Half asleep

richteacp
richteacp Posts: 1,137
edited June 2007 in Commuting chat
Close shave this morning. Was still half asleep after a heavy weekend and lost concentration on way to work - didn't see a car turning right through a queue of traffic early enough.. slammed brakes/locked the fixie to hard in the wet and skidded helplessly onwards. Luckily the driver stopped and let me sail past. Phew! If you're reading, I do apologise.

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Comments

  • BentMikey
    BentMikey Posts: 4,895
    Surely the car driver should be apologising, rather than you? It's his responsibility to watch for traffic. You may have had a failure of defensive riding, but that's all IMO.
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  • Mosschops2
    Mosschops2 Posts: 1,774
    Just had this question in ASL. If you're in a car, pulling out / turning right in a car, is it not the overtaker's "responsibility" to travel at a speed where he can stop within a car length? My neighbour did just that two weeks ago, and smacked into a motorcyclist, doing 30mph down the outside of a stationary queue of traffic. I'm not sure what the "official" position is - I'm sure the insurance position on this is clear cut (ie an easy decision, whether it goes one way or the other, or is a 50/50), but I don't know what it is....

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  • richteacp
    richteacp Posts: 1,137
    Swings and roundabouts really. She (the driver) took due care though I think. There was also a cyclist in front of me who had stopped to let her pull across the bus lane which *really* should have alerted me that a vehicle was going to pull out from traffic, but NO. Stupid richtea.

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  • Spikey_David
    Spikey_David Posts: 449
    I think it is primarily the responsibility of the vehicle pulling out. See highway code rule 187. They might be able to argue contributory negligence for riding too fast given the poor visibility caused by queued traffic.
  • Tynancp
    Tynancp Posts: 160
    due care really, courts tend to be unsympathetic to motorcyclists knocked off while filtering or passing along the outside, 30mph is too fast on a suburban or residential road with turnings

    but legally and morally and all the rest the person pulling out has to be sure it's safe to do so, it can be done with care, people either can't be bothered to look properly or they plain don't even consider that bikes might be involved and moving when other traffic is stopped

    another stopped bike did sort of give the driver reason to carry on mind, as you say, and they did stop so did see you, bit lucky perhaps

    locked the rear this morning too and went easier thereafter, the slick tarmac ain't nice in the wet

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