Why a helmet, lights and hi-vis clothing don't necessarily make you a safe cyclist...

Brendan you should consider wearing a helmet , I know there are some statistics that say it makes little difference to safety there are also other statistics that say it reduces head injuries by 70% ignoring all statistics (which I would ) because I think there is too much to skew the statistics like almost all faster riders wearing helmets and more likely to do damage at high speed.
I've come off my bike twice and landed directly on my head once and the helmet without a doubt saved me a serious head injury , the helmet was cracked in half at the end . I've rode with someone who came off a bike without a helmet and it wasn't pretty. I've also seen people fall off bikes without helmets and be fine , either way its not going to do you any harm wearing a helmet worst case is you statistically are as likely to still get injured best case is it saves your life. And you can be the safest cyclist in the world but we are all dependant on what others do on the roads unfortunately.
 
I don't understand the point of this thread.

You might drive all your life and never need to rely on a seat belt. That doesn't mean its not a good idea to wear one.

However cycling is different to driving a car. As is walking. You shouldn't have to wear a helmet walking to the shops. So while you might not need to wear a helmet popping around the corner. If you are going to cycle on a busy road to work every day then that's entirely different.

Its a not a situation where sweeping generalizations are not useful. As theres lot of different types of cycling.
 
People doing stupid stuff does not mean anything other than they've done something stupid.

Its got very little to do with cycling.

I wonder will they do another ad with ABS, Seat Belts, having a full Driving licence, a phone kits, and a car or van driving through it. Its very often a car or van damages the gates and blocks the line for ages.
 
Cervelo said:
Brendan are you admitting that you are an "idiot" here
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I cycle over the level crossing most days.

As I approach, I speed up in case they come down.

I have never been as stupid as this guy, but it's a good warning for me not to treat it as a game. Which is the point of the video.

It's a good warning for others as well. I have seen cars being hit by the barriers on the way down. I hope that they were badly scratched.

Brendan
 
I'm a life-long cyclist and love my bike. I'm also a driver and a pedestrian, and frankly I'm gobsmacked at the antics of some cyclists. More seem to derogate their safety at night to other road users by not wearing appropriate lighting or Hi-Viz jackets. Many don't bother with helmets which, imo are essential kit to save your life. Many cyclists take chances (like in the video) that they wouldn't dream of doing in a car.

I was recently run down on Parliament st by a cyclist speeding the WRONG way down a one way street, who then had the temerity to tell me I should look where I'm going. And as for cyclists breaking lights or booting down pathways, these are simply too numerous to mention. I make a point now of not getting out of the way and forcing the cyclist to dismount. They usually aren't best pleased. Regarding helmets, I would say that I was knocked off my bike by a car (middle of the day in July) by someone distracted by young kids in the car. She apologized profusely and I was left with a badly fractured shoulder, but no head injury thanks to the helmet.

The sooner the better on-the-spot fines come into regular use the better. Cyclists should also have to have some level of insurance, particularly given the speed some of the newer bikes are capable of.
 
DeclanDublin said:
Cyclists should also have to have some level of insurance, particularly given the speed some of the newer bikes are capable of
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So what will this insurance be for - for cycling on the roads ? Will kids need to get insurance too if they cycling to school or out with friends?
 
I think we can set out some criteria for insurance purposes and hammer out a fair deal. I know cycling is cheap and used by many young people and school children, but the fact remains that some cyclists cause accidents (like any other road users) and there's surely an argument for them being insured, like other road users.

I was standing at the bus stop the other day, and a teenage kid from the local secondary school whipped past on the footpath as I stood out to get the bus. If he had hit me it would have been serious injuries. There was a case in London a month or so ago, where a bike courier killed a pedestrian. It needs to be regulated.
 
DeclanDublin said:
And as for cyclists breaking lights or booting down pathways, these are simply too numerous to mention.
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Sadly, that is true, but of course the number of motorists breaking lights and driving on footpaths far exceeds the number of cyclists doing the same. The problem is there is little to no enforcement of any traffic legislation. When something is done about it, like introducing more speed cameras or clamping, all we hear is people moaning about how unfair it is that they should be expected to obey the law.

DeclanDublin said:
The sooner the better on-the-spot fines come into regular use the better.
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You know we already have on-the-spot fines? Unfortunately they are enforced for errant cyclists about as much as they are for drivers in the wrong.

DeclanDublin said:
here was a case in London a month or so ago, where a bike courier killed a pedestrian. It needs to be regulated.
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What about the case here where a pedestrian killed a cyclist. Does that need to be regulated too?
 
DeclanDublin said:
.... And as for cyclists.... booting down pathways.....
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I decided quite some time ago that I would start making a point of getting in the way of cyclists who cycle on the footpath. If they persist in trying to go past me at speed on their bikes, I'll take appropriate (minimal) defensive action, as I will consider them a threat to my personal safety, while I walk on the footpath. If they hit me, I will take legal action against them.

While I don't like being put in such a position, I also won't be bullied by cyclists who are deliberately doing wrong, while the legislators and law enforcers do little or nothing to keep me safe, as I walk on the footpath.

I immediately acknowledge that some drivers break the law, but the key differences are that (a) there are appropriate laws enforced against motorists and (b) motorists are compelled to have insurance that an injured party can claim against.
 
I know that the spot fines are there, burt as u say no enforcement makes them practically useless. As for the pedestrian killing a cyclist, I didn't hear about this, but would suggest that bikes, (by their nature of being generally faster, harder and heavier than people, and used on the public roads), should be treated differently. and regulated, as we do with other vehicular traffic.
 
Hi,

Here are just a few relevant articles or reports on accidents caused by cyclists. I think it supports the need for tough laws and for those laws to be enforced.

Roger Handy killed by a cyclist going the wrong way, on a one way street

Cyclist jailed for 18 months over death of pedestrian caused by 'furious driving' (in London)

Cyclists kill or maim two pedestrians every week, according to statistics

The number of pedestrians fatally or seriously injured in collisions with cyclists has doubled since 2006


Just to be clear, I am not saying that all cyclists are bad, or that all pedestrians are good, there are good and bad in both groups, but we need to be fair to all and protect all. Cyclists are well protected, by virtue of existing and or intended legislation etc, but I do not believe that pedestrians are.



 
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DeclanDublin said:
but would suggest that bikes, (by their nature of being generally faster, harder and heavier than people, and used on the public roads), should be treated differently. and regulated, as we do with other vehicular traffic.
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Bikes are classed as vehicles under the road traffic legislation, so they are regulated in the same manner as cars, etc.. Further regulation isn't required, enforcement is.

Debates like this always just turn into motorists versus cyclists, private motorists versus versus taxi drivers, cyclists versus pedestrians, etc., with each side claiming to just have people's best interests at heart. All it serves to do is divide the population into groups to have a go at each other and distract from coming together and forcing the government to actually do something about it. As a population, our adherence to road traffic legislation is poor, and many seem blind to their own transgressions while being acutely aware of others (not calling out anyone in particular here, just always how these threads go.)

To focus on injury or damage caused by cyclists or pedestrians is to ignore the cause of the vast majority of such damage and injury on our roads. So we get stats like the 111 people killed or injured by cyclists across the whole of the UK (a pro-rata rate in Ireland would be 8 per annum), yet the reports showing 3 cyclists a day being hospitalised in Dublin are largely ignored. Likewise, when Dublin Council release figures showing ~90% of drivers in residential areas break the speed limits, no one bats an eyelid.

The insurance argument is also somewhat misunderstood as well. How many motorists don't end up out of pocket dealing with damage caused by another insured driver? It's more than 10 years since I commuted by bike, but last time I was knocked off I was told I'd have to take a civil case against the driver if I wanted to claim for any damage to my bike.

As someone who commutes by car, I'm glad of the cyclists on our roads, because I know on the wet days where their numbers fall, my commute will be a lot longer. That said, I do wish they would obey the law, but I know that focusing on them as a group isn't going to do much for our overall road injury or death rates.
 
MrEarl said:
Here are just a few relevant articles or reports on accidents caused by cyclists.
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All from the UK.

Do you want to check with the Road Safety Authority how many people have been injured or killed by cyclists in Ireland in the last ten years?

I am sure that there must have been some. I just don't remember hearing about them.

Brendan
 
Leo said:
As someone who commutes by car, I'm glad of the cyclists on our roads, because I know on the wet days where their numbers fall, my commute will be a lot longer.
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I wouldn't dream of cycling to work as I consider it way to dangerous. I see some parents with kids cycling along city roads and footpaths and whilst I applaud them in some ways, in other ways I honestly think they are mad. It's a real pity we don't have better infrastructure. I was in Amsterdam recently and it's a cycling utopia with everyone from students, to the elderly to professionals in suits all cycling around the place...it just looked like such an efficient way to get around. On a canal cruise we even say a multistory for bikes!

If more people cycled we'd all get to where we needed to go a lot quicker.
 
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