Strava countersues family of cyclist killed trying to get KOM title back

@Beardandsandals - think you've misunderstood Hood's comments. 'Feel the fear and do it anyway' is their signature, not a statement made in regard to this subject.

Otherwise, hood is advocating taking responsibility for one's own actions. Use of the word 'in play' is just an expression of speech.

Feel the fear and do it anyway?

No. You are on the road with other people, and you have a duty of care to them, and that also means to car drivers and their passengers, and anyone they hit while swerving to avoid you.

Strava is just mediating what roads are in play?

No roads are normally "in play". Only race if the road has been closed for you.

how can strava be responsible for a track (segment) they did not create?
strava creates a leader list.. effectively a chalk board, for the users to write their times in.... strava literally provides nothing, if we wanted to we could write our lap times on a brick wall each day and come back to check if someone was quicker. who is responsible then!?
considering a track/segment is an open strtch of road, that is in no way closed off for a race (as it would be for a martathon, for example), strava are not responsible for that either!
completely ridiculous to blame someone else.
its like saying, someone swan the english channel, and i got it into my head to beat them, so without any preparation i ran into the sea fully clothed and tried to swim it. i drowned,,,,, and its their fault because i tried to compete with them!!!

I do not use Strava.

I have come fairly close to being hit by oncoming traffic while descending because I've crossed the centre-line in corners whilst trying to put time into the people I'm riding with.

In that case, the "competition" between me and them is direct (we are all on the same road at the same time and in visual contact). We have (very loosely, by mutual consent) decided to race down a hill and have not adopted a rule that says we are to stay in lane.

It seems to me that, if I then cross the centre-line and hit a vehicle coming up the hill, this is pretty unambiguously my fault for being on the wrong side of an un-closed road and for "racing" in circumstances that aren't very safe.

It's not very clear to me that a race which is mediated by Strava and takes place against riders who are not on the same road at the same time produces a different legal result following the same crash.

To achieve that would require the claimant to demonstrate that Strava had a duty of care towards its users to ensure that each section was reasonmably safe for treating as a race-course. That just isn't a realistic possibility, as Strava is just mediating what roads are in play - it doesn't decide that. On the contrary, it ought to be absolutely obvious to a normal user that Strava was NOT warranting any segment to be safe and that normal risk assessment of going silly-fast was still absolutely required in all cases.

all the above points are good..both for and against..we will never find the answer to this as people who ride ARE competitive and motorists DO speed..obviously a near lethal concoction..add strava (which i belong to! ) and you have a potentially explosive mix.

personally i believe that every person who slings a leg over a bike OR gets behind the wheel of a car (and i do both!) knows what they are up to...we are ALL responsible,whichever vehicle we deign to drive..

wheels make you move...and it does'nt matter what they are attatched to...you can hurt yourself or someone else on them,so.....

be careful,if you have to race,in a car or on a bike,you can.. just look where you're going and consider everyone else in the world, christ, there's enough tarmac for everyone.....

Ticktock - to answer your question there is national speed limit but it applies to motor vehicles not pedal powered ones.

Likewise the lower limits on other roads don't apply to bicycles either.

Traffic lights, stop signs, give way and other signs do indeed apply to all vehicles including bicycles.

Shay

I blame the person who invented the round wheel we never had this problem with square ones

Strava have a 'report segment as dangerous' section so if a section is a bit silly - (like racing through the pedestrian tunnel going over the dual carriageway in Glasgow) then the segment is delisted so there are no ranks although segment still exists. KOM section applies to going uphill - next time I bust a gut going up the crow and feel a bit woozy then strava watch out - I might sue for pain and suffering ....

Alun; Isn't there a national speed limit? A level above which no vehicle should go?

From memory (I'm only guessing because I took my driving test 30 years ago and haven't needed the information since) I think in this country it may be 70mph. Of course, I'm probably wrong as most drivers seem to travel at 80+ on the motorway network.

Anyway, that figure falls to the limit indicated on the round signs at the side of the road if lower, and for certain vehicles (we used to call them 'HGVs' but I think they're now referred to as 'LGVs') and other vehicles towing a trailer.

So, in this country at least, I think you'll find there is a speed limit for bicycles. Generally, its unattainable for all but elite athletes.

Oh, btw red lights, stop, give way and any other signs equally apply.

As I say, I may be out of date. A recent trip to London certainly suggests I am - clearly bicycles are now above the law. No wonder other road users get sick of the attitude of cyclists. Especially when they're ill-informed about basic road safety.

A couple of references here to "speeding", is there now a speed limit for pedal cycles that I am unaware of? If not, then please don't give the "anti" lobby a stick to beat us with.

Tony, what does this mean? "We don't know if the speeding cyclist was trying to set a time, but it is a possibility."
Do you even know that the cyclist concerned was registered on Strava, or is it just pure speculation?

I don't condone inconsiderate behaviour on or off a bike, but imaginary speed limits and wild assumptions don't help anyone

Strava encourages people to ride harder on segments that they want to set a best time on. Strava does not make people break the law, jump lights or ride on the wrong side of the road, the individual does that. If the families lawsuit wins then it is essentially saying that no one is responsible for their actions if they make the decision to break the law by something as petty as a website saying 'Oh no! XXX broker your record, go get it back' Really, if that's all it takes then 'Oh no! You've just lost your record, send me all your money to get it back!'

Individuals definitely have to take responsibility for the choices and actions but Strava does have some responsibility here too surely, to its users and to those affected by the way its users ride when the are trying to set a time.

Strava at the very least tacitly encourages its users to adopt a racing mindset on the public roads (and even on cyclepaths if they are segments, it will email you if your time gets beaten and there seems to be no way of flagging or removing dangerous segments.

As an example we ran a story a couple of weeks back about a female cyclist injured by another cyclist speeding on the Bristol-Bath bike path… which is a segment on Strava and which despite people asking for it to be removed, is still a segment on Strava. We don't know if the speeding cyclist was trying to set a time, but it is a possibility.

A very ,very long time ago a friend and myself were stopped for speeding on our bikes in a 40mph limit. We came battering down a steepish slip road that merged onto a very busy road and overtook a line of cars on the inside. One of them was a police car and its occupants caught up with us a while later and gave us a long lecture. I was only a teenager but even then I was aware that riding above the speed limit on a road and in the presence of motor vehicles was a risky activity.

Strava only supply the technology, individuals decide where and when a course is set.

to be fair Strava could employ somebody to stand by the side of every road in the world with a big sign saying "Careful now, mind how you go!" other than that what can they do if someone wants to ride their bike in a dangerous way?

tragic though it is, surely the rider is responsible for there own actions. Do people have no idea of self preservation?

Only in America...