To post this for road users unaware of upcoming highway code changes

[FluffyBooBoo]

That's loads of info available online, but the AA have done a study that shows that two thirds of people are unaware of the charges.

Photo attached with basic info.

[quote limitedperiodonly]@EightWheelGirl I've given it a bit of thought but your standpoint still doesn't make sense perfect or otherwise.[/quote]
The scale of a risk is the combination of the severity of the impact of the hazard (i.e is it minor injury, major injury or even death) and the likelihood of harm occuring which, in this case is clearly affected by the number of hazards (i.e. cars in this case) present on the roads.

So for example it is possible for something with the potential to kill you to pose less of a risk to you because you are only exposed to that hazard once in a while compared to a less hazardous task that you perform multiple times a day. In the case above all motor vehicles have the potential to kill cyclists but they interact with far more cars on a typical journey than HGVs so the risk to them is higher overall.

This is how risk has been defined and assessed for health and safety for decades. There is no debate here, you are wrong.

@Eleganz Thank you for your response. I know the risk of being involved in a collision with a car is higher than being involved in a collision with a HGV because there are more cars than HGVs

However my understanding is that @EightWheelGirl is using the fact that car drivers are more of a risk to cyclists and other road users to dismiss the risk posed by HGVs. Of course I could be wrong.

However my understanding is that @EightWheelGirl is using the fact that car drivers are more of a risk to cyclists and other road users to dismiss the risk posed by HGVs. Of course I could be wrong.

Yes, you misunderstood me.

The thread was becoming all about truck drivers and the threat they posed to cyclists, so I pointed out that cars are actually a much bigger threat.

People always think of trucks turning left and squashing cyclists but I'd imagine the most common accidents are boy racers flying around corners on main roads and only seeing the cyclist too late, and maybe not being able to swerve around them due to oncoming traffic.

Another thing that a lot of car drivers are terrible about is not using their mirrors properly. I saw a car driver pull right into the path of a cyclist earlier this week, causing the cyclist to have to swerve. Had there been oncoming traffic he would've had to pick which car he wanted to smack into at speed. The car driver didn't even notice what had just happened and drove off blissfully aware. All could've been avoided by checking offside mirror before pulling out to pass a parked car etc.

I wouldn't dare cycle though because people seem to think that if cyclists get squashed that's unavoidable because sight lines and blind spots and things...
It is unavoidable that people who cannot possibly been seen may be hit. That's just a fact, until technology improves this issue.
Cyclists and pedestrians can avoid this by staying out of blind spots, and not assuming a driver can or has seen them.

I never assume any driver has seen me, blind spots or not

@daimbarsatemydogsbone

I wouldn't dare cycle though because people seem to think that if cyclists get squashed that's unavoidable because sight lines and blind spots and things... It is unavoidable that people who cannot possibly been seen may be hit. That's just a fact, until technology improves this issue. Cyclists and pedestrians can avoid this by staying out of blind spots, and not assuming a driver can or has seen them.

I've made a rational choice not to cycle because I am not competent and would be a hazard to myself and other road users. But I there is no reason why other people shouldn't cycle and ride motorbikes - I regard motorcyclists as the safest road users.

But it is my experience that drivers of motor vehicles whether cars, buses or lorries sometimes do not take as much care as they should and rely on the fact that more vulnerable road users should as you say: "stay out of blind spot and not assume a driver can or has seen them."

Too many drivers don't see and it's not a question of whether they can or can't they just don't bother.

A cyclist friend told me he fixes drivers with his eyes to make sure they have seen him before making a move. I asked what made him think as a pedestrian I didn't do the same.

All road users do stupid and selfish things. Some people routinely make reckless acts and a minority do intentionally harmful things. We've all met those people.

To continue to state that vulnerable road users should take extra care because of blind spots and suggest that drivers of larger vehicles can't do more is letting people off the hook and failing to give credit to careful drivers.

I genuinely think some people are going to use this as an excuse to step out in front of cars. A teenager literally stepped out in front of my car the other day when I was driving along a residential road. He then indicated to me I needed to watch where I was going. I wasn't turning into a junction I was driving along a straight road! Luckily I was going slowly but if people think they are going to win against metal. In most cases it is not going to happen.

I'm a (semi-ex) professional driver, a cyclist and I walk miles every day.

There is nothing I hate more than people in cars stopping stupidly to let me walk in front of them when I've timed my steps to walk behind them as they pass. It puts pressure on me to walk faster than I want and it slows down the people behind them. If another car appears going the other way and they don't want to stop it leaves me in the middle of the road.

It's absolutely bloody ridiculous and the new HC is delaying my return to my driving job because I think it's just going to be chaotic.