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news
Horsham roundabout (picture Mike Dearsley Twitter video still).JPGVideo: Motorist drives into cyclist at roundabout- "Why segregated cycle infrastructure is needed"
A West Sussex man has posted footage online of the moment a motorist drove onto a roundabout oblivious to the fact there was already a cyclist on it, knocking the rider off their bike.
The incident happened at the Redkiln Way roundabout in Horsham and was shot on a dashcam belonging to Mike Dearsley, who said it showed why cycling infrastructure physically separating cyclists from motorists is needed.
Redkiln Way roundabout, Horsham - why segregated cycle infrastructure is needed pic.twitter.com/9l3WgecfJo
— Mike Dearsley (@mikedearsley) April 25, 2017
Last October, Mr Dearlsey tweeted that he had suffered a near-miss while riding his bike through the same roundabout.
Cycling #nearmiss on Redkiln roundabout Horsham. Motorist drove into my path unaware of my presence. Would hi-vis & flashing lights help?
— Mike Dearsley (@mikedearsley) October 4, 2016
Referring to the video Mr Dearsley posted yesterday, Mark Treasure of the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain, who lives locally, described the roundabout as a "big fast mess."
@Docroddy @mikedearsley @magnatom There aren’t any lanes; it’s just a big fast mess. Horrible roundabout
— Mark Treasure (@AsEasyAsRiding) April 25, 2017
The footage also attracted the attention of traffic police in the West Midlands, who have been widely praised for their innovative close pass initiative that has since been picked up by other forces across the UK.
@mikedearsley Horrible driving,hope the victim is making a full recovery & the driver prosecuted ,cyclist doing everything right as usual #dontlookdontsee
— CMPG - Road Policing (@Trafficwmp) April 25, 2017
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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45 comments
It doesn't matter. Car drivers will not be prosecuted. It's official...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/driver-rams-dad-two-children-10068315
Some people in cars drive into people on bikes, therefore we need segregated cycling facilities.
Some people in cars drive into other people in cars, therefore we need... um... segregated driving facilities?
Are these scenarios equivalent ajft? In my opinion no. If a person on a bike is hit by a car they're more likely to be injured than the occupants of a car that's been driven into: This is why well planned segregated infrastructure is required.
Related but unrelated... bought a new car yesterday. This morning I took the boy out for a spin in it, on some whim about wanting to work out how to operate the cruise control.
Anyway, some spirited driving ensued, during which I encountered 3 cyclists.
Despite abusing the speed limits with gay abandon, I was able to see each cyclist well ahead of me, slow and pass in a safe manner.
No problems...
Again, as I whinge on about all the time, driving is not hard... people are either poorly schooled, or applying themselves without paying adequate attention.
A frames are just a distraction from the truth.
I don't believe the blind spot had anything to do with it, the bike would have been obvious enough for plenty of time had the driver borhered to look at all properly. I blame that fluorescent invisibility cloak!
The blind spot behind the pillar is a convenient excuse. Interesting that it never stops them seeing things which might endanger them, but seeing a bike is impossible.
I had something similar this morning - woman desperate to get to the post office before it closed ended up stopped about 2 foot from my path. When I spoke nicely to her at the post office (all of 400 yards from the house she had just left and would return to, with no other travel) she claimed essentially that she had been unable to see a large man dressed in yellow and black, riding down a straight road, in daylight, with no sun to distract her. I directed her to the opticians.
It does seem to me that if she knew, with certainty, that striking me would have resulted in the permanent loss of her licence and temporary loss of her liberty she may have been rather better motivated to look properly.
Full disclosure: "spoke nicely" and "directed her to the opticians" may be euphemisms.
Still can't beleive people state blind spot bollocks or try to deflect the matter, it's not blind spot, it's an area that can be seen very easily if you're bothered to look properly, same old sodding problem.
Can you imagine a similar scenario in the workplace, yead soz about mowing down a worker because the forklift truck driver stated he had a blind spot despite actually being in full view.
it's only in the wild west of UK, well actually pretty much all countries roads that people are allowed excuses for killing and maiming and not being held accountable.
I drive a Passat, it was supposed to have a bad 'blind spot' due to the front pillar, absolute gash, just look around the fecking thing, christ it's really not difficult, and if you're a short arse/no neck, just go slower, take a second or a third look because if you don't you'll end up ending someone's life. Not that some give two shits anyways if they do and are only interested in apportioning blame on their victim or scarpering to avoid detection.
Suffolk police will soon be charging the cyclist with criminal damage to the car.
The car driver is 100% to blame.
Fake!
The cyclist is wearing high-vis and a helmet, no way that this could really have happened...
How anyone can actually apportion blame onto the hi viz wearing, helmeted cyclist is beyond me.
If they don't look they dont see. It's as simple as that. Cock all to do with position, attire or any other victim blaming theory you can espouse. And after the recent Mick Mason case, it's apparently okay not to bother looking. Bollocks but sadly true.
Ride safe, brothers and sisters.
Think it's denial from some people on these boards how appallingly little regard some drivers have for the safety of others, so they try and blame the victim to tell themselves they won't be mowed down next time they're out because they looked several times/wore a helmet/wore hi vis.
The truth is ugly to borrow a phrase and often it's worth researching quiet routes and avoiding busy junctions and roundabouts.
Has no one noticed the idiot didn't indicate to turn right off the roundabout until on the roundabout, as well slow acceleration and of course the total lack of awarness......looks like mobile phone use to me!
Police need to get gold of the phone and see when it was used!
Jesus wept, how anyone can suggest the cyclist could or should (not sure which is worse) here surely isn't watching the same video to me.
Two cars feeling massively inconvenienced at having to wait 30 seconds at a pedestrian crossing, accelerate hard towards the roundabout. The driver of the car that collides is still accelerating, has no intention of stopping, the other car turning left just convinces them that the road is clear, probably hits the roundabout at the speed limit as is. The likelihood of the driver having checked mirrors, more than glanced right or even considered the A Pillar is about as likely as them completing a level on candy crush as they drove!
The only thing that should be physically separated is this driver from a motor vehicle, that was some very poor driving.
Also, I am nervous about comments on here amounting to A pillar excuses. Every car has one, competent drivers compensate for it.
This. An active, engaged driver is aware of their blind spots.
I don't think the A-pillar of the car can be blamed. The driver had a clear view - if they could be bothered to look. Just incredibly bad driving, which we see far too much of these days.
Roundabouts anywhere near an A road are a death trap for cyclists, because every motorist is just engaged in a game of chicken about when to squeeze into a non existent gap. It's near time we had road rage prevention courses or personality tests as part of driving tests - it's this selfish self entitlement and impatience that's causing most RTAs.
If only this was in the driving test... http://www.autoglassnews.co.uk/index.php?id=a-pillar-tips
(and people had to resit every 5 years plus after any driving offences!)
Perhaps it's time to introduce new policy. If you are the driver of a vehicle and are deemed to be responsible for causing an accident then you should automatically forfeit your licence until such time that you sit an extended driving test to prove that you are fit/safe to continue to hold such a licence to drive. Same should apply for those jumping red lights, driving at > 10mph over speed limit etc. You would be given priority access to such tests, but a mandatory 1 week ban to "think" about your driving would be a good start. It might make folk think a bit more about what they are doing behind the wheel, concentrate more, and take less risks.
I like this approach. How much easier would it be to process these situations... there appears to be a clear loss of focus / attention here... back to school for you.
As you say, take the licence away untilt hey have retaken their test. No fine. No 'ban', they just have to demonstrate that they are competent through taking the test again.
I've said it before, if your car is sooo important that you can't live without it, you could even book your test for the same day as you are sentenced. Takes away the whole 'I can't have a ban, I can't survive'... that argument falls on deaf ears if the only reason you are not on the road is that you can not demonstrate that you are road worthy.
what is not to like about this idea.
Because just like how nearly everyone magically drives sensibly and within a speed limit whenever they see a police car on the road,the vast majority would pass the resit with flying colours be back on the road and following their shoddy habits again because it's not in most cases these people can't drive within the rules, it's that for laziness,sheer b****y mindedness or arrogance they CHOOSE not to.
Completely agree, except that they have already passed this test and yet are still dangerously incompetent. We need a much more rigorous test so that people who are clearly not capable of driving safely don't get a licence in the first place.
This was caused by a combination of poor driving and A-pillar blind spots. Until either car designers figure out that avoiding common accidents lethal to cyclists is more important than mitigating the injuries caused in unusually serious accidents (rolling car) or drivers learn to look around their A-pillar, as cyclists we need to attempt to watch out for people pulling out in front of us.
You can sometimes tell that a driver can't see you by eyeballing them. If you can't see their face because of the A-pillar, they may not have seen you. For an example, see https://youtu.be/oEfy9K3ROY4 including description.
Not the cyclists fault at all, he *ought* to be able to cycle round a roundabout without eyeballing everyone about to come on, but unfortunately we have to do our best to watch out for idiots.
As others have pointed out, the driver was entirely at fault, so will doubtless be completely exonerated by our laughably named justice system.
As for the cyclist being in line with the A pillar, that isn't his fault, and it is still the driver's responsibility to look properly, not just pull out in the hope that there isn't anything there.
The problem is that A-pillars are so heavily raked, and the driving position is set so low and back that as a driver you have to lean forward to look around the pillar. Of course the luxurious leather armchairs that cars provide these days don't exactly encourage it. Not a particularly new problem either - my 2005 Passat suffers from it. They are undoubtedly contributory factors in pedestrian deaths - used by defence counsel as an excuse in the case of an elderly lady pedestrian being killed in Guildford town centre a couple of years ago. I've seen that some manufacturers are trialling either transparent pillars (actually curved OLED screens fed by an exterior camera) or warning lights to address the issue.
I agree with STATO
Modern cars have large blindspots.
I am always aware of this when I'm cycling, especially in the situation here.
I have to add that modern cars in order to get 5 star crash rating have now enormous A-pillars compared to 25 years ago.
You say that like it's some sort of well-kept secret and drivers aren't aware of it, like they can't physically see the great big pillar and blind spot just inches from their face.
This doesn't 'prove' that separated cycling infrastructure is needed at all. It proves that the pillock driving the car needs to have his/her license revoked until they can prove comprehensively that they know how to drive. It's not hard FFS, to look RIGHT when you enter a fucking roundabout. They would have hit a car, bus or truck exactly the same as they hit the cyclist - they clearly do not understand how to use roundabouts. On a TT last week I had two near misses on the same roundabout - one on the out leg by an imbecile who didn't even look as he pulled out in front of me, the other by an old dear who looked about 90 literally stopping dead on the roundabout because she was a bit nervous about the truck approaching from the left (100 yards away)
People. Cannot. Drive. Properly.
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