20 cm away from death

[magnatom]

Thanks again guys for all the comments. I feel more positive about it now. I hadn't looked at the footage for a few days and I had another look at it. It reminded me of just how close I was to checking out.

The strongest image wasn't captured by the camera though, it is in my head. I just remember just after I had managed to stop looking down at the guard at the side and thinking, that is bl**dy close. However, it was the the following image of the wheels behind it getting closer that led to the yelp!

I'll be giving my statement to the police tomorrow night (same officer). I really hope she doesn't say how nice he is again. If she does, I might just ask her why she hasn't once sympathised with me about the incident, and also how would she feel about passing on the bad news to my wife and kids had I not stopped short (I won't actually say this, but I'll think it!)

 

[wafflycat]

Thanks again guys for all the comments. I feel more positive about it now. I hadn't looked at the footage for a few days and I had another look at it. It reminded me of just how close I was to checking out.

The strongest image wasn't captured by the camera though, it is in my head. I just remember just after I had managed to stop looking down at the guard at the side and thinking, that is bl**dy close. However, it was the the following image of the wheels behind it getting closer that led to the yelp!

I'll be giving my statement to the police tomorrow night (same officer). I really hope she doesn't say how nice he is again. If she does, I might just ask her why she hasn't once sympathised with me about the incident, and also how would she feel about passing on the bad news to my wife and kids had I not stopped short (I won't actually say this, but I'll think it!)

I think you should ask her. Ask her why she thinks the person who, through acting in a dangerous manner, could have so easily have killed you - by driving in such a dangerous manner - who could have left you as nothing more than road pizza on the tarmac - is the subject of her having to tell you repeatedly as to what a nice person he is? Is she related to him?

 

[swee'pea99]

I'll be giving my statement to the police tomorrow night (same officer). I really hope she doesn't say how nice he is again.

I hope so too. But I wouldn't raise it with her. I might well raise it with her bosses though, if she does. Once is out of order; twice would be bang out of order.

She's absolutely no business to be passing on personal opinions about the niceness or otherwise of those involved on either side in an incident like this. It's highly unprofessional, unquestionably unethical, and I'd be very surprised if it's not contrary to clearly laid out rules & regulations.

But like I say, I wouldn't raise it with her. It would only get personal and messy. Keep things clean and straightforward, even if she seems determined not to.

 

[summerdays]

Just been flicking through the BBC new website and came across the following article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8549619.stm
about how lorry drivers are more likely to be obese (due to type of job, diet, unsocial hours), and the link with sleep apnoea.

In a period of just four months, at least four cases came before UK courts of drivers of large goods vehicles accused of causing death by dangerous driving.
All four drivers were suffering from sleep apnoea - diagnosed only after these terrible accidents.
In one incident it was revealed that a lorry driver involved in a fatal crash had seen his doctor just five months before, complaining of tiredness - but sleep apnoea was not diagnosed.
At the inquest, the coroner called for a toughening of the licensing regimen for commercial drivers, including regular medical screening.
He also called for fast-track medical assessment of those involved in road traffic collisions - but stressed that a diagnosis of sleep apnoea was unlikely to force them off the roads.

 

[magnatom]

As I said, I'll be thinking it, but not mentioning it. She has actually said it to me on two seperate occasions, once before he was charged (actually twice during the phone call) and once after he was charged (charge can't be dropped by me, so what purpose, apart from making me feel bad, did it serve?)

summerdays, that is interesting, but I din't think it has any bearing on this. He managed to negotiate the roudabout fine, he just didn't notice that I was on it....

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Just been flicking through the BBC new website and came across the following article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8549619.stm
about how lorry drivers are more likely to be obese (due to type of job, diet, unsocial hours), and the link with sleep apnoea.

In a period of just four months, at least four cases came before UK courts of drivers of large goods vehicles accused of causing death by dangerous driving.
All four drivers were suffering from sleep apnoea - diagnosed only after these terrible accidents.
In one incident it was revealed that a lorry driver involved in a fatal crash had seen his doctor just five months before, complaining of tiredness - but sleep apnoea was not diagnosed.
At the inquest, the coroner called for a toughening of the licensing regimen for commercial drivers, including regular medical screening.
He also called for fast-track medical assessment of those involved in road traffic collisions - but stressed that a diagnosis of sleep apnoea was unlikely to force them off the roads.

This annoys me a little. What's needed is not a "toughening of the licensing regimen for commercial drivers", but an acknowledgement that being in charge of a 44 tonne artic for a 70+ hour working week - perfectly legally and not at all uncommom - is too much. Until it's acknowledged that there's a culture of long hours for transport workers, and that while lorries have become more comfortable and much easier to drive, the organism behind the wheel hasn't changed a lot in two million years, we won't change anything.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Oh, and I should say that it's good news that the police are doing something about the driver in this case. Top bloke or not (and that's not your problem Mags), he needs to at least be made aware that he should approach roundabouts a little more cautiously in future.

 

[Valy]

Looks to me like the tanker driver just didn't see the Lycra clad mushroom headed moron on the childs toy. I doubt very much that there was any malice involved, but the guy was very lucky not to get hurt.
So, lessons to be learned.....................instead of spending your money on fancy head cams and skin tight clothes best left in the S&M department, save it up and buy a car.

Oh, and while we're on the subject...................as this country is in the finacial toilet at present, isn't it about time that these two wheeled freeloaders were Taxed and Insured, it's a rich revenue stream which has as yet been untapped.

In general I think the drivers over on trucknet were ok, the above though made me laugh. Typical anti cyclist rant based on nothing but ignorance.


edit: and how the hell can they say you were going to fast when you managed to stop before hitting the side of the vehicle? doh!

Oh my God... what a pathetic rant. God damn!
______________________

OP - I have not seen the video as I've seen the thread a few minutes ago, but having read a fwe bits, I think I got an idea.

I crashed into a car recently, on a RB. It was not anything major, but still - the driver was just looking at a bit of paper as he drove onto the RB. Link to a thread I made on BR if interested/more details.

After my "incident" I really think that getting a camera and having it on for all your rides would be a neat thing, as you have shown for example. I dono if you had many crashes or near-misses before, but one of the things I got out of my collision was that it is real, not just a possibility.

And of course, just briefly imagining from the descriptions what happened to you... well... not cool. Good thing you made the thread.

 

[Crankarm]

This annoys me a little. What's needed is not a "toughening of the licensing regimen for commercial drivers", but an acknowledgement that being in charge of a 44 tonne artic for a 70+ hour working week - perfectly legally and not at all uncommom - is too much. Until it's acknowledged that there's a culture of long hours for transport workers, and that while lorries have become more comfortable and much easier to drive, the organism behind the wheel hasn't changed a lot in two million years, we won't change anything.

......You sure about your time scales ?

 

[HJ]

Some of you are being a bit harsh on this guy about which we know very little, there may have been mitigating circumstances and we all make mistakes - he might have a wife and young family to support.

Having said that, you're right to proceed with charges Mags, he deserves to be charged, even if he does get let off with a caution in the end - perhaps it'll make him and his work mates a little more cautious in future. If he genuinely wan't looking / on phone etc he deserves everything he gets and more -

What sort of "mitigating circumstances", he drove on the roundabout without slowing down. He is a qualified driver, HGV1 licences don't just drop out of cornflake packets (those are PSV licences). He knows that when approaching a junction you have to slow down and give way to any traffic which has priority (even cyclists). If you make a mistake which nearly kills someone, you have to expect to take the consequences.

As for "he might have a wife and young family to support" so what? Mag has a wife and young family to support, what if he had been killed, would it be OK to say "it was just an accident, we all make mistakes"? Why should we tolerate poor driving? Why should we accept 2946 people being killed and 26,034 seriously injured on the roads every year? Nearly all of these KSIs are avoidable, so why are we expected to just accept it?

 

[Matthames]

The police officer is behaving unprofessionally if she is sympathising with the lorry driver like that. She needs to be impartial through out the investigation, it is not her job to side with anyone. It will be for the courts to decide on the drivers character and how remorseful he is. The only people who should be siding with him are his defence lawyers.

If you believe she is behaving in an unprofessional manner, then there is the option of making a complaint to the PCCS: http://www.pcc-scotland.org/

 

[Rhythm Thief]

......You sure about your time scales ?

Give or take a year or two, yes.

 

[summerdays]

I didn't think it had any bearing on this case ... just that it was interesting that the typical life style of a lorry driver tended to make them potentially more dangerous... due to an increased risk of sleep apneoa.

Trying to think nice of the policewoman - perhaps she is just trying to reassure you that he didn't come across as someone out to kill cyclists - which is what we know anyway ... most motorist aren't ... but if they don't take notice of us and other road users then that is what they may do anyway. And that isn't good enough - they need to realise they are sitting in a potentially lethal weapon and drive responsibly.

 

[Spinney]

Trying to think nice of the policewoman - perhaps she is just trying to reassure you that he didn't come across as someone out to kill cyclists - which is what we know anyway ... most motorist aren't ...

...or that he at least has the intelligence to pretend to the nice police lady that he is not out to kill cyclists....

[/cynic mode]

 

[nigelb]

For some reason, in this country we seem to feel differently about the dangerous things people do, depending on what they do them with.

If they drink and drive, we know its wrong, but nothing like wandering round with a loaded shotgun in a public place - what is the difference?
Dangerous driving, or driving without due care, can and does kill people - that's why its an offence that can carry (relatively) high penalties.

You shouldn't feel bad about this guy being reported. If he ends up in court, and is found guilty, then mitigating circumstances should be considered when sentencing.

As others have said, if you'd kept quiet, and found next day that a lorry driver had killed a cyclist, you would never forgive yourself (one conviction will lead to many drivers reconsidering how they drive, the good implications of your actions will spread wide). If your encounter had come 2' closer, I suspect the state would have shown your loved ones considerably less compassion than you're showing the lorry driver!

I drive, and I cycle - we all need to show consideration for each other, and those who don't need to be brought to task.

Final thought, I wonder how many cyclists and car drivers he's intimidated and endangered in the past, learning that he can get away with it because he's in a big truck?

Nige