# Autumn Dangers



## MichaelW2 (14 Sep 2017)

I normally highlight some seasonal dangers that new riders may not have considered before, so if you are a newbie commuter and this is your first autumn, read on:
1. Wet leaves are slippery
2. Wet leaves over white road paint or smooth metal are very slippery. Don't lean over hard on wet leaves.
3. Low sun. This time of year (maybe a few weeks to go), when we see the sun it can be very low, on an East-West axis at normal commuting times. If you are riding into the sun, drivers behind may not see you so well. If the sun is behind you, drivers in front, eg waiting at junctions, may not see you. No light or hi viz gear can compete with thermonuclear fusion. Consider a detour, a change in commuting time or just be extra vigilant.
4. Debris from trees. Branches can get tangled in wheels and chain so don't ride over them.


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## ianrauk (14 Sep 2017)

Don't forget crushed Conker mess... right nawty stuff...


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## ColinJ (14 Sep 2017)

Wet leaves slippery ... Yes - a colleague had dismounted and was walking his bike into a station when he slipped on wet leaves outside and broke a hip!

I bought a cycling jacket and went out wearing it for the first time on a drizzly day. 10 minutes later I crashed on wet leaves and ripped it (and cut and bruised myself) ...


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## RoubaixCube (14 Sep 2017)

ColinJ said:


> I bought a cycling jacket and went out wearing it for the first time on a drizzly day. 10 minutes later I crashed on wet leaves and ripped it (and cut and bruised myself) ...



Sods law. Im sorry for your loss


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## MichaelW2 (14 Sep 2017)

Bouncing acorns are another danger but in my vast experience they as rare as squirrels getting caught in your spokes, so I omitted them from the list. Still, I was grateful for eye protection that day.


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## Sixmile (14 Sep 2017)

I would always be wary of the suns position. A fella only a dozen or so miles up the road from me was hit and killed last autumn with the driver claiming they couldn't see him.

I would also add that don't hide in the bushes. Ride out a bit so not to be in the 'dark bits' of country lanes where the contrast of light can be severe.


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## mjr (14 Sep 2017)

MichaelW2 said:


> I normally highlight some seasonal dangers that new riders may not have considered before, so if you are a newbie commuter and this is your first autumn, read on:
> 1. Wet leaves are slippery


1a. Some are convinced that a little tread on the tyres bites better through leaf mulch because we haven't had much trouble with wet leaves.
1b. Riders coming the other way or overtaking on a bend through the wet leaves may slide and knock you off. If you can, try to time riding over wet leaves on bends so you've got them to yourselves - this also makes it less nasty if you slide over.



MichaelW2 said:


> 2. Wet leaves over white road paint or smooth metal are very slippery. Don't lean over hard on wet leaves.


2a. Puddles can also hide such slip hazards, as well as potholes - try to avoid puddles when possible.



MichaelW2 said:


> 4. Debris from trees. Branches can get tangled in wheels and chain so don't ride over them.


Aye. They can easily trash a derailleur.


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## ColinJ (14 Sep 2017)

RoubaixCube said:


> Sods law. Im sorry for your loss


The thing was ... it was a few days before a 2-week cycling holiday in Spain. Before I even hit the deck I was thinking that I might end up injured and unable to go. Fortunately, the injuries were superficial and only gave me a few nights of troubled sleep and a few aches and pains. It was a good holiday that year.

As for the jacket ... it was a cheapo one from Aldi so damaging it wasn't as annoying as it would have been if it had been an expensive one.


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## Twizit (14 Sep 2017)

MichaelW2 said:


> Bouncing acorns are another danger but in my vast experience they as rare as squirrels getting caught in your spokes, so I omitted them from the list. Still, I was grateful for eye protection that day.


I wouldn't classify squirrals as that rare in the danger that they pose. Suicidal little blighters around here and I've nearly been taken out by them on numerous occasions!


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## ColinJ (14 Sep 2017)

Twizit said:


> I wouldn't classify squirrals as that rare in the danger that they pose. Suicidal little blighters around here and I've nearly been taken out by them on numerous occasions!


I won't bother posting a link to it (it's a bit ughy!) but there is a famous picture of a bisected squirrel stuck in someone's front wheel. I don't know what happened to the rider, but the squirrel had definitely gone to meet its maker.


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## Rooster1 (14 Sep 2017)

+ Squirrels - they are out in force at the moment, I had one run under my front wheel!


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## RoubaixCube (14 Sep 2017)

Rooster1 said:


> + Squirrels - they are out in force at the moment, I had one run under my front wheel!



Did it make it or was it's fate sealed by a rather squishy end?


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## vickster (14 Sep 2017)

Other cyclists with no lights


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## BurningLegs (14 Sep 2017)

Not applicable to many commuters, but I have had a few close encounters with young deer in autumn whilst off-roading. Going along some single track with lights on and they can spook then dart around in a rather unpredictable manner. Quite worrying when you're hurtling along without much space to change your line!


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## MontyVeda (14 Sep 2017)

If you live in a university town, autumn also brings students. These parasites are best given a wide birth until at least November when they've spent all their money on cheap beer and spend the rest of the year indoors, trying and failing to cook an inexpensive dahl.


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## mjr (14 Sep 2017)

MontyVeda said:


> If you live in a university town, autumn also brings students. These parasites are best given a wide birth until at least November


I know you mean a wide berth but still... fnaar...



MontyVeda said:


> when they've spent all their money on cheap beer and spend the rest of the year indoors, trying and failing to cook an inexpensive dahl.


They have money again now? The joke used to be "what's green and takes two weeks to drink? A grant cheque" but grants have long since gone.


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## Rooster1 (14 Sep 2017)

RoubaixCube said:


> Did it make it or was it's fate sealed by a rather squishy end?



Amazingly it made it! Narf gave me a fright, I was doing 27 mph at the time


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## hoppym27 (14 Sep 2017)

I will add daft teenagers too....i rang my bell on the cycleway this morning when approaching one..he moved aside then stepped right in front of me at the last minute...he looked before doing it too!....had to lock the whole bike up on wet leaves and narrowly missed him!


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## Jenkins (14 Sep 2017)

vickster said:


> Other cyclists with no lights


Other cyclists/road users with poorly adjusted (dazzling) lights.


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## cosmicbike (14 Sep 2017)

Black lines. Worse than the white ones as not so easy to spot but equally slippery.
Squirrels as already mentioned.
Road spray from the bigger vehicles coating your glasses.

None of the above are enough to put me off commuting through the winter


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## Dan B (14 Sep 2017)

Low sun and leaf mulch are my two least favourites, plus the week after the clocks go back, drivers who've forgotten how to drive in the dark and think that they can compensate by going faster


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## Andy_R (15 Sep 2017)

Hedgehogs. By god, they keep the Puncture Fairy busy. And don't ask me about Badgers....


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## furball (17 Sep 2017)

Hedge clippings. Especially those from hedges that have been cut with a tractor attachment.


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## Tin Pot (17 Sep 2017)

MichaelW2 said:


> I normally highlight some seasonal dangers that new riders may not have considered before, so if you are a newbie commuter and this is your first autumn, read on:
> 1. Wet leaves are slippery
> 2. Wet leaves over white road paint or smooth metal are very slippery. Don't lean over hard on wet leaves.
> 3. Low sun. This time of year (maybe a few weeks to go), when we see the sun it can be very low, on an East-West axis at normal commuting times. If you are riding into the sun, drivers behind may not see you so well. If the sun is behind you, drivers in front, eg waiting at junctions, may not see you. No light or hi viz gear can compete with thermonuclear fusion. Consider a detour, a change in commuting time or just be extra vigilant.
> 4. Debris from trees. Branches can get tangled in wheels and chain so don't ride over them.


4b branches lying lengthways on the road, can totally screw you up.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Sep 2017)

Low sun during a commute.


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## KnackeredBike (18 Sep 2017)

My best advice, if you are going in a straight line and suddenly notice leaves/ice/decapitated squirrel blood in your path keep going, do not brake or steer hard. Plan any deceleration or tight steering in advance so you have time built in to ease off if the tyres start squirming.

I cycle on muddy trails and paths often with a heavy trailer on the back on 23mm Gatorskins and haven't had a self-inflicted off all last winter.


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## Tin Pot (23 Sep 2017)

I'm riding quiet country lanes now, which is great, but doesn't have the self-cleaning features of busy A roads.

I'm noticing a lot of wet leaves and a generally slick look under the canopies - is there a significantly grippier tyre I could consider? My frame will take 28mm, I'm using 25mm gatorskins.


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## Fonze (23 Sep 2017)

Conkers ..
Plenty leaves and small slippery mud patches ..
Noticed fair few tractors on the country roads this past week , good bit of mud and muck left on the roads I use ..


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## cyberknight (23 Sep 2017)

crank arms falling off.


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## MichaelW2 (23 Sep 2017)

cyberknight said:


> crank arms falling off.


In a old CTC survey of where crankarms break, the answer was France.


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## steveindenmark (1 Oct 2017)

Mud on the roads from tractors. Lots of it around at the moment.


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## Mandragora (1 Oct 2017)

Pheasants. Birds looking for an excuse to be run over, by anything at all.


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## Threevok (1 Oct 2017)

If Friday evening was anything to go by - Rats


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## KnackeredBike (1 Oct 2017)

steveindenmark said:


> Mud on the roads from tractors. Lots of it around at the moment.


A farm on my commute put up a "slippery surface" warning sign a while back. Nothing happening for the first two nights.

However, I got a nice shock the third night to round the corner to find the road covered with hard, tennis ball sized lumps of mud. Was swept off the night after, I'm not sure whether under persuasion from plod.


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## MichaelW2 (28 Sep 2018)

Bump.
Newbie riders should read from the start.


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## ManiaMuse (28 Sep 2018)

After the clocks go back is another time to be wary. Suddenly drivers forget how to drive in the dark during the evening rush for some reason.

Night driving standards usually improve a bit by mid-winter in my experience.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (28 Sep 2018)

Bridges with wooden decks. Slippery as hell. That bridge over the road at Manvers used to take me out at least twice a year.
All the thorn bushes will be shedding this time of year too.


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## Randombiker9 (28 Sep 2018)

Not just that but in the new town, same county (been here since 13th). I don't bother using the cycle paths much too many fallen tree branches etc...


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## mjr (28 Sep 2018)

Randombiker9 said:


> Not just that but in the new town, same county (been here since 13th). I don't bother using the cycle paths much too many fallen tree branches etc...


Please report them publicly on www.fixmystreet.com or otherwise, to rob negligent councils of a defence if another cyclist hits them.


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## Randombiker9 (29 Sep 2018)

mjr said:


> Please report them publicly on www.fixmystreet.com or otherwise, to rob negligent councils of a defence if another cyclist hits them.


Ok, i keep forgetting this is possible but do the councils actually deal with those things or not really?


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## Drago (29 Sep 2018)

My lot don't, but as MJR rightly points out by making the Carncil aware you deprive them of a defence if someone gets hurt on one.


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## mjr (29 Sep 2018)

Yeah, it's very unreliable at the moment, but public reports should hit them in the budget eventually, when they actually have to compensate crash victims instead of ducking behind the defence that it wasn't there when they last inspected and no one else had told them.


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## PeteXXX (30 Sep 2018)




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## Mrklaw (30 Sep 2018)

Actually looking forward to the clock change to help with low sun on the east-west commute in the evening. Morning it’s behind me which is less hazardous- as long as I’m careful at junctions


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## BrumJim (2 Oct 2018)

Politicians and Police. Well, they are if you have a Party Conference just around the corner from work!


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## skudupnorth (2 Oct 2018)

Rooster1 said:


> + Squirrels - they are out in force at the moment, I had one run under my front wheel!


I got one the other week but it seemed OK because it was happily chatting and flicking its tail at me when I stopped to see the carnage...…..cocky little sod !


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## Randombiker9 (3 Oct 2018)

BrumJim said:


> Politicians and Police. Well, they are if you have a Party Conference just around the corner from work!


Why are police on here?. They're not bad.


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## sleuthey (3 Oct 2018)

Thinking about the things you can't see....if you have got used to wearing loose shorts over the summer.....you then get a chilly autumn morning and it brings truth to the phrase "freezing your bo***cks off".

You then know it's time to get out the lycra.


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## Soltydog (3 Oct 2018)

Don't guess sunset times, check them before you ride  I always have lights for my commute just in case I end up with a later than planned finish at work, but today was my first evening leisure ride for a while, thought I had till 7pm before it started getting dark, but was approx 30 mins out with my times & had no front light  Luckily last 30 mins were on quiet country roads & I met no other traffic, but lesson learnt


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## BrumJim (4 Oct 2018)

Randombiker9 said:


> Why are police on here?. They're not bad.


You've taken my post a little too seriously. I haven't called them bad, just an obstacle on my commute, looking after our politicians, blocking roads, getting in the way of my otherwise clear run into the office.


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## Fab Foodie (4 Oct 2018)

Has anybody told the rail companies that it’s autumn and there may be leaves on the line....


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## Drago (4 Oct 2018)

Autumn, AKA 'Werewolf Season' in Norfolk!


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## BrumJim (4 Oct 2018)

Fab Foodie said:


> Has anybody told the rail companies that it’s autumn and there may be leaves on the line....


Not yet. November is when it all starts


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## lazybloke (4 Oct 2018)

BrumJim said:


> Not yet. November is when it all starts


Pretty sure I saw one of the rail-scrubbing fleet going through Guildford station on Monday morning. Expect the usual excuses v soon.


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## Fab Foodie (4 Oct 2018)

BrumJim said:


> Not yet. November is when it all starts


Trying to give them fair warning of this annual event....


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## DCBassman (4 Oct 2018)

Strange...about 60% of the London Underground is above ground. To ameliorate the 'leaves on line' problems, each line has a couple of RATs, or Rail Adhesion Trains. These are usually modified last generation units.
They don't seem to have nearly the grief that Network Rail has, although the RAT to track mileage ratio is a good deal better for LU.


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## Randombiker9 (4 Oct 2018)

BrumJim said:


> You've taken my post a little too seriously. I haven't called them bad, just an obstacle on my commute, looking after our politicians, blocking roads, getting in the way of my otherwise clear run into the office.


Oh ok, That's never happened to me luckily (Well only once back before i moved) It happens more with Higway matience guys because of temporary traffic lights and one way road works this is what i hate but you just get used to it and it's not really a danger. I've passed police cars so many times since i've moved. Even when there parked you can easily just signal and change lane and i know this is weird but i always thought police are watching till you make a mistake to pull you over. Well this happened a lot to people back in my previous countries. Holland Singapore and Spain. But that's never happened luckily.  as i follow the laws as that's the last thing you want to happen


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## BrumJim (5 Oct 2018)

DCBassman said:


> Strange...about 60% of the London Underground is above ground. To ameliorate the 'leaves on line' problems, each line has a couple of RATs, or Rail Adhesion Trains. These are usually modified last generation units.
> They don't seem to have nearly the grief that Network Rail has, although the RAT to track mileage ratio is a good deal better for LU.


Also less problems with trees near tracks, being so urban and long standing.
I’m the days of steam, there were fewer line-side trees, due to fires started from hot ashes. It had been over 60 years since the end of steam, and so a lot of resistance to clearing these trees and reducing the risks.
They’ve got sanding on most trains now, and a set of water-jetting and gluey-grit applying machines, but it needs just one gust, followed by a regular train at a braking point, and the next one will slide. A bit like riding down a country lane after frost - you just can’t ride flat-out in case you hit an icy patch that you didn’t see in time.


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## BrumJim (5 Oct 2018)

Fab Foodie said:


> Trying to give them fair warning of this annual event....



They're ready:
http://www.railtechnologymagazine.c...-prepare-railways-for-autumn-?dorewrite=false


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## Jenkins (5 Oct 2018)

Chestnuts - there seems to have been a bumper crop this year and large parts of the back roads are covered in the mush created by then being squashed by vehicular traffic


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## Ming the Merciless (5 Oct 2018)

Squirrels in the road focused on their nuts and not watching traffic.


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## mjr (8 Oct 2018)

Jenkins said:


> Chestnuts - there seems to have been a bumper crop this year and large parts of the back roads are covered in the mush created by then being squashed by vehicular traffic


That's nothing compared to dropped sugar beet: mushed it's slippy as snow and whole, it's like cycling into a rock!


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## Randombiker9 (11 Oct 2018)

Another thing is when other cyclists almost block your bike lock.  Do people not realise it might block other bike lock? This has happened a few time's and i've only been just able to to unlock it by using my left hand (Not helpful when i'm right handed)


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## mjr (11 Oct 2018)

RSI from swapping gloves and jackets between storage and usage, both on the bike and in the house.


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## mjr (11 Oct 2018)

Randombiker9 said:


> Another thing is when other cyclists almost block your bike lock.  Do people not realise it might block other bike lock? This has happened a few time's and i've only been just able to to unlock it by using my left hand (Not helpful when i'm right handed)


I don't mind as long as they don't lock my bike up with their lock!


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## mjr (12 Oct 2018)

The wind today tore my mudflap!


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## Randombiker9 (13 Oct 2018)

mjr said:


> I don't mind as long as they don't lock my bike up with their lock!


i know that but what if you can't reach your bike lock? nearly happened other day


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## vickster (14 Oct 2018)

Randombiker9 said:


> i know that but what if you can't reach your bike lock? nearly happened other day


Assuming it’s a D lock through the rear triangle and you’re using a Sheffield stand, always make sure the lock bit is on the outside, so thread the shackle from the inside. Then the locking mechanism is always accessible and you’ll just have to extract the shackle


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## clid61 (3 Nov 2018)

mjr said:


> The wind today tore my mudflap!


FNAAR !


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## icowden (5 Nov 2018)

Thought of another one a few days ago now it's getting colder. Watch out for metalwork in the road, particularly when cornering. It gets very slippy /icy.


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## al78 (6 Nov 2018)

Jenkins said:


> Other cyclists/road users with poorly adjusted (dazzling) lights.



Some bike lights can be very bright, but at least they are smaller in area, so easy to look away from to avoid loss of night vision. The worst on the country lanes are cars with ridiculously bright headlights, so bright that I am temporarly blinded, particularly bad if I am approaching a road summit at the same time as a car approaching from the opposite direction, the headlight will momentarily be aimed directly at my eyes. Unfortunately we've got five months of this before we move to BST.


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## Drago (6 Nov 2018)

Low sun. Not a problem per se for unlobotomised normal people, but for many motorists it's beyond the limited power of their intellect to deal with.


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## DCBassman (6 Nov 2018)

Drago said:


> Low sun. Not a problem per se for unlobotomised normal people, but for many motorists it's beyond the limited power of their intellect to deal with.


Driving in Swaziland many many years ago, going up a steep hill out of Mbabane in the late afternoon meant the full-bore African sun was effectively sat on the brow of the hill. I could see absolutely sweet FA. I gently slowed, pulled onto the dirt at the side, and stopped.
6 inches from the bloke in front who'd done the same...


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## al78 (13 Nov 2018)

Drago said:


> Low sun. Not a problem per se for unlobotomised normal people, but for many motorists it's beyond the limited power of their intellect to deal with.



Low sun dazzle is a problem for anyone.

If you are going to have a pop at someones intellect, don't do it with dumb stereotyping, which as far as I'm concerned is evidence of low intellect.


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## Mrklaw (14 Nov 2018)

al78 said:


> Low sun dazzle is a problem for anyone.
> 
> If you are going to have a pop at someones intellect, don't do it with dumb stereotyping, which as far as I'm concerned is evidence of low intellect.



It's something you'd think there would be a smart solution for. Never mind your fancy pants cameras and sat navs, having an automatic anti-sun glare filter that can somehow track across the windscreen would be something I'd pay for (That and Ford's quickclear windscreen - hurry up and have the patent run out on that so others can nick it)

Probably doable with an integrated LCD lining to the screen which is selectively turned on (dark) based on the angle of the sun. 

or just buy some sunglasses


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## mjr (15 Nov 2018)

Mrklaw said:


> or just buy some sunglasses


or just slow, or if needed, stop and wait a few minutes like @DCBassman did. Even easier/cheaper.


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## HLaB (15 Nov 2018)

Drago said:


> Low sun. Not a problem per se for unlobotomised normal people, but for many motorists it's beyond the limited power of their intellect to deal with.


5 years back my handle bars on the fixie were clipped by a car forcing me into a ditch there was no real damage done but the driver to their credit insisted that I got checked over and called an ambulance/police. But less to her credit when the police arrived she gave and it was accepted by them  the excuse, ' the sun was in her eyes and she forgot her sun glasses'. FFS its simple if you can't see slow down and put your sun visor down


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## MichaelW2 (28 Oct 2019)

Bump
Another year past.


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## sheddy (28 Oct 2019)

Motons too stupid to clear ice from windows before launching killing machine...


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## Jenkins (28 Oct 2019)

Not just ice, this morning a driver had only made a small porthole to see out of through their heavily misted windscreen.


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## fossyant (28 Oct 2019)

Or the stupid woman in a BMW doing 40 in the middle lane of the motorway, drifting from lanes, and not using indicators. Madness. She was headed for Princess Parkway, so god help any cyclists on there.


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