Quote:
Originally Posted by Guinness
Didn't respond because I thought Gremlin had already busted your argument by distinguishing between inside lanes and gutters regarding undertaking……did you read rule 68 in your link about riding in a dangerous, careless or inconsiderate manner?
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Yep - did you follow up and read the statute that is behind that entry in the highway code? It's so subjective there's no point having it as law. In the example we're discussing, what one driver says is "dangerous riding" a cyclist will see as "making progress". It's borne out by the number of convictions you (don't) see for dangerous cycling or careless/inconsiderate cycling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guinness
...No doubt you will now quote me some part of the highway code about how overtaking is legal even for cyclists, whilst ignoring the dangerous, careless and inconsiderate bits...
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You seem to have taken this quite personally. I'm not an apologist for cyclists - they irritate me as well.
Yesterday, I was driving up Accrington Road out of Whalley and met a pair of cyclists alongside each other well out from the kerb. It prevented me from passing (it's a left-hand bend) and by the time I did pass the lights had changed. so their inconsiderate riding cost me time and money (fuel cost having to wait at lights and get moving again when green). I've not mentioned it to anyone, not put the dashcam footage on youtube and didn't get upset with them at the time. I only mention it now to illustrate my point that they get to everyone.
I haven't ridden a bike on the road for 29 years. If the drivers scared me back then, you can imagine how worried I'd be now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guinness
Oh… and I’d appreciate it if you could point me to the part of my original post that indicated I wasn’t driving defensively.
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I didn't, it was a general "you" meaning everyone, not specifically at Guinness. I think you're right that proportionally, there are more idiots among cyclists than there are among drivers. One has to remember (did you see what I did there?) that an idiot on a bike is far less likely to kill than an idiot in a car.
I used to think I'm an average driver. Not particularly good, but safe. My wife definitely thinks I'm safe. However, I went on a driving assessment about ten days ago for a job, and was told all the things I'm doing wrong. Turns out I'm an awful driver. I passed the assessment, but only because I adapted what I was doing whenever the examiner said "you need to do this" or "you should consider what that car might do". If I'd carried on with my so called "safe" driving, I would have failed. No driver likes to have their driving criticised, even when they have technically asked for that criticism.
One more thing - I refer you to your point about getting out of the way of the ambulance. Blue light services ask that you do not break the law in order to let them get past. Driving on the pavement is breaking the law.
from Gem Motoring Assist
I've always done it (when safe), in the belief that the "extenuating circumstances" will protect the driver from prosecution, but they don't. After reading up on it, even the emergency services driving under blue lights don't get immunity from breaking the law, without a ton of paperwork.