Cyclists without helmets on..

[Writerwannabe83]

Am I the only one who gets really annoyed about this?

If it is the law that us drivers have to wear seatbelts why is their safety choice an optional one?

IF we knocked a cyclist of his bike and he suffered irreparable brain damage or death as a result of a head injury it is us who would have to live with that guilt, even though they made the choice not to wear a helmet.

And then you see some parents out with their children on bikes and although the children always have helmets on, not all the parents do. It is great they are protecting their children, but why do they think their own brains don't matter? I don't mind cyclists on the road at all, but I wish they would wear helmets and keep themselves safe.

Maybe I'm just overly anxious about hitting one....or do they think it will never happen to them?

Well you're hanging around a looong time with a fairly inquisitive mind over an issue that can be quite divisive, and which you don't participate, and are riding the arrows of accusations pretty well. Just wondered.

okaaay. So what sort of character is this fictional bikist going to have in your next block buster?

I'm hanging around because it is a thread I started so am obviously interested in the responses. And I'm inquisitive because I like to be open minded and I like to hear the views of cyclists. I didn't just start this thread with the intention of saying my point of view is right and then leaving again, I did it to hear other people's thoughts and opinions, especially those of cyclists in order to judge myself whether my expectations are unreasonable.

Isn't the point of AIBU to ask question and learn from each other and take on board other people's view points? That's what I use it for anyway.

*Writer - who knows? Why all the esoteric questions? Reading between the lines, you have an inherent agenda in many of your posts, which is to blame cyclists for their accidents, and you are simply trying to "spread your message" in different ways.

Vinegar's In all seriousness, this British concept of "cyclists" as some other wordly breed of human rather than just, y'know, normal people using bikes to get around rather than their legs or a car, gives me the rage is more in point I believe.

What I find strange is this attitude of superiority of some car drivers towards cyclists, because as an athlete, its all about physical superiority and what your body can do, so it always strikes me as akin to maybe a bunch of Vicky Pollards criticising a bunch of supermodels.

Unlike the OP, I actually feel guilt when I'm in a car and pass a cyclist, because I'm being the lazy one, the one polluting the environment, the one spoiling it for others just by being there in my car and contributing to busy roads.

No!! Tell us you ARE indeed a giant of the publishing world etc....

no vinegar - the just go over your shoulder and diagonally accross your body - not actually stuck to your clothes - or are you being deliberately obtuse?

seriously - we're all road users so when using the roads in the dark we all need to be fixable and some easy solutions can really help.

I don't think that any drivers are less careful around cyclists depending on whether they are wearing a helmet or not, I doubt many accidents happen deliberately - but we can all minimise the chance and impact of accidents by taking precautions as road users no matter what your mode of transport.

FWIW I am v cautious around cyclists and (touch wood, salutes magpies etc ) am a careful driver - I get pissed off with bad drivers - the twats that risk everyone's lives when they drive - and am in no means safe from them myself - but if they hit me I have a higher chance of survival than a person on a bike so why not make sure you are seen and have what protection you can have.

there are twats though using every mode of transport - it shouldn't be motorists vs cyclists.

I wish Pan - the word 'wannabe' is in my username for a reason

In other words, Writer, I'm beginning to wonder if you have a bit of a god complex.

visable to fixable - unfortunately we're not all fixable

I have a God complex because I asked why some cyclists choose not to wear helmets? I can assure you, I am 100% positive that I'm not a God of any sort, and not do I wish to be, I'm just a normal woman who is interested in road safety - makes me sounds sounds pretty boring actually as opposed to being a God.

Ah you mean a Browne belt type thing. Tbh I think they're pretty shit, an inch or so wide and only visible from certain angles. If I'm cycling at night I'll generally wear some actual decent hi viz.

" I don't think that any drivers are less careful around cyclists depending on whether they are wearing a helmet or not"

There is evidence to suggest you are wrong. See also - women, people dressed in "normal" clothes, people with kid seats on their bikes (I can definitely attest to this one being true - the difference in how I am treated is amazing) ....

See, if I was a giant of the publishing world etc, I too would be quiet about it, and say I'm just a woman with a boring mild interest in road safety...

83 was a good year to be born btw.

Any competent motorist should be able to pass a cyclist safely. Whether they are wearing a helmet or not is neither here nor there. If you are interested op, go on a bike yourself. Then you will have more of an informwd opinion.

It will make a more interesting article.

I don't think I'm brave enough Bear!! Too much general road rage and impatience around for my liking.

Trying to ignore my impending 30th vinegar

I just went to the pub for mine. That's as exciting as it gets in my world

Still keep forgetting that I am actually 30 though. That's like, grown up, right?

30?

Well I'm pregnant, so can't even be that exciting, haha.
One caffeine free coke please

I had an 8 week old (now 13 weeks) who is exclusively BF, did manage some cheap fizzy wine though, she didn't seem to mind!.

I think that's allowed .

Studies have shown that car drivers are more careful around cyclists who aren't wearing helmets.

I don't wear a helmet (although I stick to minor roads) Most cyclists are also car drivers - we shouldn't be thinking about an 'us and them' attitude, we are all road users.