Colleague just rear ended on his E-Bike :(

[Spinney]

Can anyone reasonably explain why the driver couldn't see the moped rider as a silhouette, making any of the stuff about atomic custard and lights irrelevant?

Because if the Sun was in view over the horizon in front of the car driver, the pupils of his (or her) eyes would contract, which is a normal physiological reaction designed to prevent damage to the retina from too much light. Thus less light from the darker parts of the scene in front would enter the eyes, making the dark shape of the cyclist against the dark road more difficult to see.

This explanation also explains why Noodley's comment about wearing sunglasses is a complete load of cobblers. It might prevent the pupils contracting quite so much, but would also darken the already dark parts of the scene.

 

[Spinney]

Old Linford does initiate a lively thread. Whether he is a troll or not, the self-appointed anti-troll brigade seem to thrive on giving him the oxygen of publicity he may crave by inflating all his threads to fiteen pages of sneering in as many minutes.

Quite a few CC types will never forgive the world for not letting them be born as J-P Sartre or Michael Foot or Hugo Chavez or Virginia Wolf and their only recourse is to drip acid comments on Internet trolls and 'like' the hell out of each others' posts until some sort of orgasm of self-congratulatory nirvana is achieved.

Like many such exercises, it may be more fun to do than to witness. Disturbingly (for me) I enjoy being the onlooker in this unusual feast of internet mutual onanism, but I may be strange like that.

Apart from enjoying being the onlooker bit. That's just annoying. I saw enough childish behaviour when I was a teacher, and at least most of that was from the brats. I mostly stay out of CA&D for that reason. But this is not CA&D...

 

[Spinney]

Any or all of what you say may be true. Either way it is tricky to avoid the conclusion that the driver could not have failed to know that they couldn't see what was ahead of them clearly but chose to plough on regardless.

Agreed. My explanation is part of the story. Once that happened to the driver, he should then have adjusted for it.

 

[Twelve Spokes]

I'm not too good with the yellow face form of communication. What the next one on the sequence?

This!

 

[Mugshot]

Quite a few CC types will never forgive the world for not letting them be born as J-P Sartre or Michael Foot or Hugo Chavez or Virginia Wolf and their only recourse is to drip acid comments on Internet trolls and 'like' the hell out of each others' posts until some sort of orgasm of self-congratulatory nirvana is achieved.

I agree with Boris!
If only I knew who he was talking about.

 

[Boris Bajic]

You certainly like to portray yourself as a detached observer but, face facts here, you aren't even fooling yourself on this one.

In this one, I may be rather more Peeping Tom or deviant stalker than detached observer, but I'm happy with whichever mitigation will get me off with a caution.

 

[Noodley]

This explanation also explains why Noodley's comment about wearing sunglasses is a complete load of cobblers. It might prevent the pupils contracting quite so much, but would also darken the already dark parts of the scene.

Sunglasses are recommended for driving in winter sunlight conditions, that is in conditions where there is sunlight on the horizon.

 

[Spinney]

Sunglasses are recommended for driving in winter sunlight conditions, that is in conditions where there is sunlight on the horizon.

By whom?

 

[Noodley]

By whom?

The Police.

 

[Spinney]

The Police.

Link?

 

[Noodley]

Link?

To what?
The Police driving school I was at when training for my Police drivers accreditation?

 

[Spinney]

To what?
The Police driving school I was at when training for my Police drivers accreditation?

Well, some information about who recommended the wearing of sunglasses would have been useful, rather than just expecting us to take your word for it. And the AA points out that not all sunglasses are suitable for use when driving. If the wearing of sunglasses while driving was that important, there should be a readily available link to official advice.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

This isn't the police's version but it's relevant all the same: http://www.theaa.com/public_affairs/reports/driving-in-sunglasses.html

 

[Mugshot]

And what is the difference? They are all variations on playing the outsider. You use this technique ad nauseam. Why not just write what you think?

I thought he had.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Driver was a twunt and drove like one.
Therefore dressing like a SpaceLemon or running LaserBeamsOfDeath, would, like as not, have made no difference to the outcome. Which begs the question of what would have been the point?

The only guaranteed way the victim could have avoided this would have been to stay home. Arguing that deployment of SpaceLemonLaserBeamsOfDeath will move the needle of probability in a significant way is just opinion masquerading as expertise and knowledge.

for the record I've never been rear-ended...










...when my lights have not been on.