3 cyclists hospitalised after car collision

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Permalink Reply by whocares on February 28, 2010 at 11:28am

Yes it is terrible, but you don't know the full length of the story so I would suggest get your facts right before making any suggestive comments! Yes I understand there are so many idiot drivers out there, and who drive under influence of drugs and alcohol. But accidents do happened, and I believe the sun glare into the driver's eyes, and did not see the cyclist! I would suggest you drive down that corner at 8am, and tell me how you handel it! it is unfortunate accident, and I feel bad for the cyclist and so does driver feel the same way! He did not run off the scene but did the right thing by the law and called the cops and ambulances! Also checking on the cyclists are okay.
And yes my same sentiment for speedy recovery for the cyclists.

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Permalink Reply by Carla Scragg on February 28, 2010 at 4:21pm

beestings, heart attacks, sneezing fits...there are a number of common law cases dealing with these sorts of stituations, and other 'freak of nature' moments that happen and are beyond a driver's control. Regardless, the law recognises at the end of the day that the onus is on the driver to control their vehicle. Excuses are exactly that - excuses for failing to control, stop, swerve or manouevre so as to prevent an accident from occurring. Given that sunshine occurs for at least 10 - 12 hours of any given day, if what you say is the case, then the driver has made a massive error by continuing to drive when they could not see what was in front of them. That was a bad choice on their part and they must accept responsibility for the same. Obviously, they started accepting responsibility by staying on the scene and calling the police.

If the driver is being cooperative, I'm sure the injured appreciate the concern of the driver and hopefully it can mitigate any ill feeling they may have. I have no doubt that this is a terrible situation for all - as much as drivers whinge about cyclists, no one ever actually wants to hit one - but it needs to be clear that excuses aren't, and do not, reduce or remove responsibilities that all road users owe each other.

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Permalink Reply by Colin Sparrow on February 28, 2010 at 8:38am

Were they cycling with an organised ride such as Mega Bike or Cobwebs? It is grim for sure, frankly with the way things are on the roads it is amazing this is not a more frequent occurrence.

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Permalink Reply by Derek Hasel on February 28, 2010 at 1:59pm

Seems it was 3 cyclists out on a Triathlon training ride. Interesting how the sun always effects drivers who run into cyclists but doesn't seem to effect them enough to run into other vehicles. Filthy windscreens, lack of attention to the road ahead is usually the cause. The old adage "I didn't see you" usually means "I wasn't paying attention. How can you not notice - 3 bike riders . Bad driving, that's how !

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Miller on February 28, 2010 at 2:25pm

Yep, right there with you Derek - the "I did not see you" excuse really wears thin after awhile - if you can't see a cyclist (or pedestrian, child, other car driver etc..) on the road in front of you, then you should not be driving a car, end of story. I know that "accidents" happen - but from my long experience of being both a cyclist and car driver, it is more then obvious that most auto related accidents, especially when it involves the driver running into another road user, should not have happened in the first place. Better education, respect, enforcement, road safety checks and understanding are all part of the package to make our roads safer. Cyclists tend to feel a little passionate when one of their number is injured or killed by another road user, usually because the injuries inflicted on them are not their fault- and are deep and life changing from which you never fully recover. Car drivers have greater responsibility for their actions on the road as they are bigger, faster, heavier, and carry a kinetic energy that once traveling faster then the pace of a quick jog, will inflict serious injuries to another road user, or to the occupant if they hit something solid and are bought to a rapid halt. This does not seem to be acknowledged by the general motoring public, which is why we seem to accept that the road toll is 'inevitable' and 'the price we pay' for driving cars as our main daily transport. How many deaths and life altering injuries is acceptable? - last year the campaign centered on keeping the toll under 90 deaths, and we failed miserably at this, January was a shocking month. Worldwide, every minutes, 2 people die in car crashes. At what point will we wake up to the deaths and injuries that are a daily consequence of running a road transport system that assumes everyone is capable of driving a car and that cars should 'naturally' be used for the majority of journeys?

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Permalink Reply by Angus Kingston on February 28, 2010 at 2:42pm

Stop SMIDSY is a UK campaign to " draw attention to the dangers of inattentive dangerous driving and the oh-so-familiar refrain ‘Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You’. We discuss the campaign and how cyclists can report near misses online. "

More from The Bike Show here.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Matthew on February 28, 2010 at 4:13pm

This would look great on a jersey or cap!!

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Permalink Reply by Angus Kingston on February 28, 2010 at 2:11pm

Hey Whocares.,. we care!

Jeremy was merely asking does anyone know who the cyclists were, not asking the circumstances. Cyclists in Adelaide are a close community - we know (or know of..) many of us and communities like this site is part of the glue that binds. It might be the cyclists need medical, mechanical or legal advice which many of us here can help with through experience.

While your comment is valid it is not going to find much support in this community. Perhaps post it on the Advertiser.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Matthew on February 28, 2010 at 4:10pm

Maybe we need to start keeping a log of the excuses other motorists give, with "I didn't see you" being the one I have had said to me on so many occasions. Yes, the sun-glare is another good one, if it's really that bad, get off the road before you do even more damage! I liked the excuse a few years ago for the motorist who killed a cyclist up in the hills, "I was blinded by his bike light" or words to that effect.

Is it because many of us are both motorists and cyclists, that we, and therefore our extended networks, are more vigilant when on the roads, and actually look for cyclists, and give them the space and time they need on the roads?

Maybe along with getting a licence, we need to get motorists onto bikes for a while, so that they can understand the dangers we face each time we hit the roads?

Sadly, accidents rarely happen, they are caused.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Warner on March 1, 2010 at 1:24pm

I was having coffee with some of my group after Megabike on Saturday morning, and a bloke who witnessed it pulled up and told us that the driver hit the group from behind because he was blinded by the early morning sun. He seemed pretty shaken, and thought some of us might know them.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Giffen on March 1, 2010 at 2:13pm

Do you think there is a slim possibility that the accident might have actually been an 'accident'. I am not sure that we do ourselves any favours as cyclists by being constantly negative and always the victim. If we realise that the explosion of bikes on the road is a very new experience for most motorists and cyclists alike and that education and respect for each other is the way to help address this problem.

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Miller on March 1, 2010 at 2:38pm

In some ways I agree with you Mike, but it is an interesting paradox all the same - I know that accidents happen - been there a few times myself, and I hate either coming across as a victim (as I don't feel like one), or being negative towards car drivers (after all, all motorists are a potential cyclist, just waiting to emerge from their metal shell).

The problem that I have, as I believe most of those who have contributed to this discussion have, is the excuses that we hear for inattention. I would hate to have the excuse given as "but there are so many bikes on the road and I am just not sure how to deal with them!" As you said, it all comes down to respect and education - but I would also add behavioral and attitudinal change. All road users need to evolve to understand that the roads are for everyone - they are a space that exists in the public domain regardless of whether you are in a car, on a bicycle or on foot. Being aware of what is going on around you, and being aware of other people in this space, and reconnecting with these people, is all part of road safety.

Now for our next discussion.. Speed Limits... ;-)

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