Fed up

[Itsme]

Hi All

I didn't put this in Rants as it is more of a resigned sigh than a rant. Am I the only person fed up with being an invisible vehicle on the roads when I ride my bike? I experience a close call every time I go out on my bike and it is getting silly.

Anyone know of any good campaigns for bike safety that I could join? I am especially fed up of delivery drivers in large vans and women driving kids to and from school. My own daughter admitted that she has her phone on hands free when she drives my grandaughter to school as her company schedule a meeting for that time!

Ian

[Steve Lake]

yes, i have been the subject of many 'sorry mate, didn't see you' events over the years ... as i pointed out to one idiot ... 'i've got my headlight on, i have a garishly coloured helmet (on my head) and reflective strips on my riding gear .. which bit didn't you see??' 

[CrazyFrog]

They'll only see you if they look. Most car drivers give only a cursory glance at best 

[kevberlin]

Lights on, high viz jacket and a white helmet has always been my defence mechanism, but I know it’s no guarantee of safety.
What amazes and frustrates me is the fashionista motorcyclists with the black bikes, black jackets and matt black helmets. Still, I guess it’s a free world.

[Ian]

A member of HM Constabulary once told me that car drivers only see something that is "a threat" to them.....hmmmmm now how can we be more "threatening"? 🤔

[Itsme]

I also get annoyed by the indifference shown towards me. A lady who entered a mini-roundabout from my left when I was already over the line and on to the island simply looked out of her window at me as if to say 'what are you doing on my road?' She couldn't care less that she'd cut me up.

I think before anyone is allowed out on their first driving lesson they should be made to watch videos of what happens to a soft human body when you hit it with a metal death cage. As my wife who used to be a bobby in the '70s says 'people would be more careful if they had picked up someone's head and legs from 10 feet apart from each other'!

Ian

[CrazyFrog]

As I've probably related before, I used to commute to work by bicycle. I got knocked of at least once a year, and in the winter my bike carried 7 lights and I wore a high viz waist coat containing 26 flashing leds. I was knocked of several times riding down the road looking like an Xmas tree on wheels and STILL had drivers say to me 'sorry mate I didn't see you'  . You think you're immortal in your 20's and 30's but by the time I got into my 50's I began to think I was riding my luck, literally! I switched to commuting by motorbike and still got knocked of twice in 2 years, despite taking the same sort of visibility precautions. I took the train to work for the last 2 or 3 years.

I can remember back in the 70's when there was an argument about riding with your headlight on in the day. A guy wrote into Bike magazine stating he drive a bright orange volvo 40 to artic for a living which had the headlights permanently on, and people still pulled out on him!

As I said above, most car drivers can't be bothered to look properly and are more concerned about what's for tea tonight, whether they're going to get a shag when they get home, the chances of Villa winning tonight etc. than they are about your life.