Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them. It was left to me to block the morons by standing in the road holding up the traffic, together with a chap who was working nearby. Even a van with NHS Services on it passed by, completely ignoring the victim's plight.
Luckily he was OK and after a quick check over, we helped him on his way.
But it only reinforced my opinion that the majority of motorists couldn't give a damn about anyone else.
Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them.
And there was the incident in South Wales recently where four separate drivers hit the same pedestrian, and not one of them stopped.
Having said that, when I became intimately acquainted (and even shared some bodily fluids with) the road surface on a very busy roundabout courtesy of the Spilt Diesel Dating Agency, at least three cars stopped, blocking up the roundabout, their drivers doing the Right Thing until the ambulance arrived.
"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them. It was left to me to block the morons by standing in the road holding up the traffic, together with a chap who was working nearby. Even a van with NHS Services on it passed by, completely ignoring the victim's plight.
Luckily he was OK and after a quick check over, we helped him on his way.
But it only reinforced my opinion that the majority of motorists couldn't give a damn about anyone else.
John B
I'm afraid it's the psychology of territory - when drivers are surrounded by a metal frame, windows and in-car entertainment everything outside of that is a different world. Explains agressiveness too - simply defending their territory (which extends from car into local space).
Open cars up! Make them more exposed! Make them more vulnerable!
"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them. It was left to me to block the morons by standing in the road holding up the traffic, together with a chap who was working nearby. Even a van with NHS Services on it passed by, completely ignoring the victim's plight.
Luckily he was OK and after a quick check over, we helped him on his way.
But it only reinforced my opinion that the majority of motorists couldn't give a damn about anyone else.
John B
I'm afraid it's the psychology of territory - when drivers are surrounded by a metal frame, windows and in-car entertainment everything outside of that is a different world. Explains agressiveness too - simply defending their territory (which extends from car into local space).
very true; even more so with the advent of air-con (to the few drivers who have worked out it only works with all the windows shut)
ISTR this "my car is my private world" attitude is what has prevented many of the car-share schemes from taking off.
"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them. It was left to me to block the morons by standing in the road holding up the traffic, together with a chap who was working nearby. Even a van with NHS Services on it passed by, completely ignoring the victim's plight.
Not surprising really. Recently a young woman's car conked out on a busy road where I was riding. I was the only one to stop and push her around a corner onto a side street. Her fellow drivers did nothing.
I'm afraid it's the psychology of territory - when drivers are surrounded by a metal frame, windows and in-car entertainment everything outside of that is a different world. Explains agressiveness too - simply defending their territory (which extends from car into local space).
Drivers are also afraid to get out of their cars. They are anonymous and invisible when in their boxes. They can be afraid to step outside the 'norm' of driver behaviour (which as you say is to ignore the 'outside' world) for fear of embarrassment or just simply bringing attention to themselves. It is simply much easier to ignore and with 10 seconds they are gone.
"Simon Mason" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
<snipped>
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Not surprising really. Recently a young woman's car conked out on a busy road where I was riding. I was the only one to stop and push her around a corner onto a side street. Her fellow drivers did nothing.
.. . . which reminds me of the time I helped push start a car in Edinburgh only to be nearly knocked down by the car following behind.
Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them.
I take it a letter is on its way to the local rag.
-- Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address) <URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/> "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine
"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them. It was left to me to block the morons by standing in the road holding up the traffic, together with a chap who was working nearby. Even a van with NHS Services on it passed by, completely ignoring the victim's plight.
Rather like the story of the driver in New York whose car broke down on a freeway in a snowstorm. After a couple of hours he shot himself because none of the drivers would stop to help.
Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them.
I take it a letter is on its way to the local rag.
I haven't, as its not where i live, but I still may do so.
Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them. It was left to me to block the morons by standing in the road holding up the traffic, together with a chap who was working nearby. Even a van with NHS Services on it passed by, completely ignoring the victim's plight.
Luckily he was OK and after a quick check over, we helped him on his way.
But it only reinforced my opinion that the majority of motorists couldn't give a damn about anyone else.
John B
How awful. Nothing to do with motorists really - more to do with the kind of self-centred me me me world we live in now.
. . . which reminds me of the time I helped push start a car in Edinburgh only to be nearly knocked down by the car following behind.
Tom.
Ah yes, the plight of the Good Samaritan. My Uncle famously gave up his place on a full bus to a couple of Crumblies at the bus stop at Ley Hill many years ago, during a particularly lively thunderstorm. Just a minute or so after the bus pulled away, the bus stop was struck by lightning, giving my Uncle quite severe burns to his neck.
Open cars up! Make them more exposed! Make them more vulnerable!
I'm sure the blokes in a car with open windows stopped at the lights (bottom burgess rd, outside mucdonalds, soton) this evening would rather have been less vunerable when a bunch of local neds decided to spray them and the inside of the car with coke, water and what looked like recycled beer as they started to move off (lights going green).
Driver did a very quick left turn and confronted neds, luckily his passenger shouted to him to stop before he swung for the ring-leader, as two others were already pulling kitchen knives from their waistbands....
Air-con can be a blessing at times!
The neds are the same ones that smash bikes they cannot steal at the uni so they are not our friends!
"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them. It was left to me to block the morons by standing in the road holding up the traffic, together with a chap who was working nearby. Even a van with NHS Services on it passed by, completely ignoring the victim's plight.
Luckily he was OK and after a quick check over, we helped him on his way.
But it only reinforced my opinion that the majority of motorists couldn't give a damn about anyone else.
John B
If they'd have stopped on or near the crossing, they could, and quite likely would, have been fined, like the guy who went through a red light to let an ambulance through. They may also not have seen him until it was too late to stop safely.
-- Tumbleweed
email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com
Luckily he was OK and after a quick check over, we helped him on his way.
But it only reinforced my opinion that the majority of motorists couldn't give a damn about anyone else.
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They may also not have seen him until it was too late to stop safely.
Err, you mean like the ones at the front of the queue that had stopped at the lights to let him cross, saw him fall then drove past him when the lights changed?
"Tumbleweed" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Quoted message said:
Yesterday while riding between two cycle-training sessions in the Aldershot area, an elderly gentleman (75-ish) slipped and fell on a light controlled crossing. He dropped his walking stick and sat there dazed with traffic passing both sides. Not one vehicle stopped, b*st*rds the lot of them.
If they'd have stopped on or near the crossing, they could, and quite likely would, have been fined, like the guy who went through a red light to let an ambulance through.
Tosh. Complete and utter bilge. Who's going to give them a ticket? Plod - no. They'll be helping the guy in the road, if only to clear it for the traffic.
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They may also not have seen him until it was too late to stop safely.
At a guess the traffic will have been creeping past, the occupants occasionally gawing at the strange man sitting there. People may be callous, but on the whole they don't actually want to run the guy over.
"JohnB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Tumbleweed said:
Quoted message said:
Luckily he was OK and after a quick check over, we helped him on his way.
But it only reinforced my opinion that the majority of motorists couldn't give a damn about anyone else.
Quoted message said:
They may also not have seen him until it was too late to stop safely.
Err, you mean like the ones at the front of the queue that had stopped at the lights to let him cross, saw him fall then drove past him when the lights changed?
John B
no not those ones...but were they the 'majority'? -- Tumbleweed
email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com
