Idiots on the road!

jackp

So I am going to complain as everyone does about the general terrible English drivers!
I have had a few very close near misses which could had very possibly be very fatal
This time about a week ago early in the morning on the way to work when i was coming out on to a busy road in a rush,went out safely with a car'' indicating '' at about 50 mph,but went straight on very closely missing me which ended up with the car nearly hitting a tree on the bank and angry people in the car saying it was my fault
And a few weeks ago people some thrown some crap at me as they didn't like cyclists
And Beasty motorbikes who rush past you closely trying to prove there faster or something
anyway stuff like this should definitely not put us off at all, if anything i think these people are gelius in a way as a growing %of the world are lazy couch sitters who are not motivated to do much

fast as fupp

innit bro'

KillerMetre

jackp wrote:

So I am going to complain as everyone does about the general terrible English drivers!
I have had a few very close near misses which could had very possibly be very fatal
This time about a week ago early in the morning on the way to work when i was coming out on to a busy road in a rush,went out safely with a car'' indicating '' at about 50 mph,but went straight on very closely missing me which ended up with the car nearly hitting a tree on the bank and angry people in the car saying it was my fault
And a few weeks ago people some thrown some crap at me as they didn't like cyclists
And Beasty motorbikes who rush past you closely trying to prove there faster or something
anyway stuff like this should definitely not put us off at all, if anything i think these people are gelius in a way as a growing %of the world are lazy couch sitters who are not motivated to do much

I dont pull out until it is obvious that the driver is actually intending to turn,basically I always wait until they have comleted the turn.I admit to leaving my indicator on without realising a few times.

My general motto when cycling is dont trust anyone and I treat all drivers as potential morons,even if the vast majority are not.

father_jack

yup there's a T junction near me, I never turn right if there's oncoming traffic, even if they are indicating left.

derbygrimpeur

jackp wrote:

i was coming out on to a busy road in a rush,went out safely with a car'' indicating '' at about 50 mph,but went straight on very closely missing me which ended up with the car nearly hitting a tree on the bank and angry people in the car saying it was my fault

Sounds like it was your fault. Not supposed to pull out at a T-junction unless the approaching car has actually started turning.

father_jack

Had a almost, turning right into side road, and woman overtakes on the right :roll: chevrons on the road too

danlikesbikes

KillerMetre wrote:

jackp wrote:

So I am going to complain as everyone does about the general terrible English drivers!
I have had a few very close near misses which could had very possibly be very fatal
This time about a week ago early in the morning on the way to work when i was coming out on to a busy road in a rush,went out safely with a car'' indicating '' at about 50 mph,but went straight on very closely missing me which ended up with the car nearly hitting a tree on the bank and angry people in the car saying it was my fault
And a few weeks ago people some thrown some crap at me as they didn't like cyclists
And Beasty motorbikes who rush past you closely trying to prove there faster or something
anyway stuff like this should definitely not put us off at all, if anything i think these people are gelius in a way as a growing %of the world are lazy couch sitters who are not motivated to do much

I dont pull out until it is obvious that the driver is actually intending to turn,basically I always wait until they have comleted the turn.I admit to leaving my indicator on without realising a few times.

My general motto when cycling is dont trust anyone and I treat all drivers as potential morons,even if the vast majority are not.

+1 for that advice.

Whilst it is sad that you nearly got taken out - if you were in a car it would be no different and as you are pretty aware drivers at juntions and roundabout do seem for some unknown reason to either forget or indicate the wrong way to the way they are going. On a bike you are all the more vunerable to car drivers & I never really thought about it as a car driver and a bike rider. That was until I learnt to ride a motorbike a few years ago and the added speed certainly makes you hyper aware of how much you are at risk from car users whilst sat in lane 2 of a 3 lane motorway doing 70 (ish) miles and hour.

Just remember that most road users are OK if not a little naive to other road users let alone motorcyclists or bike riders. Its the minority that are really dangerous but they would be the same with a walker or other car drivers and you cant account for simple dumb ass drivers you just got to try to be superaware of them and sadly try to stay out of their way.

09phillt

I got rear-ended by a bus yersterday because earlier on I didn't let him pull out a side road onto the road I was travelling on. What a knob.

Buppy (banned)

It's been a good day. no idiots so far unless you include the cyclist I saw trying to undertake a large van at a set of traffic lights - looked shocked when the van started moving and turning left too. Somehow this nob had failed to notice that the lights were about to change and that the van was indicating left. I noticed both those clues, call me Sherlock (it was by Baker Street Station ) and went round the van on the right, never had to stop, and nobby boy who'd previously gone all out to overtake me looked a right pratt.

mabarbie

Buppy (banned) wrote:

It's been a good day. no idiots so far unless you include the cyclist I saw trying to undertake a large van at a set of traffic lights - looked shocked when the van started moving and turning left too. Somehow this nob had failed to notice that the lights were about to change and that the van was indicating left. I noticed both those clues, call me Sherlock (it was by Baker Street Station ) and went round the van on the right, never had to stop, and nobby boy who'd previously gone all out to overtake me looked a right pratt.

I remember cycling in london (loved it to bits by the way) and seeing this exact same thing happen so often. Sometimes though it would be people with little confidence not wanting to go out from near the kerb and hoping to get a jump on the traffic instead of being patient. When there was a little les congestion I would then use the bus lane to really go for it, but undertaking is almost the most stupid thing you could do in london traffic.

Oh and never ever believe what a car driver might do if it is indicating or not, the drier might always change their mind at the last second.

cristoff

"i was coming out on to a busy road in a rush"

Hmmm, the clues in the question, as they say :roll: :roll:

briantrumpet

I agree with those who never trust anyone on the road ... my default position is that each one might kill me - intentionally or unintentionally - and I certainly wouldn't trust an indicator.

I've had two close calls this week - both in broad daylight, quite different from each other, but both could have had nasty outcomes. The first was as I sailed down a main road at about 30mph at a safe distance behind the car in front. The car in front of me passed the entrance to the local football club on my side of the road, a car waiting to turn right into the club from the other direction starts to turn as soon as the car in front of me had passed the entrance. Much yelling - whether it was that or they saw me just in time, but they fortunately slowed a bit just in time for me to sueeze through - I had no escape route, and I wouldn't have stopped in time.

The second was most bizarre - I was coming down to a T-junction to turn right, slowing down to the T, and a car, quite slowly coming from the main road turning right into my road, cuts the corner, straight towards me. Absolutely straight towards me, I was now stationary. He kept on coming, so at the last minute somehow I dismounted and jumped out of the way, chucking the bike sideways. Then he stopped as I was actually against his door. I can only assume that as he cut the corner across the T that I was obscured by the windscreen column. "Sorry mate, I don't normally cut corners - and I just didn't see you". Nor the bright red jacket with luminous stuff on it, nor the white/black/silver bike. In broad daylight, him doing about just 5-10mph.

There are so many good and considerate drivers out there, but it's not just idiots who will try to kill you - it only takes a moment of poor concentration on the part of the driver or the cyclist to provide a potentially fatal situation.

donkykong

i can remember 30 + years ago being flipped across a car bonnet on a traffic island, whilst lying in the middle looking at the daises, the driver who must have been 90 at the time, said sorry mate, your bike looks to be in a bit of a mess , can i give you a lift home. errr !!!!

andi1363

IAM says a flashing indicator tell you only that the bulb is working!