AA Roadwatch Survey

Tenzor07

Just listening to Spin FM at lunch time, talking about this survey:

www.thejournal.ie/one-in-eight-drivers-admit-to-collision-or-near-miss-with-cyclists-328853-Jan2012/

What do people think?

kenmc

I think you shouldn't listen to that station

GlennaMaddy

Just read their stats and recommendations, suprisingly, they have sound advice for motorists when approaching cyclists. They advise cyclists to light up ar night too and can't say I blame them on that score as I've seen more ninjas than usual lately

Tenzor07

Certainly a lot of chatter in the media about Bicycle users on the roads these days...

The recession appears to have brought a large number of Bicycle users onto the roads of Dublin etc, one's who have probably not slung there leg over a bicycle in 20years or more and who have "forgotten" to pay even a glancing acknowledgement to the rules of the road, and due to cost(?) don't bother to purchase lights!



(and whatever about Spin, i didnt have a choice about the station! :P )

DirkVoodoo

Pretty tragic reading. The comments I mean.

With half-wits like that behind the wheel of a car, no wonder there are so many accidents.

Seriously, bring in some more questions to the theory test:

Should cyclists pay road tax? Yes....FAIL, f**k off and get the bus for 5 years.

Tenzor07

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Should cyclists pay road tax? Yes....FAIL, f**k off and get the bus for 5 years.

Yea I heard that one alrite! What was worse is that neither presenters corrected those remarks.....:rolleyes:

rich.d.berry

Tenzor07 wrote: »

...and due to cost(?) don't bother to purchase lights!

I hate ninjas! That is such a poor excuse with the price of lights these days. €20 - €30 Will buy a reasonable light set. Add €20 for some rechargeable batteries and a charger and you're sorted for a year or more. They could even charge the batteries at work if they're that desperate to save money. That's way less that €5 per month over a very conservative year. My lights and batteries last me 3 to 4 years, though I do tend to buy lights more regularly. I currently have 4 front lights and 3 back lights.

Back on topic though. I think that any sort of publicity, even negative, that makes people think about cyclists and pedestrians is good. Let's face it, I'd rather be around a driver who hates me being on the road but notices me than an indifferent driver who doesn't see me.

Kintarō Hattori

rich.d.berry wrote: »

I hate ninjas! That is such a poor excuse with the price of lights these days. €20 - €30 Will buy a reasonable light set. Add €20 for some rechargeable batteries and a charger and you're sorted for a year or more. They could even charge the batteries at work if they're that desperate to save money. That's way less that €5 per month over a very conservative year. My lights and batteries last me 3 to 4 years, though I do tend to buy lights more regularly. I currently have 4 front lights and 3 back lights.

Time to post about these again. As I've said already they aren't ideal as your main lights but something is better than nothing and at just over €1 delivered there is no excuse in the world not to have a set with you.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/2-1-Brand-New-Mini-Bright-LED-Bicycle-Bike-Safety-Light-/360412856216?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53ea47bf98#ht_5904wt_1002

doozerie

“Naturally road surfaces are slicker and visibility can be affected during downpours, cyclists may swerve to avoid a puddle you won’t necessarily see,” said AA Ireland’s Conor Faughnan.
“Pedestrians will be anxious to get out of the rain – so motorists should exercise extreme care and expect the unexpected.”

I can't argue with either of those points, cyclists may swerve to avoid a puddle and pedestrians may be in a greater hurry to get out of the rain, but there is no mention at all of the fact that motorists too can be in a greater hurry in the rain. Certainly my experience of wet weather commuting is that many people, motorists included, seem much more inclined to rush forward to fill that gap in traffic without applying the same degree of observation as they might at other times, they seem much more inclined to race through a junction long after their traffic light has gone red, etc.

Perhaps it is because traffic grinds even more to a halt in wet weather that the patience of peoples in traffic seems even shorter, but whatever the reason motorists are just as guilty of being extra careless and/or reckless in wet weather as anyone else. The AA should be appealing to motorists to apply a bit more common sense to their own actions when driving in wet weather just as much as they appeal to them to make greater allowance for the (silly or otherwise) antics of others. From the content of that particular article the AA's emphasis seems entirely one-sided.