Interesting article on speed
- Thread starter Rasher
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Bugbear
Registered user
Good find Rasher 
"What matters is that I made a mistake, and it occurred to me that when riding a bike, it's pointless trying to blame anything but yourself. On a bike, if a car pulls out in front of you, you go to hospital. If you hit black ice, you go to hospital, if you fail to notice the bend tightens, you go to hospital. As a biker, you are utterly and finally responsible for what happens and you have to take it, good and bad. If you can't predict that the car driver is about to pull out, you have to make sure that if it does, you're ready for it, if it's cold enough for black ice, you have to have a long talk with yourself as to whether it's wise to be riding at all, and if you miss the signs that the bend is about to tighten up, well, what were you thinking?"
"What matters is that I made a mistake, and it occurred to me that when riding a bike, it's pointless trying to blame anything but yourself. On a bike, if a car pulls out in front of you, you go to hospital. If you hit black ice, you go to hospital, if you fail to notice the bend tightens, you go to hospital. As a biker, you are utterly and finally responsible for what happens and you have to take it, good and bad. If you can't predict that the car driver is about to pull out, you have to make sure that if it does, you're ready for it, if it's cold enough for black ice, you have to have a long talk with yourself as to whether it's wise to be riding at all, and if you miss the signs that the bend is about to tighten up, well, what were you thinking?"
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Good find Rasher
"What matters is that I made a mistake, and it occurred to me that when riding a bike, it's pointless trying to blame anything but yourself. On a bike, if a car pulls out in front of you, you go to hospital. If you hit black ice, you go to hospital, if you fail to notice the bend tightens, you go to hospital. As a biker, you are utterly and finally responsible for what happens and you have to take it, good and bad. If you can't predict that the car driver is about to pull out, you have to make sure that if it does, you're ready for it, if it's cold enough for black ice, you have to have a long talk with yourself as to whether it's wise to be riding at all, and if you miss the signs that the bend is about to tighten up, well, what were you thinking?"
Therefore there is nothing that makes it an accident???
There is no such thing as an accident?
"There is no such thing as an accident?"
That's why they're called RTC's now, road traffic collision. Someone has made a mistake somewhere for the incident to happen. As bikers we have to factor in other road users making a mistake that might hurt us as well as anything stupid we might do.
That's why they're called RTC's now, road traffic collision. Someone has made a mistake somewhere for the incident to happen. As bikers we have to factor in other road users making a mistake that might hurt us as well as anything stupid we might do.
Yellow Peril
Registered user
Does remind me of the m5 crash where a local firework display was blamed for a pile up, no it wasn't, it was people not driving to the conditions.
Can be but it's not impossible, especially on a bike. In any queue, I'm always more concerned about what's coming up behind rather than what's going on ahead - at least until I have enough of a queue behind to limit the danger.
yes, there are things one can do to minimise the possibility, but to avoid being rear ended is more tricky.
Indeed, it is quite easy to become a victim of someone elses mistake and regardless of if it is right or wrong you need to predict other peoples mistakes, or face the likelihood of having more crashes.
I have been shunted from behind twice, once I saw it coming in my mirror but with a car in front, high verge and oncoming traffic could do nothing but brace. The second time some dick was coming up behind me so quick that I did not even see it, the car in front slowed on a dual carriageway, as I eased of the gas - wallop!
Hypothetically, you're overtaking something and fail to notice in time a road junction / driveway where a road user pulls out, onto the correct side (ie the bit of road you're overtaking on) and there's a collision, who is in the wrong legally? I know if I'm on a bike it'll probably me that get hurts the most
but is the other user legally at fault as they shouldn't have entered the road unless it was safe to do so for them and other road users?Sort of leading on, on motorways putting aside good manners, does the person on the main carriageway have to let persons on the slip road onto the main carriageway? Both cases may well have dashed lines that have to be crossed.
Good find. I remember seeing a similar article a few years ago by Jeff Stone of the BMF.
@ John: I think the point of the article is "sod the legalities", it's your fault in that situation.
Having said that, all you can do is minimise possibilities by experience, training, awareness. I don't subscribe to the theory that all accidents can be avoided where you are the "innocent" party; it just ain't so.
@ John: I think the point of the article is "sod the legalities", it's your fault in that situation.
Having said that, all you can do is minimise possibilities by experience, training, awareness. I don't subscribe to the theory that all accidents can be avoided where you are the "innocent" party; it just ain't so.
Hypothetically, you're overtaking something and fail to notice in time a road junction / driveway where a road user pulls out, onto the correct side (ie the bit of road you're overtaking on) and there's a collision, who is in the wrong legally? I know if I'm on a bike it'll probably me that get hurts the most
I'm not sure legally, however when I did my police course in North Wales any over take with a junction (and that includes lay-by and driveways) approaching would have got you a fail on your assessment. My guess is you would be at fault for committing to an overtake when it was not safe to do so.
FWIW I will often manoeuvre for an overtake before a junction, including moving out to the other side of the road but I don't commit until the jn is passed, that way if a car does appear I can move back to the left side of the road
If not illegal it is pretty f**** stupid to overtake by a driveway that could have a car coming out of it just in time to kill you
Good find Rasher. Accident, RTC, involuntary dismount, it all hurts. It pays to do some training.
Delboy777
Registered user
Overtaking anywhere near a junction or other entrance is just plain stupid, OBSERVATION is the key.Hypothetically, you're overtaking something and fail to notice in time a road junction / driveway where a road user pulls out, onto the correct side (ie the bit of road you're overtaking on) and there's a collision, who is in the wrong legally? I know if I'm on a bike it'll probably me that get hurts the most
Sort of leading on, on motorways putting aside good manners, does the person on the main carriageway have to let persons on the slip road onto the main carriageway? Both cases may well have dashed lines that have to be crossed.
Interesting read, thanks for posting!
If you've learnt anything from the article it shows you've not learnt or absorbed anything while you've been riding. 
And reading some of the replies posted it seems a lot have missed the point of the article. .
And reading some of the replies posted it seems a lot have missed the point of the article. .
Never said I learnt anyfink, said I found it interesting! And I agreed with pretty much all of it.
But I already knew it anyway....
But I already knew it anyway....
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