BentMikey and a Subaru Driver

[Bollo]

This guy's on a windup. I'm out of here........ <pop!>

 

[thomas]

A 2 second Google finds a car driver jailed for 20 months for mounting the pavement and killing a pedestrian so save the persecution complex for another day OK?

Link to article please? There was a case when the driver drove off and tried to hide it - is that the one? If so, different circumstances.

 

[f1_fan]

Considering I drive for my job, that would be counter productive. What I don't like is the acceptance of the idea that it is OK for people to make these mistakes and walk away without punishment. The victim often doesn't get the chance to do that.

What I would like is for when people are killed or injured, appropriate measures are taken to prevent it happening again in future. So people who drive dangerously are not immediately allowed back in their cars without a caution, for example. And people are aware that behaving without respect on the road has consequences. Note I am referring to ALL road users here.

Why is that not an acceptable or desirable goal?

I agree absolutely with what you say here, but I took your previous post to mean you found it unacceptable that there were any accidents at all and I cannot ever see a time when that will be the case unless we ban motorised vehicles from the road. Humans are fallible and hence there will always be accidents, that for me anyway, is a fact.

 

[marinyork]

A 2 second Google finds a car driver jailed for 20 months for mounting the pavement and killing a pedestrian so save the persecution complex for another day OK?

That's because it's a very common occurance. However, 20 months is not a favourable comparison as the maximum tariffs for causing death by dangerous driving or other motoring offences are rarely ever dished out. 20 months is very light indeed.

 

[f1_fan]

Link to article please? There was a case when the driver drove off and tried to hide it - is that the one? If so, different circumstances.

Are you unable to use Google yourself or is that something else you expect us car drivers to do for you cyclists?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7064522.stm

 

[dellzeqq]

Ah so because cyclists can cause less damage they should be given more leeway to break the law?

As I said a few posts back I believe all road users should be treated with equal respect and the extension of that is they should all abide by the law equally. It really is as simple as that.

the difference being that cyclists don't kill or injure people in big numbers. Which you seem to think of as a 'fact of life'. I think of as an epidemic that is being treated, and with some success. As we become more numerous and more assertive the casualty figures decline.

While it's always fascinating to read the words of somebody giving advice on something that he or she has no clue about, as far as I can make it out, your little disquisition is just another motorist's 'oh, we're so hard done by' sob story. Rest assured, there's no chance of my paying any heed to it.

If I choose to admonish, upbraid, or, occasionally, humiliate poor drivers then that's my choice. I've put up with being cut up for the last forty years, not to mention being put in hospital by a hit and run driver, and, from time to time, I'm going to put some people (almost always men) straight. If it happens to be you, just sit back and enjoy a master at work. If BentMikey gets the police involved, or Cunobelin gets a driver sacked, that's their choice.

 

[f1_fan]

the difference being that cyclists don't kill or injure people in big numbers. Which you seem to think of as a 'fact of life'. I think of as an epidemic that is being treated, and with some success. As we become more numerous and more assertive the casualty figures decline.

While it's always fascinating to read the words of somebody giving advice on something that he or she has no clue about, as far as I can make it out, your little disquisition is just another motorist's 'oh, we're so hard done by' sob story. Rest assured, there's no chance of my paying any heed to it.

If I choose to admonish, upbraid, or, occasionally, humiliate poor drivers then that's my choice. I've put up with being cut up for the last forty years, not to mention being put in hospital by a hit and run driver, and, from time to time, I'm going to put some people (almost always men) straight. If it happens to be you, just sit back and enjoy a master at work. If BentMikey gets the police involved, or Cunobelin gets a driver sacked, that's their choice.

Talking of people on wind ups

If not then listen to yourself, you are a master all right LOL!

 

[f1_fan]

Well I had better go and get some work done. Nice to debate with some level headed people and a special nod to dellzeqq, you are a legend

 

[BentMikey]

Finally I will tell you the one and only thing that irks me slightly about this whole video camera thing. As we have seen Mikey is quite happy to film the licence plates of the vehicles he sees commiting an 'offence' and he can of course then pass them on to the police and they can be used to ID the 'offender'. Pity then that if I did choose (and don't worry as I really could not ever be that bothered to do it - life is just too short) to video cyclists running red lights and the likes (and yes SOME do - I know you probably can't believe it ) I have no way to ID them. I wonder if there is some reverse psychology working there?

I'm so with you there. I hate RLJing cyclists because it's antisocial, frightening for pedestrians, and just general bad behaviour. I'm happy for all red light jumpers to get ticketed. Cyclists are harder to catch, but then they also cause far less death and injury than do the heavyweights of the road.

You do realise an RAC study found that 48% of cyclists jump lights, 1 in 10 car drivers, and 1 in 5 bus drivers? If it weren't for the awkward facts that the car ahead stopping often prevents an RLJ, and there weren't number plates, then far more would do this.

I should point out I used to RLJ (on a bicycle, never my car) before I learnt the error of my ways. I'm far from perfect myself.

 

[PBancroft]

I agree absolutely with what you say here, but I took your previous post to mean you found it unacceptable that there were any accidents at all and I cannot ever see a time when that will be the case unless we ban motorised vehicles from the road. Humans are fallible and hence there will always be accidents, that for me anyway, is a fact.

That isn't what I meant, but regardless... Even if it is inevitable does it make it OK for those accidents to occur? Does it mean we should accept that accidents will happen, and allow the people who caused them to carry on their way? Does it mean that the friends and family of the 9 people who die each day on the roads in this country alone should accept that this was inevitable?

Does that mean that the people who caused them should be able to walk away without punishment?

What about the people who cause injuries? Should they be allowed to walk away without caution, without retraining, without penalty and potentially cause a much more serious accident in future?

I don't think so. We shouldn't be so accepting that a certain amount of injury on the road is "OK" - none of it is, even if it is inevitable statistically.

 

[wafflycat]

If there were nine people a day killed on the railways, they'd close them down. If there were nine people a day killed in aircraft crashes, they'd ban planes. But somehow, an average of nine people a day killed on our raods and many more injured, is 'one of those things' that is seen by too many as acceptable. It shouldn't be acceptable.

 

[dellzeqq]

Well I had better go and get some work done. Nice to debate with some level headed people and a special nod to dellzeqq, you are a legend

a flounce of Linftastic proportions. One can almost hear the petticoats!

 

[f1_fan]

a flounce of Linftastic proportions. One can almost hear the petticoats!

LOL

Anyway how come you are here hiding behind your keyboard? I thought a big hard man like you would be out doling out justice to the evil car drivers by midday any day of the week, but especially on a nice summer's day like today

 

[dellzeqq]

LOL

Anyway how come you are here hiding behind your keyboard? I thought a big hard man like you would be out doling out justice to the evil car drivers by midday any day of the week, but especially on a nice summer's day like today

Smileys. My case reclines on a divan, pausing only to wave a scented handkerchief...........

 

[skwerl]

RLJing, pavement cycling, etc, would go down because less people would be cycling.

absolutes (which are fairly meaningless) yes but I'm sure that relative numbers would drop.

You say that bikes should "never be licenced". Why?

As cycling gets more popular (and it will, as motoring costs rise and average speeds drop) you can be sure the govt. will start eyeing us as an extra revenue stream.