Is road cycling dangerous?



Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by hyper:
"Consequently, according to Newsday, Long Islands local paper, "Suffolk, Nassau and eight other Long Island communities have signed on to a so-called Safe Streets initiative."

I spit coffee thru my nose! You owe me a free screen cleaning!

This will fail as hard as the SAFE Act regarding firearms. NY is the East Coast Failboat.
I sympathize with your skepticism. However, the operative word in the sentence "It appears, then, that something good for cyclists may come of this" is may.
 
I sympathize with your sympathy, but we can't determine the efficacy of the initiative until we have read it!
 
Originally Posted by urge2kill
I sympathize with your sympathy, but we can't determine the efficacy of the initiative until we have read it!
Precisely. I am presuming nothing about it.
 
Elderly cyclist killed after crash with Mercedes car in Edinburgh STV 16 February 2014 17:36 GMT

103434-pedestrian-killed-in-fife-crash.jpg


Crash: Cyclist killed after collision with car in Edinburgh.

A cyclist has been killed in a road crash after he was knocked down by a Mercedes car in Edinburgh.

Police are appealing for witnesses after the 78-year-old man died in the road collision at around 10am on Sunday.

The man had been cycling on the B800 Kirkliston to South Queensferry road when his silver mountain bike was involved in a crash with a black Mercedes B class car.

Road Policing Sergeant Ross Drummond said: "We have been unable to trace any witnesses to this accident which happened just before 10am.

"I am appealing for anyone who saw either the man on his bike - he was wearing every day clothing and was not in specialised cycling clothes - or the car around this time.

"We would like to hear from anyone who can assist us in any way."

The driver of the car, who was uninjured, stopped and has been helping police with the investigation.

The road was closed for a number of hours while police carried out their inquiries.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800555111.

http://news.stv.tv/east-central/264315-cyclist-killed-in-crash-on-b800-kirkliston-to-south-queensferry/
 
Two cyclists killed in ‘police car chase’ near flood-hit Purley on Thames Mark Molloy Friday 14 Feb 2014 11:40 am
ad_127210099.jpg
Two cyclists were killed in flood-hit Purley on Thames (Picture: PA)

Two cyclists were killed after being struck by a car during a suspected police pursuit in West Berkshire.

The victims were hit by a black BMW on the A329 Purley Rise in Purley on Thames at 9pm yesterday, police say.

Officers were responding to a ‘fear-for-welfare’ incident and became aware of the black BMW convertible related to the call-out.

One of the riders was named locally as 29-year-old father-of-two John Moorland.

ad_127210150.jpg
Police were responding to a ‘fear-for-welfare’ incident (Picture: PA)

A local resident said he saw a big flash of light and when he looked out, he saw two bodies lying on the ground outside his house.

The resident, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I’ve been told it was a police chase.

‘The car rolled over and ended up outside the house and someone was being cut out of it. I didn’t do anything as the police were already here.’

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: ‘The BMW, which was travelling on the A329 Purley Rise, subsequently collided with two cyclists, who both died at the scene.

‘Specialist officers are currently in the process of informing and supporting their next of kin.’

ad_127210191.jpg


A bicycle seat and other debris in bushes near the scene (Picture: PA)

The BMW’s driver was injured and taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. A man was later arrested in connection with the incident.

Parish council chairman Rick Jones said: ‘Reading is nearby and car crime is a normal occurrence in areas like that.

‘I do know of cars being stolen and police chasing them, and that road where the incident happened lends itself to cars travelling fast.
‘It’s a shock. It’s a very quiet village normally.’

The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Purley on Thames is one of the areas worst hit by the flooding in the Thames Valley
 
Championship racing driver is jailed for 21 months after crashing and killing cyclist while chatting on the phone to his girlfriend
  • Frank Wrathall had one hand on the wheel when he killed Paul Fingleton
  • The Touring Car driver had been on his mobile to Zara Watt for 8 minutes
  • Star racer was in a van towing his race car when he killed father-of-one
  • 26-year-old jailed for 21 months and banned from driving for four years
By Martin Robinson

PUBLISHED: 10:52 EST, 7 February 2014 | UPDATED: 01:45 EST, 8 February 2014


A top motor racing driver who knocked down and killed a cyclist while he was talking to his model girlfriend on his mobile phone was jailed yesterday.
Frank Wrathall, 27, a leading British Touring Car Championship driver, had been chatting to Zara Watt for almost eight minutes with one hand on the steering wheel – while towing his racing car – when he hit Paul Fingleton on May 14, 2012.
Mr Fingleton, 47 – described as a ‘devoted family man’ – had been watching his 14-year-old daughter Hannah play at a local tennis club with his wife Ann before leaving early to prepare supper for his family.
article-2553969-1B45D33000000578-654_634x605.jpg
icon_camera_90x68.png
+10
Shame: Frank Wrathall (left) with his girlfriend Zara Watt, who were chatting on the phone for almost ten minutes before he killed Paul Fingleton with his van

Jailed: The British Touring Car Championship driver, pictured today, was sentenced to 21 months in prison today after he knocked down and killed the father-of-one, right

Wrathall, who was driving a Citroen van, failed to spot Mr Fingleton and cut across him at a roundabout in Preston – knocking the chartered accountant off his bicycle and leaving him with severe injuries to his head and spine. He died later in hospital.
The racing driver from Barnacre, Lancashire, initially denied causing death by careless driving but later changed his plea.

Yesterday Wrathall’s lawyer told Liverpool Crown Court his career was ‘finished’ after he was sentenced to 21 months in prison and banned from driving for four years.

icon_camera_90x68.png
+10
article-2553969-1B45CCA400000578-566_306x423.jpg

Snared: Number plate recognition camera, situated on the M55 above the junction, showed Wrathall on his phone to Miss Watt

Careless: BTCC racing driver Frank Wrathall, pictured in his car, only had one hand on the wheel when he knocked the cyclist off and killed him
article-2553969-1B44151700000578-486_306x496.jpg

Bereft: Paul Fingleton with his wife Ann and daughter Hannah, who the court heard 'dies a little every day' after losing her father
Passing sentence, Judge Mark Brown said: ‘Mr Fingleton had many years ahead of him and his family expected him to enjoy a long and fulfilling life.

‘You were obviously distracted and not in proper control of the vehicle and that is why you only saw him when it was too late.
‘As a touring car racing champion you should have been setting a better example for others to follow.
‘Mr Fingleton was a wonderful husband and father.
‘His daughter can’t begin to express how much she misses him and his death kills her a little bit every day.
A previous hearing at Preston Crown Court heard Wrathall was talking on his phone when he approached Broughton roundabout on the A6 near Preston on May 14 last year.
The Citroen van he was driving did not have any Bluetooth and there was no facility for hands-free calling when he chatted to his model girlfriend Zara Watt.
After turning onto the roundabout Wrathall crashed into Mr Fingleton, from Fulwood, Lancashire, who was cycling home from Goosnargh Tennis Club, where he had been with his wife Ann and teenage daughter Hannah.
Star: Wrathall was becoming an established on the Touring Car Championship circuit but has also been banned from driving for four years today


Succesful: Wrathall has competed in the British Touring Car Championship since 2011 and enjoyed several podium places before his prosecution


Mr Justice Brown added: 'He was wearing a brightly coloured top it - it had been a fine sunny day and I'm satisfied you should have seen him earlier and taken action.
Evidence: Phone records were used to show there was a nearly eight minute conversation between the the driver and Miss Watt

'Both of the witness drivers saw Mr Fingleton in good time. A driver must take the conditions as finds them. You didn't take the necessary care to see him on time, you didn't observe him until it was too late.
'There's no doubt in my judgement that he could be seen clearly. It's difficult to understand why this accident happened except you were holding a mobile phone at the time.'
The court heard how CCTV showed Wrathall overtaking his victim before cutting back across him, but that he was 'clearly unaware of Paul's presence'.
When police arrived and arrested Wrathall, he told officers the cyclist ran into the side of him, the court heard.
Mr Fingleton, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered injuries to his head and a fractured spine and was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital. Medics battled for several hours to save his life but he tragically died.
Share or comment on this article


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2553969/Championship-racing-driver-jailed-crashing-killing-cyclist-phone-girlfriend.html#ixzz2tWJ7yHzi
 
Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB When police arrived and arrested Wrathall, he told officers the cyclist ran into the side of him, the court heard.
How typical is that, lying murdering scum. The problem for us, is we always come off second best no matter if we're in the right or the wrong. Often cyclists aren't alive to to put forward their side of the story.

This is a pretty good article, apologies if it's been linked to before I haven't been keeping up with this thread except for @CAMPYBOB's crash reports. http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/11/cycling-v-cars
 
Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
"...they can basically walk away without so much as a ticket for hitting and killing a cyclist who in theory has a legal "right to the road". The cyclist's family can file a civil suit of course, but in a state where 22% of drivers carry no liability insurance, there's a good chance the driver has nothing to get anyway."

Truth.

See this guy?



That was my friend, Robert Bachtel. Obit: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ohio/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=2200093#fbLoggedOut

He was killed when a speeding driver that was late for work ran his truck into Bob's bike from behind.

The driver walked.

Bob's aorta was torn from his heart by the force of the impact and he bled to death in seconds.

I have other stories of other friends killed or severely injured while cycling.
Could you estimate the proportion of cyclist deaths that involve a drunken motorist, a speeding motorists, etc.?

At what time of day do most fatal accidents occur? What days of the week?

A lot of cyclists are advised to signal, be attentive, keep the head up, and obey the law. This is good advice for avoiding getting hit by a motorist. However, if most cyclist deaths are due to drunk or speeding motorists, this advice doesn't really reduce our chances of being killed. It might be smarter to start riding at different times of day, and to differentiate between weekend days and week days.
 
Bob, my condolences on your friend. Real ones are in short supply, and it's a sad day when they depart the land of the living.
 
Originally Posted by danfoz
Bob, my condolences on your friend. Real ones are in short supply, and it's a sad day when they depart the land of the living.
He posted that at the beginning of the thread. It's wasn't recent.

But yes, it was disturbing to read his posts about fatal accidents. Sad too.


Jack pot!

http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/21/car-accident-times-forbeslife-cx_he_0121driving.html

I'm starting to like Forbes.
 
Originally Posted by urge2kill

He posted that at the beginning of the thread. It's wasn't recent.

But yes, it was disturbing to read his posts about fatal accidents. Sad too.


Jack pot!

http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/21/car-accident-times-forbeslife-cx_he_0121driving.html

I'm starting to like Forbes.
Since it's news to me I'm mentioning, I don't fine tooth comb all these threads so I don't really give a **** when it was posted.
 
Quote by Dan:
"Bob, my condolences on your friend. Real ones are in short supply, and it's a sad day when they depart the land of the living."

That's Dan. Bob died while racing the Calvin Challenge 12-hour event. He was a quiet man and to look at his skinny body you would never guess the power he could generate or know the level of his endurance. He could suffer!

A mutual friend attended the trial of the driver and said it was a joke. That same friend was also in the same group of drafting racers as Bob was in when the pickup truck hit Bob from behind. They tried to save Bob at the scene, but he was beyond saving. He drowned on his own blood.
 
  • Like
Reactions: steve
Gimala said:
I don't think it is if you are careful.
I'm as careful of a rider as there is. Still, I've had one bad car related accident, and quite a few near misses. It takes two different people being careful. I won't let it stop me from riding, but people have to know how dangerous it can be. I cringe when I see people riding with ear buds. My ears are my first line of defense out there, along with the swivel built into my neck.
 
Originally Posted by Gimala
I don't think it is if you are careful.
Like mpre53 I was a careful rider and had one bad accident. I don't remember anything from a couple minutes before the accident until many hours later. I don't remember my first memory but I was in a hosptial bed and my wife was near by. Morphine is good stuff. But I could not get enough.


As I reconstruct the accident:

I was going 25mph west bound late in the day on a 2 lane road with no shoulders popular with bicyclists. The day was nice. Clear. Warm. No traffic ahead. At some point in the couple minutes that followed a car approached going east bound. Entered my lane. Hit me. Left the scene. Hit a telephone pole. Driver got out and tried to hitchhike away. The people who stopped for him called for medical assistance.

Lost 3 inches of thigh bone. Pelvis broken right down the middle. Lots of "minor" damage.

Over $100K in medical payments.
 
Originally Posted by mpre53


I'm as careful of a rider as there is. Still, I've had one bad car related accident, and quite a few near misses. It takes two different people being careful. I won't let it stop me from riding, but people have to know how dangerous it can be. I cringe when I see people riding with ear buds. My ears are my first line of defense out there, along with the swivel built into my neck.
That's the idea.

I had several "encounters" with cars when I was younger, more aggressive, and less cautious. Last summer we had a road rage incident on our shop group ride involving an out-of-state driver on Olde Stage Rd. (Boulder riders know the route.) A beer can went whizzing by my head, the driver stopped to make trouble, but one of the larger guys intimidated him and he took off. Nobody was hurt.

If you think about stuff like this too much you wonder why you keep doing it. I enjoy it too much to quit, but frankly I felt safer rock climbing and backcountry skiing.
 
Oh yeah...rock climbing and XC skiing was much safer than cycling on the roads. The worst injury I suffered from climbing was bruised heel.

A pistol protects me from drivers of any size. It will not protect me from their vehicles.
 
Cycling forums are much worse. My feeling have been hurt multiple times.
 
The spending of money on cycling initiatives is often a tough sell. My park in Brooklyn had some folks looking to ban bicycle racing from Prospect Park altogether, and others looking to make the park a more bike friendly place. I see some of the roads you gents gotta ride on, especially in the UK (with zero shoulder), and I cringe.

The following vid shows the park after conversion (rider enters park at 2:00). The center lane is for cyclists, the right for park and service vehicles with jogging and pedestrian lanes on the left. The park is now only open to auto traffic during rush hours, and then limited to that right lane. Before the change cyclists were crammed into the left lane with pedestrians, not so good for safety or community relations, and some drivers seemed to use the roadway to channel their inner Mario Andretti's.

0.jpg


It's not a big loop, 10 laps will bag 35 miles, but good enough for shorter rides. And did I mention sanctioned USAC races with marshals and pace cars early mornings almost every weekend through the season (limit of 3 fields on the roadway at one time). Not to brag but sharing to convey that with folks working together, many things are possible. A long time ago I dated an actress and it annoyed her to no end that I didn't get heated when discussing political topics and such... sometimes people listen more when there's less yelling involved.

Unfortunately arseholes abound. Something I always try to keep in mind when on the bike, no matter how tranquil things seem.
 
Quote by JH:
"My feeling have been hurt multiple times."



Do what I did...I traded off my feelings for a mint 1967 Triumph Tiger.