joe careless":22kkd4hk said:
I drive and cycle, one thing I have come to the conclusion is learner drivers NEED to be put on a bicycle training course before they get a license.
it's not just new learners that need to be put on a cycle course, with the exception of no more than a handful of incidents, all my near misses, and in one case where the guy knocked me off and drove off, have all been people who i assume have held a license for at least 15 years? it's not just the mindset of "the road belongs to cars" it's also that a lot of people, once they jump in that metal box on wheels, get far too complacent and don't think about "what if i do have an accident" and are too willing to take risks, eg nip out in front of a car or cyclist to get down the sidestreet rather than wait an extra 5 seconds til it has passed. i use this as an example because for me it's the most common cause for me having to slam on the anchors, the secondmost being people not using indicators and mirrors, turning left and me ploughing into the wing of the car/taxi/van, then being given abuse for not watching where im going
i ride only 2 miles to work on a busy'ish road between 9:30am-10am 6 days a week, and i could guarantee that i'd have a close call at least 4 times a week. i know i'm probably going to get "well YOU must of been doing something wrong", but i did it all by the book because i knew if i did have a collision and i wasnt "legit" as it were, eg lights, hi viz etc, i wouldn't have a leg to stand on. i actually found that i felt safer riding my 35-50 mile training loop on the country lanes than the 2 mile to work.
