The blinding light of the low sun

[mjr]

Cleaning the inside of the windscreen helps. When did you last do that to your car?

That also makes it demist more easily. Surely it's worth the minute or two?

 

[HMS_Dave]

You see it quite often this time of year, it happens. But why do drivers insist on going too fast when they can't see? Same when its foggy and the poor drivers who are sensible and adapt to the conditions are often tailgated, have horns blasted at them and get dangerously overtaken with no knowledge whatsoever on whether on what lies ahead be it a cyclist or child.

 

[DRM]

I had exactly this driving east on the A64 near Malton about a month back, luckily or sensibly, I had seen the glow of the low sun behind a hill, so the sun visor was down, and my sunglasses were put on top of my head ready to deploy, the road was wet, and going up the hilly bit of dual carriageway 3 cars overtook me, as I crested the hill the sun was so low that it filled the horizon fully and reflected off the road too, the sunglasses were slammed down immediately and the sun visor was tweaked just quickly enough to glimpse the three overtakers piled into each other, I can only assume the first car had just stopped dead on a National sped limit dual carriageway, I had a fraction of a second to avoid the sun, it didn’t matter what you did, you were blinded by that sun, it was so bad the road was closed until the sun got out of the way, WW2 pilots didn’t go on the saying beware the hun in the sun for nothing, when the sun is like that you are blind, end of story, I was dazzled by it for the fraction of a second as the sunglasses were put on

 

[Arjimlad]

It wasn't the driver from behind who hit me with the bright sun excuse but the driver coming at me head on, the sun was behind me and the oncoming traffic was taking it very cautiously because of the blinding light they were driving into, they guy who hit me must have got impatient so he pulled out to overtake hitting me, near head on my knee put a right dent in his wing, my arm ripped his wing mirror off I hit the deck and broke my shoulder which is know next to useless, the forks broke in half, he was done for driving without due care and attention, be careful in the low sun.

Eek, when was that? Horrible experience for you ☹️

 

[Venod]

Eek, when was that? Horrible experience for you

It was December 2015, what made things worse was my shoulder was pinned but it got infected so they had to take the pin out and I had two week in hospital with a drain pump fitted that had to be changed, I had five visits to the operating theater in total, your right it was a horrible experience.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I have 3 flashing lights on the back of my bike and one on my helmet.

Good luck outcompeting the thermonuclear reactor in the sky.

 

[confusedcyclist]

You see it quite often this time of year, it happens. But why do drivers insist on going too fast when they can't see? Same when its foggy and the poor drivers who are sensible and adapt to the conditions are often tailgated, have horns blasted at them and get dangerously overtaken with no knowledge whatsoever on whether on what lies ahead be it a cyclist or child.

Part of the reason is because incompetent drivers don't expect the speed differential of anyone ahead to be so great that they can't react in time, keep up or keep out of the way is the usual attitude. This is the basis for many motorists objections to sharing the road with cyclists.

 

[steveindenmark]

Good luck outcompeting the thermonuclear reactor in the sky.

After 55 years of cycling I am still here to telk the tale. It must be working

 

[MontyVeda]

Are you absolutely sure about that ?

sunrise and sunset times are altering by around 15 minutes each week... so he's kind of right.

 

[confusedcyclist]

After 55 years of cycling I am still here to telk the tale. It must be working

Would you participate in a witch hunt and lynching too? Correlation is not causation. More likely you've yet to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dont forget to throw some salt over your shoulder as you leave the house, I hear that'll keep you safe too. Sacrificial lambs are not cool though.

 

[mjr]

sunrise and sunset times are altering by around 15 minutes each week... so he's kind of right.

I wasn't going to reply but seeing as you have: I think Mr Smart Buttock was trying to start an argument over whether elevation is part of direction.

 

[DaveReading]

I wasn't going to reply but seeing as you have: I think Mr Smart Buttock was trying to start an argument over whether elevation is part of direction.

Not at all, I would never argue with anyone who resorts to name-calling.

 

[steveindenmark]

Would you participate in a witch hunt and lynching too? Correlation is not causation. More likely you've yet to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dont forget to throw some salt over your shoulder as you leave the house, I hear that'll keep you safe too. Sacrificial lambs are not cool though.

I have no idea what that rant means. I see why you are called Confused.

 

[davidphilips]

After 55 years of cycling I am still here to telk the tale. It must be working

Any thing that makes us more visible makes us safer.

 

[mjr]

Any thing that makes us more visible makes us safer.

Can I suggest setting oneself on fire as disproof?