Cycling UK Forum

dim wrote:

Cunobelin wrote:

dim wrote:Oh well, I suppose each to their own.

However, I will continue to wear hi viz and Proviz at night and use a good blinky rear light both in the day and night when I go on long rides. I will also make sure that my children and grandchildren do likewise

You are aware that "blinky lights" are confusing to drivers, making the judgement of distance difficult?

A solid light is theoretically safer.safer

not in my books ....

as a cyclist and a driver of a car, a fellow cyclist with a good strong light on bright flashing mode is more visible to me on pitch dark roads (even in the day time) than a solid light ... (or should I say I am more aware and alert when someone is using a strong flashing light)

even as a cyclist in the day .... you can spot the guys a mile away who are using proper rear lights on flash mode

same goes for high viz/reflective gear .... you can spot someone a mile ahead who's wearing a Proviz (or similar jacket) .... as a cyclist yourself, you should know as these are becoming very popular especially with cyclists who commute from home to work and back in winter when it's dark ...

but like I said, each to their own .... I will continue to use a strong flashing rear light in the dark and I will continue to wear a proviz reflect jacket .... I feel safer

what you wear or use is of no concern to me

pete75 wrote:

Cowsham wrote:Is there a fibre optic lead that could be mounted on your handle bars to let you see if your rear lamp is still on? That would be a good addition on long journeys.

What's the chance of an LED light failing though? In any case a glance behind will show if the rear light is working.

RickH wrote:

Cowsham wrote:If I ever need a dissertation on the pros and cons of arguing ( not arging ) for hi vis I'll know who to ask -- get hi vis -- poor old Mike would probably be alive today if he'd been wearing his.

But, by all accounts*, he was perfectly visible on the night that he was hit. I think it is in very poor taste to suggest that he was in any way responsible for his own death!

(*There's a YouTube video taken by some dotwatchers who caught up with him earlier the same night.)

mattheus wrote:

rmurphy195 wrote:In answer to the question posed in the title - to avoid being seen

Is that why police uniforms are black? Are they hiding?

Mike Sales wrote:

Cowsham wrote:
Do you drive?

I drove for a few years when my elderly mother needed a chauffeur. I have never owned a car.
That experience taught me, even more strongly, that most drivers ignore the excellent advice in the H.C.
At night they drive at such a speed that they cannot stop within the distance they can see to be clear. They depend upon it being likely that anything they hit will suffer more than they, protected as they are in a car, and insured against financial loss. It may be that I have poor night vision, but I don't think so. I hated night driving because I felt compelled to drive more slowly than the generality of drivers.
I kept to speed limits and so collected a tail of impatient idiots who disregarded limits.
I left a sufficient gap to the vehicle ahead, and very much appreciated those who did not try to crawl up my exhaust pipe.
I switched off my engine when parked but in the car, and of course when out of it.
I switched off my engine at level crossings.
I felt quite OK when driving in the manner I want drivers to drive when they are around me on my bike, rather than the way other drivers see as normal.
Drivers acknowledge, if they are honest, that they drive in one way to pass the driving test, and quite another way when they have passed it.
I never parked on the pavement, or in a cycle lane.
I liked to leave enough room for mistakes, whether made by me or by others.

I once read that professional chauffeurs take care not to throw their passengers around. By anticipation, which cyclists learn, and lightfootedness I think I achieved this. Some of my passengers remarked upon it.
I think that my lifetime experience as a cyclist made me a better driver, and that all drivers would benefit from cycling experience.

Mike Sales wrote:

Cowsham wrote:

Mike Sales wrote:
You saved a cyclist from yourself.
It's an odd way to put it.
By that measure most drivers save hundreds of pedestrians and perhaps fewer cyclists every week, by not running them over!

Who was best equipped to be on that road that night me or the cyclist?

Who was most likely to die and who to kill?
Who was in charge of a lethal machine, and very nearly failed to discharge the responsibility which goes with that?
Who was only just going slowly enough to avoid killing, when he failed to ascertain that the road was clear within his stopping distance?

Mike Sales wrote:

Cowsham wrote:
I saved an irresponsible illegal cyclists life one wet pitch dark night because I was driving correctly.

You saved a cyclist from yourself.
It's an odd way to put it.
By that measure most drivers save hundreds of pedestrians and perhaps fewer cyclists every week, by not running them over!

The utility cyclist wrote:

Cowsham wrote:Just in from a cycle in the rain there -- it's getting dark last few miles -- I'm like a mobile Xmas tree but met one old chap who'd obviously either forgot to put his lights on the bike or spent too long cycling or whatever dressed completely in dark colours -- I cycled on by without a word said just in case he'd get stroppy about it. Hope he doesn't have too far to go.

So you had no problem seeing him then, really, just actually looking and seeing and going at a speed you can stop well within the distance you can see to be clear is all you need to abide by to not hurt an innocent person.

mattheus wrote:

Cowsham wrote: Just noticed how many cyclists are very aggressive towards car drivers -- I've cycled all my life and yes I've seen many stupid things car drivers do but I just expect them to be stupid and allow for that when I cycle. I don't get all worked up about it -- noticed the same phenomena with my motorcycle mates -- some are unnecessarily angry at car drivers for the slightest thing. It gets a bit embarrassing to watch them sometimes.

Whereas many drivers become unnecessarily angry at cyclists who have done nothing whatsoever wrong (and certainly haven't put the driver at any risk); should drivers be embarassed by their comrades' approach? Are you?


(I'm also curious about your phrase "very aggresive" - do you mean they pop home to fetch their car, then try to run the offending drivers over? That would seem the only way to keep-up with some of the aggression shown by many drivers on these shores.)

Mike Sales wrote:

Cowsham wrote: A lot of cyclists have a tendency to lay all blame on the driver and seem to be discourteous to all motorists even with the knowledge there can only be one winner.

Irrelevant.

Discourtesy!
They may well be mildly annoyed that they often have drivers discourteous enough to threaten their lives at no risk to themselves.
You must know that all sane cyclists are well aware of the consequences of being hit by a car.
Or perhaps you are talking about cyclists who don't get out of the way fast enough, or insist on claiming their priority?