Cyclist Death
chivalryder
Posts: 4,391 Member
Allow me to paint a picture in your mind: You're driving home after a long day of work. It's getting dark, there is rain falling on your windshield, and the air is filled with a misty fog. You're approaching the final intersection, signal to turn right. You see the blinding lights on on-coming cars, a truck rolls to a stop on the street you are about to turn into, you see no pedestrians on the corsswalk or on the sidewalk behind you... The road is clear, so you turn into the street when suddenly there is a loud crash on the nose of your car, and you hear a scream...
You had just hit a cyclist.
She had appeared like a ghost. She had no lights, no reflactive gear, and she was riding on the sidewalk.
This nearly happened to me. Tonight, in this exact scenario, I entered the street on which my house lies, and as I turned into the street, a cyclist suddenly appeared in front of the truck I had mentioned. She had to take evasive manouvers to avoid me because, by the time I saw her there was nothing I could have done to avoid her. Had she been 3 feet further ahead, I would have hit her.
I'm not saying as a driver, you should be more aware. As cyclists, I am sure we are all alert and good drivers. This cyclist, in the conditions I was driving in, was completely invisible to me until she appeared in the headlights of the truck in front of me.
I'm writing this message to cyclists: Imagine yourself in the shoes of the woman I nearly struck and could have killed. Please, ride with lights and reflectors on your bicycle, and do NOT ride on the sidewalk. Both of these are laws (in Ontario), made for your own protection. The most dangerous place you can be in a bicycle is on the sidewalk. Cars will not necessarily see you and will strike you as you cross an intersection. How many times do you see a car pull right over the cross walk as they prepare to turn right, even around blind corners?
Use lights so cars can see you as well. Through the chaos of lights from all the vehicles, shining in the dark rain, if the cyclist had a bright light, I would have seen her sooner.
The saddest thing about this instance is the cyclist chose to yell at me for nearly hitting her. I can't blame her, she nearly died. However, if I had hit her, then she would have been the one at fault. The laws clearly state this. She is not a pedestrian, she is a vehicle, and vehicles belong on the road. Be alert, be aware, and do your best to be seen.
You had just hit a cyclist.
She had appeared like a ghost. She had no lights, no reflactive gear, and she was riding on the sidewalk.
This nearly happened to me. Tonight, in this exact scenario, I entered the street on which my house lies, and as I turned into the street, a cyclist suddenly appeared in front of the truck I had mentioned. She had to take evasive manouvers to avoid me because, by the time I saw her there was nothing I could have done to avoid her. Had she been 3 feet further ahead, I would have hit her.
I'm not saying as a driver, you should be more aware. As cyclists, I am sure we are all alert and good drivers. This cyclist, in the conditions I was driving in, was completely invisible to me until she appeared in the headlights of the truck in front of me.
I'm writing this message to cyclists: Imagine yourself in the shoes of the woman I nearly struck and could have killed. Please, ride with lights and reflectors on your bicycle, and do NOT ride on the sidewalk. Both of these are laws (in Ontario), made for your own protection. The most dangerous place you can be in a bicycle is on the sidewalk. Cars will not necessarily see you and will strike you as you cross an intersection. How many times do you see a car pull right over the cross walk as they prepare to turn right, even around blind corners?
Use lights so cars can see you as well. Through the chaos of lights from all the vehicles, shining in the dark rain, if the cyclist had a bright light, I would have seen her sooner.
The saddest thing about this instance is the cyclist chose to yell at me for nearly hitting her. I can't blame her, she nearly died. However, if I had hit her, then she would have been the one at fault. The laws clearly state this. She is not a pedestrian, she is a vehicle, and vehicles belong on the road. Be alert, be aware, and do your best to be seen.
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@chivalryder--I hope you are okay. Some things really are totally beyond our control.
As both a driver and a cyclist I can definitely see both perspectives. When driving, I always try to be aware of those around me. However, there are just some instances, weather related or otherwise, in which we do not entirely have control. As a biker I know that I will never bike in fog, after darkness (even with lights and reflective tape), or in the snow. I can't believe how many people continue to bike with traffic in snow in Ontario. It doesn't take much for thinks to go horribly wrong in these circumstances. And I know that as a driver, my life would be totally changed if I hit a cyclist.0 -
Glad no one was hurt. I don't know why some people feel the need to ride like everyone has radar built in to their vehicles. Never assume the other guy can see you. Physics doesn't care who's fault it would have been. Big vehicle vs cyclist, the cyclist always loses. She would have been hurt and you would have felt bad and it all could have been avoided if she had ridden responsibly.0
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Sadly, this kind of person isn't going to read this... they're not really "cyclists", they're just "someone who happens to be riding a bike" - I'm pretty sure that the people in this group, who go out on the bike for 4-5-6 or more hours of riding wouldn't dream of riding on "the sidewalk" (in some countries it's actually illegal, and theoretically, you should actually CARRY the bike if you're walking in posession of a bike)
But, it does serve as a timely reminder for all of us who DO ride AND drive, to keep aware and drive safely. Is do however take issue with @ScientificExplorerGirl 's comment that
- frankly, if you're not in control of your vehicle, or you feel that you aren't entirely confident in controlling it, then you should either get additional driving tuition, or drive a more suitable vehicle for the conditions - and if the conditions are THAT bad, you shouldn't be driving at all.However, there are just some instances, weather related or otherwise, in which we do not entirely have control.
And before anyone jumps on me, YES, I have taken that advice onboard... Most drivers in the UK only have the basic driving licence, not many are aware that there is additional training/qualification available. In addition to the basic, I've passed the Institute of Advanced Motoring's Advanced Driver and Advanced Motorcyclist course. In the past my job used to involve driving upwards of 30,000 miles per year (in addition to spending 7-8 hours a day in offices) and (tempting fate now) over the 33 years i've held a licence i've fallen off the motorbike maybe 3 times (all on a racetrack, because I was knowingly pushing the limits) and the only "accident" (should really be an "incident" as accident implys nobody was at fault) i've had in the car was when an oncoming car was struck by a suicidal sheep which jumped the fence right into his path. His car spun, and the tail struck the front of my car. Fault - yep, I was probably going a little too fast or i'd have been able to stop in time to avoid it, though 35mph in a 60 limit would probably be considered as being relatively cautious. He was going WAAY too fast - estimated contact speed by police judging the skidmarks was 75mph - so a closing speed of 105mph. Hence my completely written off 3 week old Volkswagen R32 4Motion.
The situation in the UK is further clouded in that some areas "of sidewalk" are actually designated as "shared usage routes" for pedestrians and cyclists, though to be honest, on the proper roadbike I tend to ride on the nearby road wherever possible instead because a) I wish to maintain a modicum of speed, impossible when weaving around 3mph walkers b) the shared usage paths don't get swept, and are therefore covered in broken glass and most critically c) because It's not currently illegal NOT to ride on a shared usage path if provided - and I'm determined that i'm going to exercise my right to the road wherever I consider it safe to do so - before the w-anchors in parliament pass yet another law "for my protection" FFS.
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Sadly, this kind of person isn't going to read this... they're not really "cyclists", they're just "someone who happens to be riding a bike" - I'm pretty sure that the people in this group, who go out on the bike for 4-5-6 or more hours of riding wouldn't dream of riding on "the sidewalk" (in some countries it's actually illegal, and theoretically, you should actually CARRY the bike if you're walking in posession of a bike)
But, it does serve as a timely reminder for all of us who DO ride AND drive, to keep aware and drive safely. Is do however take issue with @ScientificExplorerGirl 's comment that
- frankly, if you're not in control of your vehicle, or you feel that you aren't entirely confident in controlling it, then you should either get additional driving tuition, or drive a more suitable vehicle for the conditions - and if the conditions are THAT bad, you shouldn't be driving at all.However, there are just some instances, weather related or otherwise, in which we do not entirely have control.
And before anyone jumps on me, YES, I have taken that advice onboard... Most drivers in the UK only have the basic driving licence, not many are aware that there is additional training/qualification available. In addition to the basic, I've passed the Institute of Advanced Motoring's Advanced Driver and Advanced Motorcyclist course. In the past my job used to involve driving upwards of 30,000 miles per year (in addition to spending 7-8 hours a day in offices) and (tempting fate now) over the 33 years i've held a licence i've fallen off the motorbike maybe 3 times (all on a racetrack, because I was knowingly pushing the limits) and the only "accident" (should really be an "incident" as accident implys nobody was at fault) i've had in the car was when an oncoming car was struck by a suicidal sheep which jumped the fence right into his path. His car spun, and the tail struck the front of my car. Fault - yep, I was probably going a little too fast or i'd have been able to stop in time to avoid it, though 35mph in a 60 limit would probably be considered as being relatively cautious. He was going WAAY too fast - estimated contact speed by police judging the skidmarks was 75mph - so a closing speed of 105mph. Hence my completely written off 3 week old Volkswagen R32 4Motion.
The situation in the UK is further clouded in that some areas "of sidewalk" are actually designated as "shared usage routes" for pedestrians and cyclists, though to be honest, on the proper roadbike I tend to ride on the nearby road wherever possible instead because a) I wish to maintain a modicum of speed, impossible when weaving around 3mph walkers b) the shared usage paths don't get swept, and are therefore covered in broken glass and most critically c) because It's not currently illegal NOT to ride on a shared usage path if provided - and I'm determined that i'm going to exercise my right to the road wherever I consider it safe to do so - before the w-anchors in parliament pass yet another law "for my protection" FFS.
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