I hurt a pedestrian today :(

[jontibs]

Radar is right. You have to plan for the likely risks and deal with the unlikely ones when they happen. Otherwise you'd never get anywhere. Doesn't mean it's not your fault if something unlikely does happen, though. I guess that's a sort of moral danger.

Problem is, as Huxly has just posted, people can be really unpredictable. What's the odds I'll be taken down tomorrow by the CEO of Deutschebank going feral on London Wall, dashing willynilly through the City of London traffic before divebombing me from one of the London Wall walkways just to prove me wrong

Funny, exactly that happened to me just the other day.

 

[detective-boy]

Doesn't mean it's not your fault if something unlikely does happen, though.

Legally, in the law of negligence, that is precisely what it means - you cannot be, and are not, held liable for anything which you could not reasonably have foreseen or avoided. (Evidentially, however, it is sometimes difficult to prove that and, at the margins, what is or is not reasonable is a something of a subjective judgement, with shades of grey rather than crisp black and white)

 

[Cobbles]

....Now if I'd done the same thing to a taxi, a vehicle that can drop passengers off at any reasonable place then IMO I would have been an arsehole. Same if the above incident had been at a bus stop and not on the open road......

Exactly - all road users need to proceed according to the limits of their vision and ability to stop - if the road's crowded with so many distractions that it's difficult to take in and manage all the potential hazards the SLOW DOWN.

If you hit something in front of you then it's your fault for not judging the road conditions properly(unless it just materialised Tardis-like in your path).

 

[detective-boy]

If you hit something in front of you then it's your fault for not judging the road conditions properly(unless it just materialised Tardis-like in your path).

Simplistic bollocks. You can only be held negligent (legally, morally and common-sensically) for hitting something you could reasonably have expected to be there. Otherwise you'd never go anywhere. There are DOZENS of things which MAY happen but which it would be entirely unreasonable for you to have expected.

 

[scifisam]

Exactly - all road users need to proceed according to the limits of their vision and ability to stop - if the road's crowded with so many distractions that it's difficult to take in and manage all the potential hazards the SLOW DOWN.

If you hit something in front of you then it's your fault for not judging the road conditions properly(unless it just materialised Tardis-like in your path).

In reality, that would mean every cyclist near a taxi would have to cycle at sub-walking speed - because you can have an accident even at walking speed. I know you're in (at least fairly rural?) Scotland, so that doesn't happen so much, but in London there are shared bus/black cab/cycle lanes, so it comes up an awful lot.

Of course, a car in the lane next to a taxi sometimes has a similar problem, if they're motoring along safely, the taxi stops a little far from the kerb and the passenger opens the door on the wrong side. So it's not a problem confined to cyclists.

Actually, I wonder what the law would be there, if someone got injured and the car were going at 10/15mph, and put the brakes on ASAP?



Is there any law or Highway Code recommendation about opening a car door into oncoming traffic?


Meant to add: glad you're OK Herbsman. Think of this way - this insignificant collision could mean that this woman (and you, with caveats) are more careful in the future and thus avoid more serious impacts. She might be more alert to cyclists, which will also help when she's a driver. She might even pass this on to friends or her own kids! I'm not saying you did her a favour, just responding to your earlier hope that something good will come out of it.

(Personally, I always cross the road as if I were in Frogger and on my last life. I even check both ways on one-way streets - you never know when some idiot might decide it doesn't apply to them).

 

[Herbsman.]

Yep, I check both ways on one way streets too; it's amazing how many people don't seem to know what 'NO ENTRY' means

 

[Cobbles]

I know you're in (at least fairly rural?) Scotland, so that doesn't happen so much, but in London there are shared bus/black cab/cycle lanes, so it comes up an awful lot.

Of course, a car in the lane next to a taxi sometimes has a similar problem, if they're motoring along safely, the taxi stops a little far from the kerb and the passenger opens the door on the wrong side. So it's not a problem confined to cyclists.

Even in "rural" Edinburgh (where indoor plumbing was common before Londoners had it), we have a pustulating selection of bus lanes and a proportion of lunatic cyclists who insist on riding outside the performance limit of their brakes. We also have taxis (we gave op the ox cart some time ago) and it's the same common sense proposition - don't ride/drive up the inside/outside of a stopped vehicle as it may be about to discharge passengers.

Admittedly whenever I'm in London, there does seem to be less common sense applied by cyclists most of whom seem to have a death wish.

 

[scifisam]

Even in "rural" Edinburgh (where indoor plumbing was common before Londoners had it), we have a pustulating selection of bus lanes and a proportion of lunatic cyclists who insist on riding outside the performance limit of their brakes. We also have taxis (we gave op the ox cart some time ago) and it's the same common sense proposition - don't ride/drive up the inside/outside of a stopped vehicle as it may be about to discharge passengers.

Admittedly whenever I'm in London, there does seem to be less common sense applied by cyclists most of whom seem to have a death wish.

Sorry, didn't realise you were in a city - from previous comments of yours about people only having the car as an option to get around I thought you were somewhere rural (because I do see rural places where PT is not, at present, a viable option for most).

I don't understand what you want cyclists to do, though, when a vehicle stops in front of them; is the cyclist supposed to stop and possibly get rear-ended by the following car, cycle into the oncoming lane, or what? Cars and taxis should only be letting people out on the pavement side, so the safest thing for a cyclist to do is to slow down a bit and hope that the driver and passengers actually do that.

 

[big eejit]

I hit a pedestrian on the way home from work yesterday. He appeared from round a corner and stepped straight into the road without looking round.

My nose met the back of his head at full speed and I ended up on the road. I stood up with blood pouring from my nose. He was shocked but ok, which surprised me given the force of the impact. But my bike's a right-off.

So now I have a black eye, swollen nose and no bike.

Edit - any suggestions for a new bike? Hybrid sort of thing for about £300.

 

[Herbsman.]

Fuck's sake. That's an unfortunate stroke of bad luck. I hope yer nose gets better soon. Is it broken?

I was considering killing a pedestrian today, the cheeky wanker looked and saw me coming, hesitated, then when I was right by him he ran straight in front of me, in the faith that I would brake so that he could go and catch the bus. Missed him by less than an inch, no exaggeration. I could have been seriously injured... Should have left the brakes alone and stuck my fist out instead

For £300 I'd probably go for a Dawes bike; they're good value for money even if they aren't 'cool'

Get well soon ya big eejit.

 

[Geri]

I hit a pedestrian on the way home from work yesterday. He appeared from round a corner and stepped straight into the road without looking round.

My nose met the back of his head at full speed and I ended up on the road. I stood up with blood pouring from my nose. He was shocked but ok, which surprised me given the force of the impact. But my bike's a right-off.

So now I have a black eye, swollen nose and no bike.

Edit - any suggestions for a new bike? Hybrid sort of thing for about £300.

Was this in Bristol - whereabouts? Did you get his details at all, he might have some personal liability cover under his household insurance.

 

[big eejit]

Thanks for the suggestion Herbsman. I will take a look at a Dawes. But I thought I remember someone recommending a bike on here a while ago which I really liked the look of, but I can't find the post / thread.

I think my nose may be broken but it's not bent. It crunches when I squeeze it which is an odd sensation.

It was in Bristol floria - just off the bottom of the M32 near Staples. I think the chap was homeless - he nipped into a local hostel to get me a load of tissues. So I think there's bugger all chance of insurance.

 

[Miss-Shelf]

Big e - hope you're ok and someone's giving you TLC tonight or TCP or whatever.

 

[Geri]

It was in Bristol floria - just off the bottom of the M32 near Staples. I think the chap was homeless - he nipped into a local hostel to get me a load of tissues. So I think there's bugger all chance of insurance.

I go that way sometimes

You should get your nose checked out though, I broke mine before and didn't bother, then when all the swelling went down it was all bent out of shape and I had to have an operation 6 years later.