am in the CTC and I am claiming from the driver who ran into me and broke my collarbone. Thankfully, he wasn't one of the millions of uninsured drivers and I hope to get reimbursed for my bent wheels and damaged clothing. Plus I am off sick and can't go for any club rides and summer 09 will never come around again. I can't even drive my new car.
To the people who think a cyclist would think it would be sensible to try and get compo by deliberately getting knocked over, I can tell you that you could end up with anything from a few grazes to being in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. What good would any sum of money be then? I'd much rather be skint but able to get on my bike rather than being stuck at home in the sunshine. Your health is the most precious thing you have, not compensation money.
Wow, so many responses and so few people who have even read the story never mind some of the sensible replies on here that actually clarify the issue.
Its funny really and pretty sad as it sums up the current demographic on here, most of the sensible reponses are from the older members...
Its funny really and pretty sad as it sums up the current demographic on here, most of the sensible reponses are from the older members...
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