No lights or reflectives on a dark busy road in the rain.

[Arjimlad]

http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news...he_A403_near_Aust__inquest_hears/?ref=mr&lp=7

Sad. I know this road, it is in heavy use by HGVs. No way I would ride on it at night without proper reflectives & lights.

 

[MontyVeda]

Very sad.

I guess that same old debate is on the way.

 

[numbnuts]

And lights are not expensive RIP

 

[Milkfloat]

I know others will be along to lay complete blame at the driver for not driving at a speed that allows him to spot the sheep/tree that jumps out at him, but I am a firm believer of cyclists helping themselves and obeying the law as well.

On a plus note, from a media point of view, the comment was about reflectives and lights and the word high vis are not mentioned.

 

[Lonestar]

R.I.P.

 

[Mile195]

I remember when I was a teenager my mother used to bang on and on about wearing this god-awful reflective sam brown belt thing she bought me. I flatly refused because "I don't need it - cars have lights so they'll see me anyway". I had some lights, but the batteries were usually so close to dead they were pointless anyway.
Not until I started driving did I realise why she used to go on about it, and just how invisible you are with no lights, or at least something reflective.

I think some cyclists genuinely don't realise the importance of lights because they haven't been "on the other side of the wheel" so to speak. Sounds like this lad was one of them, and neither party is really to blame for what happened. Real shame though - so easily avoidable.

 

[steve50]

Poor lad and his family, RIP, I can also empathise with the driver of the wagon, he is going to have to live with the death of that lad on his conscience for the rest of his life.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Its sad news indeed and the blame cant be placed with the driver at all. I often wonder about the cyclists who i pass on my commute home with no lights or reflective clothing know how much risk they are putting themselves in but a lot of the main roads here in london are fairly well lit but a flashing light has helped me noticed by drivers who would of otherwise pulled out directly in front of me quite a few times already

 

[steveindenmark]

Exactly the same thing happened to a family friend a couple of years ago on a piece of road that was straight for over a mile. No lights, no viz vest, no reflectors.

It's very sad. It is even worse when you think of the price of a rear light a viz vest and a couple of reflective stickers.

RIP

 

[Mrs M]

Very sad news, poor lad.
Also feel sorry for the driver, he'll never forget this.

 

[mjr]

I've driven that road but never ridden it. I wouldn't fancy riding it on a dark wet night even with my good lights unless I was really stuck - I'd be following the cycle route along back roads and tracks despite the extra distance.

I know others will be along to lay complete blame at the driver for not driving at a speed that allows him to spot the sheep/tree that jumps out at him, but I am a firm believer of cyclists helping themselves and obeying the law as well.

Not complete blame (the law says the bike should have been lit+reflectored), but well, a driver should be able to see unlit objects in the carriageway, shouldn't he?

Also, "he thought his lorry had hit a deer or a horse and carried on to the company’s depot" - potentially leaving a dead horse in the road for following motorists to hit?!? "Given the weather conditions I didn’t think it was safe to pull over at that time" - why? Surely it's better that his huge well-lit lorry stops to deal with the dead "horse" than some poor old pensioner in a Ford Ka has to? Doesn't that road have fairly good visibility on the Aust-Pilning stretch anyway? No sharp bends or anything until you get nearer to Avonmouth. It feels like there's something more there - possibly it's only that lots of motorists drive too fast along there (maybe on its 50mph limit even in bad weather) but does anyone know whether Farm Foods drivers are rewarded for meeting tight schedules?

(edited to remove duplication and elaborate on why the lorry should have stopped)

 

[summerdays]

I remember it on the local news when it happened, it's not a nice road and I think it was pretty close to the motorway roundabout based on a comment from a local person. It's really dark around there, especially after coming off the motorway, and not a road I would ride on in the dark with lights even (you could take a combination of other less direct roads and the fairly rubbish cycle path which runs part but not all of the way). Poor lad and poor driver.

 

[theclaud]

FFS. Which bit of being able to stop within the distance you can SEE TO BE CLEAR can motorists not get through their self-centred little heads?

 

[sidevalve]

FFS. Which bit of being able to stop within the distance you can SEE TO BE CLEAR can motorists not get through their self-centred little heads?

Which bit of 'a cyclist MUST carry lights in times of poor visibility or darkness' can cyclists not get through their self-centered little heads ? We hear complaints of motorists with defective lights - speeding - parking in cycleways [which nobody seem to use anyway] and yet when a cyclist breaks the law it's always somebody else's fault if something goes wrong. Sorry but no - growing up means taking responsibility - if you can't do that then buy a bus ticket.

 

[fossyant]

I feel sorry for the van driver. RIP indeed, but it's Darwen's Award time if you don't use lights in wet conditions, especially at night. Super bright lights in the day don't work sometimes.