How are more people not killed on our Roads

amcalester wrote: »

Drivers already pass helmet wearing cyclists closer then non-helmet wearing ones, the same could happen with mirrors.

Is that a fact?

Graces7 wrote: »

I dread getting behind cyclists on our narrow winding roads when it is impossible to pass them and they are moving side to side as they strive to keep going uphill.. There is nowhere to pull in..

Are we focusing on road deaths here, or are we going to list every minor annoyance on the road? I often wonder why people single out cyclists in scenarios like this, and don't seem to worry so much about getting stuck behind tractors or tankers on narrow winding roads with no room to overtake. As a cyclist, I get stuck behind cars, vans and trucks all the time in the city, but I don't make a song and dance about it. I just wait for a safe opportunity to get past.

erica74 wrote: »

Would there be more than one type of mirror to test out before writing them off? I don't understand why anyone wouldn't at least trial something that may make their road use safer.
All road users should perform a lifesaver before changing direction.

Would you consider trialling a motoring helmet?






About half of all head injuries occur in vehicles, compared to about 2% on bikes, even with airbags and seatbelts etc. So motoring helmets have great potential to save lives and eliminate or reduce injuries. They've got to be worth a shot given that they should make road use safer, right?

erica74 wrote: »

The thing with anyone using our roads is that a lot of people just want to place blame "well, that driver should have been doing x or y", "that cyclist didn't do x or y" but blame and responsibility is irrelevant when you're injured or dead. Thinking "ah well, the other driver was at fault" won't mend your broken leg.
If everyone paid attention, took less stupid risks and wasn't so selfish then the roads might be safer.

One comment I would make about cyclists and pedestrians is that they don't use mirrors when they are switching direction because they obviously don't have mirrors. You can't attach mirrors to pedestrians but I think mirrors on bicycles might be helpful and protect one of the more vulnerable groups on the road. If cyclists had mirrors it might make lane switching safer for them and other road users.

There is a serious danger in taking the 'everyone needs to be responsible' approach. While it is factually correct to say that everyone needs to be responsible, it is in danger of missing the point. 75% of road deaths are motorists killing other motorists and passengers. If we want to reduce road deaths, that is the best place to start. This article explains the dangers of false equivalence.

https://www.roadbikerider.com/views/1194-correcting-the-false-equivalencies-in-the-cars-vs-cyclists-debate

If we could wave a magic wand and fit a mirror to every bike tomorrow, the likely outcome on road deaths is zero change. At best, it might save one or two lives. By contrast, if we could wave a magic wand and fit a speed governor to every car/van/truck to keep them under the speed limit, we would probably cut our road deaths in half, something like 50-80 road deaths saved. That would be 50-80 families less going through Christmas without a loved one.





If we actually want to reduce road deaths, we need to focus on the drivers that are killing three or four people each week. Anything else is a distraction.

Not at all - there was a long discussion about pedestrian issues you might have missed.


But regardless, it is motorists that kill in the case of 99% of road deaths. It's not me 'making' the discussion - that what the data shows.

gctest50 wrote: »

Registration plates for bicycles should reduce it

It would certainly reduce numbers cycling, with the all the consequential impacts that would bring, like bigger traffic jams, reduced public health, jammed car parks and more.


Switzerland tried it and found it was a fairly pointless exercise, a solution looking for a problem, so they got rid of it.


What do you think it would reduce, and why/how?

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

It would certainly reduce numbers cycling, ....

Why would a registration plate reduce the numbers cycling ?

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Because it is a barrier to cycling - it requires an administrative process and an associated cost.

No it's not some huge barrier to cycling


eg. bicycles in Japan are registered :




When you purchase a new bicycle at our local bike store the salesperson will offer to register your bicycle for an additional :

500 yen ( 3.87 Euro) fee.


If you decide to register your bicycle at the time of purchase you will be asked to fill out a form with details including your name, phone number and address and details about the bicycle including maker and serial number etc. Finally you will have to present a valid form of ID.

Once done the shop assistant will place a bright yellow registration sticker on your new bicycle and you're ready to ride. Easy! They will also give you a receipt which you should hold on to for a while just in case you're stopped by police before your registration information has entered the police records.

gctest50 wrote: »

No it's not some huge barrier to cycling


eg. bicycles in Japan are registered :




When you purchase a new bicycle at our local bike store the salesperson will offer to register your bicycle for an additional :

500 yen ( 3.87 Euro) fee.


If you decide to register your bicycle at the time of purchase you will be asked to fill out a form with details including your name, phone number and address and details about the bicycle including maker and serial number etc. Finally you will have to present a valid form of ID.

Once done the shop assistant will place a bright yellow registration sticker on your new bicycle and you're ready to ride. Easy! They will also give you a receipt which you should hold on to for a while just in case you're stopped by police before your registration information has entered the police records.

And what happens when I change address every couple of months, as many students do? And what happens when I pass the bike over to another family member, or a workmate for a while? And what happens if I actually sell the bike?


And more importantly (and for the second time), what benefit arises? What problem does this bureaucracy solve?

Deleted User wrote: »

If I jump into a shark tank the sharks are to blame if I am killed? EVERYONE needs to take personal responsibility. If cyclists were smart enough not to go on the inside of a truck there would be many fewer hurt. Example

If you jump into a swimming pool and get killed by a shark, you might be inclined to blame whoever put the shark in there. Drivers need to not kill people - the basic minimum requirement to getting out on the road. Truck drivers/operators are responsible for their equipment, so if they're driving with blind spots, that is their problem to fix. They need to fit whatever extra mirrors or extra cameras or see-through doors or extra crew on watch - whatever it takes to make sure they don't kill or maim people who are rightfully and legally on the road with them.


Would you like to explain to Rose Hoey's family how she should have taken more responsibility?
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/coroner-s-court/reverse-lights-broken-on-truck-which-killed-ranelagh-pedestrian-1.2567865

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

And what happens when I change address every couple of months, as many students do?

And what happens if I actually sell the bike?

You know exactly what happens


What happens if it was a small moped you bought instead of a bicycle ?

What do students with mopeds do when they want to change address ?


.

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

They comply with the legal requirements for mopeds, which relate to the weight, speed and potential for harm of mopeds

What has that to do with change of address ?

Do i need to spell everything out ?


Where is the problem with just a registration plate ?

gctest50 wrote: »

.You could run a few "competitions" n stuff to get it going

Hand out free registrations and plates

Get one of the radio stations out on the street to "spot a lucky registration "

Give the lucky winner an iPad or smth

And for the fourth time - what benefit would arise from this layer of bureaucracy?


Or should I assume that if you can't spell out what actual benefits would arise, there are no benefits.

dudara wrote: »

We’ve largely fixed the non-wearing of seat belts, we’ve largely fixed drunk driving, and excessive speeding isn’t too common either.

I had thought myself that people not wearing seatbelts was left back in the 1990s but the 2017 RSA stats say otherwise- one in five deaths in a car were due to no seat belt being worn. 20% is pretty high for a device that everyone knows can save your life. Whats worse was the 2015 stats said 30% of children killed in cars were not wearing belts.

Its an even bigger problem in the UK- over there 27% of deaths in cars are caused by people not putting their seat belt on. Mad stuff when you think about it.

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

They comply with the legal requirements for mopeds, which relate to the weight, speed and potential for harm of mopeds.

......

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

weight, speed and potential for harm

Chalie Alliston was doing about

14mph

when he hit and killed Kim Briggs