Safe Speed Forums

Do you not realise that road safety is JUST about speed?

Why do we have lights on cars, brakes, indicators,reflectors,windscreen wipers? 50% or more of the components on a car are about making it safer so what is it about your blinkered mind that says no matter how safe you make a car it is totally ok for people to wander,cycle or drive with TOTAL DISREGARD to THEIR SAFETY AND OTHER PEOPLES' ?

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

I think he is saying that they are both idiots but that every un-idiotic road user should take into account that he is bound to encounter idiots on the road.

It is a truism that I know you accept that road safety is a two way thing. You have a responsibility for your own safety and you have a responsibility towards other road users however stupidly they behave.

But in this argument the responsibility is skewed towards the motorist. Motorists are, almost invariably, trained adults. Cyclists and pedestrians may well be children who are not as conversant with all aspects of road safety. Young males, in particular,often go through a phase where they consider themselves invulnerable. As adults we have get them through that phase alive. Mainly by education but also by making special allowance for their errant behaviour

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Where did he say that?

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

All through the thread it seems!

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

"Do you not realise that road safety is JUST about speed?".......


Got my "not" in the wrong place there.... It should have read "Do you realise that road safety is not just about speed".... but even his blinkered mind should have worked that one out.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

i totally believe that road safety is a two way thing and every motorist, pedestrian, cyclist should take into account what is going on around them, which is what COAST is all about but the sensible can only do so much to help the stupid and sometimes the stupid have to take some responsibility for themselves. It's no good playing with fire if you don't know how to put it out.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

Surely COAST would say you shouldn't be driving at such a speed at night that would mean it's inevitable that you would strike an unlit object in the road?

Get those blinkers off, weepej

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Exactly but at the same time, the less unlit objects that are in the road then the safer that road is going to be. Making a road neeedlessly unsafe by giving cyclists the right to ride unlit and then blaming the motorist for their stupidity is like jumping into the deep end of a swimming pool when you can't swim and have no bouyancy aides and then blaming the local council for making the pool too deep. It's EVERYONES responsibilty to make the things in life as safe as possible for their surrounding fellows. If you want to jump off a cliff, that's fine by me but if you fall on top of someone else,that's your fault not their's for not seeing you jump.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

A lot of car headlights these days have a range of about 75 yards, which according to the highway code should be the stopping distance for approx 75MPH so by your theories, people should be safe to travel at 75 MPH at night virtually anywhere because that is the safe distance that they can see to stop in. Unfortunately in the real world things don't work like that. By the same token I see very many badgers killed in the road, some in 30 MPH limits and some have even been known to be hit by police cars. So are you saying that 30MPH in rural towns is too high and that police drivers are driving too fast if they hit badgers? I personally have never hit a badger but I know someone who has and it makes a nasty mess of your car.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

If you fall off and bang your head it is going to hurt. Heads are quite sensitive and all. I ALWAYS wear my seat belt. Even if it wasn't law, I would wear my helmet on my bike and even if I'm wearing shorts, I ALWAYS ride wearing gloves, because I don't have a close enough friend to do the paper work should I fall off.

Let me rephrase that question. Why do you think that wearing a helmet is necessary for cyclists but not for motorists or pedestrians

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

For the sake of 20 notes, do you not think that it is better to put a light on the back of yer bike so people have at least half a chance of seeing you? Saying that you should be able to stop at night before colliding with an unlit object is all well and good, but why put yourself at risk? A bike with lights being ridden properly says to me, "Here I am, you can see me. I am taking responsibilty for my safety and I thank you for treating me with respect". A bike without out lights and ridden badly just say "bollocks to you lot, I'll do what I like", these island are just too crowded to have that mindset.

I'm quite a good runner, I can't run as fast as I can bike. If I fall over while running it is alot easier to break my fall because I am not astride a bike, so all my limbs are available.

My car has a air bags, I wear a seat belt, it can't fall over, it has a safety cage that is designed to absorbe impact.

I wear a £200 Shoe Raid helmet on my £300 scooter, and rarely see above 45mph on the clock, which is not much faster than a decent club cyclist. If I fall off I want my head protected. Concusion is bad news, I have had a serious head injury.

I wear a helmet while operating a chain saw.

I have had to wear a hard hat on a building site when the only thing that might have fallen on my head was a 3 meter long concrete pipe, which would have killed me no matter the head gear.

As Adam says, it is all about respect, everyone respects a safe, careful driver who negotiates roundabouts and signals correctly,uses their mirrors, uses headlights in bad visibility, adjusts their road position correctly and makes steady progress according to the conditions but NO-ONE respects people who don't drive, cycle or walk with respect for other road users. Too many take the attitude of I'll do what I want and if innocent people suffer then tough!

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

Why do you think I don't think people should do this?

I think people who cycle without lights are total idiots, I've said it several times ont his thread.

I can't work out why it's being stated that I don't think cyclists should display lights?! I do!

Regardless, your chance of surviving a crash without injury is increased by wearing headgear, so why not wear it?

"I think people who cycle without lights are total idiots, I've said it several times ont his thread.

I can't work out why it's being stated that I don't think cyclists should display lights?! I do!

I think people who cycle without lights are total idiots, I've said it several times ont his thread.

I can't work out why it's being stated that I don't think cyclists should display lights?! I do!"...................

Nice attempt at a "climb down" but it won't work.

You stated earlier that any innocent, law abiding motorist should suffer the consequences if he was to knock a cyclist of his bike that was riding illegally (without lights) without any regard for his (the cyclists) safety or other road users. (cyclists,pedestrians or motorists).

Sorry but that certainly doesn't get you my respect as a law abiding, sensible, safe road user, no matter how many times you state that you never exceed a posted speed limit.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

Why do you keep attacking a straw man. No one on this thread has condoned cycling without lights.

Personally I have three lights on the back of mer bike which should give me one and a half chances of been seen. And the reflective vest another one. Nevertheless I know cyclist thus accoutred who have been knocked off. Generally by a motorist whose fabled power to see round corners has momentarily failed.

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

If a motorist strikes an unlit object because they didn't give themselves time to stop they are by definition NOT law abiding.

Driving round a corner and strinking something that's in the road that you couldn't see, but were going too fast to stop for? You're breaking the law; you were driving too fast for the conditions.

Further to that I'm happy that if a cyclist without lights is struck then there's a degree of mitigation there, but still if the motorist was travelling too fast for the conditions I'd expect them to be in trouble too.