Avoiding Accidents On The Road

[sharkantropo]

How many people actually follow the traffic rules? Like those that already suffered an accident tend to pay more attention to guidelines and rules. Because overconfidence is a pretty human thing, people let their guard down when performing something as habitual as driving. People living in awful places prone to accidents are more aware, but this should not be the ideal thing a society must achieve.

 

[pwarbi]

Well thankfully I do not see much of the traffic stop movement from cyclists as I do not really live in a large congested city, which is where I am assuming this happens the most. It is dangerous though, and it is not really fair to motorists so I can see why this is causing some strife between the two. There are plenty of things that motorists do that anger cyclists too though, so it goes both ways.

I think that's one of the main issues though and both cyclists and other road users all just need to understand that they don't own the road. In a lot of cities the road is clearly marked out as to who should be going where, and I think if people actually took notice of these road markings, then it would be a lot easier for everybody.

 

[pwarbi]

Well thankfully I do not see much of the traffic stop movement from cyclists as I do not really live in a large congested city, which is where I am assuming this happens the most. It is dangerous though, and it is not really fair to motorists so I can see why this is causing some strife between the two. There are plenty of things that motorists do that anger cyclists too though, so it goes both ways.

I live in one of the busiest cities in the UK, and although we have got cycle lanes, even that doesn't stop accidents that really should and could be avoided. motorists don't respect the cycle lanes like they should for one, but I have to admit that cyclists don't help themselves either as instead of staying IN the cycle lane, they'd rather take a shorter route and they take risks that in hindsight, can be dangerous.

 

[Corzhens]

How many people actually follow the traffic rules? Like those that already suffered an accident tend to pay more attention to guidelines and rules. Because overconfidence is a pretty human thing, people let their guard down when performing something as habitual as driving. People living in awful places prone to accidents are more aware, but this should not be the ideal thing a society must achieve.

You can say that again. There is one city here with bike lanes and I thought that would be a safety measure for riders - motorcycles and bikers. But whenever I would go to that city, I tend to observe the bike lane. More often than not, there are riders outside the bike lane and some are even trying to race with my car (maybe I drive slow but that's beside the point). No matter how many safety measure

 

[pwarbi]

We have cycle lanes in most of the major towns and cities here in the UK, but the main issue is that you don't actually have to use them by law. Your expected to, and if there's an accident involving you on a bike outside a cycle lane then you'll be expected to explain as to why you wasn't in it, but that's as far as it goes.

I've seen cyclists on the road ride past police cars and they haven't pulled them up as to why they aren't in the cycle lane as there's no actual law in place to say that riding outside of the cycle lane is illegal.

 

[Damien Lee]

Those guidelines make sense, especially in places where there is a lot of road congestion. There are not as many cyclists on the road where I live, as in Manila. So these guidelines wouldn't really make sense in my country. Most cyclists tend to file up, one behind the other when using the roads, and at busy stops. This reduces the risk of bumping into cars or other cyclists.

 

[pwarbi]

As you say, not all cities around the world will be the same, and you will have to adjust the way you ride depending on how busy it is. Riding in a city like Manilla (even though I've never been) will be totally different to riding in a city such as London I'd expect, and even though both are busy, they will both have different rules as to how you should cycle when your in them.

The rules of the road are generally the same across the world, but you are going to have to make some adjustments in your riding style I should imagine.

 

[9lines]

We must obey the road rules if we want to avoid accidents even though most accidents have been linked to careless driving. We must also know all the traffic signs so that we can easily use our roads. It is nowadays becoming difficult for cyclists to ride in cities because of that traffic experienced there. We should avoid riding on busy roads and look for alternative routes that we can use. That is when we can also avoid being involved in accidents.

 

[hades_leae]

I don't understand why some bikers assume they are immune to some traffic laws because they are bicycles, or motorcycles for that matter. I see a lot of bikers who cross in and out of traffic, especially when it's backed up.

I see motorcycle riders who also do this on the freeway because the bike can fit. If I did that in a car and a police saw it, they wouldn't care that my vehicle fit if I broke traffic laws.

They can cause accidents that will back up traffic as well, and should care more about the laws while on bikes.

 

[pwarbi]

I don't understand why some bikers assume they are immune to some traffic laws because they are bicycles, or motorcycles for that matter. I see a lot of bikers who cross in and out of traffic, especially when it's backed up.

I see motorcycle riders who also do this on the freeway because the bike can fit. If I did that in a car and a police saw it, they wouldn't care that my vehicle fit if I broke traffic laws.

They can cause accidents that will back up traffic as well, and should care more about the laws while on bikes.

Here in the UK in standing traffic it's actually perfectly legal for a motorcyclist to weave in an out in between cars as long as they are stationary and it's called filtering. If the bike can fit, it can be ridden in between the cars that are queuing. That isn't the case with bicycles, but a lot of cyclist do that, and maybe it's because the laws aren't clear and whats allowed for one, isn't allowed for another.

 

[hades_leae]

That isn't the case with bicycles, but a lot of cyclist do that, and maybe it's because the laws aren't clear and whats allowed for one, isn't allowed for another.

It would be nice to have laws like that where I live, it seems that that law creators are biased and choose to regulate what they want and not solely on what really matters, or whether or not something can pose a danger to people lives in traffic.

Here in America, there are some states where one law is legal but in another it's not. I find that to be ridiculous, but anyways, I follow the rules because I don't want to go to jail, I was stopped many times for not having lights on my bike. I removed the standard reflectors because I paint bikes, and I don't like them on there, especially if they don't match my paint variations.

When I put them back on, I still got stopped for following the law, I was told that I needed actual lights in the front and back to ride in the dark in the street because I'm seen by law as a vehicle even though I'm riding a bike.

 

[pwarbi]

The US is obviously a lot different than the UK and the laws do tend to change from one state to the next and that's what causes most of the issues I think as people simply don't know the in's and out's of all the different laws from one state to another.

While here in the UK some of the laws can seem a little ridiculous sometimes, at least they're ridiculous nationwide so we can't have the excuse that we was unaware of them and so I guess we can take that as a positive if nothing else!

 

[serf]

you can ride as carefully as ever but it only takes one mistake by you or more than likely the other road users around you to cause an accident.

 

[Froze]

It would be nice to have laws like that where I live, it seems that that law creators are biased and choose to regulate what they want and not solely on what really matters, or whether or not something can pose a danger to people lives in traffic.

Here in America, there are some states where one law is legal but in another it's not. I find that to be ridiculous, but anyways, I follow the rules because I don't want to go to jail, I was stopped many times for not having lights on my bike. I removed the standard reflectors because I paint bikes, and I don't like them on there, especially if they don't match my paint variations.

When I put them back on, I still got stopped for following the law, I was told that I needed actual lights in the front and back to ride in the dark in the street because I'm seen by law as a vehicle even though I'm riding a bike.

Eventually all states will require lights, most do now, I think only about 6 states don't require lights and those require reflectors. Some cities won't enforce any bike laws the state may have, where I live they could care less if a person rides around without reflectors or lights of any kind, yet the state I live in requires either a reflector or a light, so I'm in one of the backward states since all I really need is a virtually useless reflector.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

How many people actually follow the traffic rules? ....quote of post #21 since the poster is not likely around.

I've never been in an accident and yes I obey the law. I ride where there are many 4 way stop sign intersections. I have found stopping really earns the respect of local drivers. I can stop after 3 vehicles and they will all wave me on. Very courteous. I'm guessing they like to see us stop too.

My main reason for obeying laws is safety. I have seen plenty of forum members who constantly complain about drivers do some real stupid things. Like going head on with a car on a mtn road. Guy who claims to be an expert rider. Experts don't take the opposite lane descending a mtn with switchbacks at 30 MPH.

And of course the 2 cycling dopes that almost took me out on the road by blowing the 4 way stops on my rides. Funny I have no problem with traffic, but other cyclists seem to be more of a danger to me while on the road.



Check this out. This is a video recorded by other cyclists emailed to me so that I could post it on the net for them. Yeah, these kinds of idiots who don't follow the laws make it dangerous for everybody.

This is pretty much like the 2 idiots (separate occasions) that almost took me out at intersections similar to this one. Only I was already about 3/4 of the way through the intersection.

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View: https://youtu.be/_X0bG8l1fOQ

 

[Froze]

that sort of lunacy happens a lot where I live, sometimes right in front of cops and the cops do nothing. Then when a motorist hits one of these cyclists the entire cyclist community gets their panties all in a bunch and blame the motorist.

 

[jomzkie]

By obeying the road rules you agree to keep yourself off trouble. By sandwiching yourself between two moving vehicles you risk being hurt. A small mistake might even result to a very fatal accident. You also risk being fined heavily if you do not obey road rules.

this is exactly true and truth be said every commuter and cyclist should obey the proper rules to avoid any untoward happenings.

 

[JB Fernandez]

By obeying the road rules you agree to keep yourself off trouble. By sandwiching yourself between two moving vehicles you risk being hurt. A small mistake might even result to a very fatal accident. You also risk being fined heavily if you do not obey road rules.

The problem about the other bikers is they are exploiting the advantages of driving a bike which is small, they are always squeezing their way in between of two vehicles. Whenever there's a space, they will grab it. Even though there's a risk of being sandwiched by other vehicles. Bikers also tend to disregard traffic rules.

 

[treecko142]

There really should be guidelines enforced by law in collaboration with actual riders in order to teach discipline to other people who don't even understand basic traffic rules. It's dangerous not only to the rider but also to the pedestrians and car owners. These people with no common sense or regard for people's safety give responsible bicycle riders a bad reputation.

 

[snipertrolls]

Guidelines are only guidelines still we are the one who make the decision.As car-owner,motorcycle rider, i read and study all the guidelines and find it effective for me.Not all people follow this guideline as they are lack of self-discipline and they
do not respect any authorized person who set this guidelines.