AIBU to think drivers should do a cycle test before being allowed to drive?

[bicuriousgeorge]

Sorry thread about a thread but there are good and bad cyclists and good and bad drivers.
Unfortunately bad drivers are likely to do far more damage than bad cyclists.

So simulators in every theory test centre in the country? That would be an absolutely massive expense. Maybe to recoup the costs they should make anyone who wants to cycle (and ride on horseback?) do a test on that before being allowed onto the roads. Same cost as the driving theory test. After all the equipment would already be there. It could even be the same test driving applicants had to do. That way everyone has official training on how to ride safely before being allowed onto the road .

Why simulators?

music madness
I am not against testing for cyclists at all.

I think the cost of a simulator would be worth it even if it only saved 1 life a year.

I want to add though I think many many cyclist have passed their driving tests I would take a bet far far less drivers also cycle.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8932/nts2010-01.pdf

So 80% of men in this country hold a drivers licence so unless the cyclist are all in the remaining 20% which I think unlikely I should take a bet most cyclists hold a driving licence.

Not so sure most drivers understand how to commute on a bike.

DH cycles to and from work and his worst injury was from an incident when a pedestrian stepped out in front of him (not at a pedestrian crossing) without looking. Given a chance of hitting the pedestrian at full speed or attempting an emergency stop (i.e. glorified falling off) he went for the latter. He still has some impressive scars. So obviously I hate pedestrians. This does mean that in order to avoid being a pedestrian and setting off a cascade of cognitive dissonance I have to walk everywhere on my hands, but it's a small price to pay for being able to stereotype a whole group of road users.

Disclaimer: only one half of the preceding paragraph is actually true. Determining which one is left as an exercise for the reader.

What I hate when cycling, is when lads in cars scream at you as they overtake in an attempt to cause you to fall off. Both my husband and I have experienced this on many occasions.

I realised how much I appreciated drivers moving right out to pass me (like the one in the banned Scottish ad!) when I began cycling to work regularly. If you'd asked me before then, I would have said "of course I give cyclists plenty of room" but I don't think it would have been true. Now I move right out, the way I like it when drivers pass me.

Having said that, I quite often get cyclists cutting inside me when I'm indicating to turn left (on a motorcycle) and I get cross with them. It's dangerous for both of us.

Helpthesnails
"bicuriousgeorge, do you mean to say that none of the people who turn left in front of you are indicating? Because if they've already finished their overtaking manoeuvre, they're entitled to then indicate left, slow down, and turn left, without expecting you to zoom back up their inside."

No, I mean if I am going straight on, a car might over take me and immediately turn left making me slam on my breaks to avoid going into the side of their car.

I have also come off my bike whilst riding in a cycle lane on a straight road in broad daylight. Woman in a side road pulled out to turn right on the road after having looked and waited for all the cars to go but it was as if I was invisible. I had to brake so hard I went over my handle bars. A passer by took her number plate as she was totally oblivious and drove off none the wiser.

Luckily in this case I saw that she didn't see me as she started to move off and pre empted her stupidity and it gave me that split second to slam on the brakes. The result otherwise would have been me being being tossed over her 4x4.

These things sorts of things regularly happen. I am a safe cyclist, wear a florescent jacket, use very bright lights etc. I never jump red lights and am also a very experienced driver.

Some drivers are just not cycle aware.

happyhev

I have had lads in a cars laughing and shouting stuff of a sexual nature at me whilst cycling on a main road. Very humiliating and nasty.

I do think there should be more awareness, and an understanding of the Highway Code from the cyclists' and riders' points of view. But it wouldn't be reasonable to have to learn to ride a bike if you couldn't, to pass your car driving test.

Ebearhug

Out of interest why would it not be reasonable.

If it saved 1 life a year would it be reasonable?

As a disabled person who would love to ride a bike, I think your hilarious little idea is a very bad one.

(I am a car driver though and have not killed any cyclists as far as I am aware.)

If everyone had to pass a cycle test before driving then maybe we would have a much more structured cycle proficiency test a school level. It would kill two birds with one stone.

Those who wanted to drive would understand what it's like to cycle and those who wanted to cycle would be better trained.

It would create much less of the us and them problem from both sides.

candycoatedwaterdrops

Of course there would be exemptions, less of the patronizing please.

"(I am a car driver though and have not killed any cyclists as far as I am aware.)"

What has that got to do with this thread?

Well, it's patronising to tell all drivers that they are so bad, they need to cycle. I totally agree that drivers on the whole do need to be more aware of all vehicles on the road but why must they cycle?

You suggested that drivers learning to cycle would be a good use of money even if it only saves one life per year.

I hadn't realised the OP meant a test actually with them sitting on a bike. No I'd disagree with that.

But I think cycle safety should be covered as part of the theory.

But I don't want to know how it feels to be a cyclist. That's why I got a part time job at 17 and learnt how to drive.

There are dicks on bikes, horses, foot and in cars, you're never going to avoid that.

And maybe they do already?

But I think even if the basics of the Highway code are covered in the test there should be an emphasis on stuff like why cyclists position themselves like they do, how vunerable they are, etc.

Candycoat

Are you saying there is no issue of us and them between many cyclist and drivers? Because there is and a lack of many drivers understanding of how cyclist use the road causes numerous deaths, life long injuries and minor injuries every year.

Many of these could be avoided with a little more understanding from all sides but especially drivers because
a) they are less likely to be multi vehicle road users whereas 80% of cyclist also drive.
b) the very nature of the car means that it's lethal if driven without understanding of other road users.

But if it would saves lives why would people not be prepared to do it?

There is already a section on highway for other road users for driving tests but it doesn't seem to be helping.