Irresponsibility on the road - it's not always the driver's

Why are any of you engaging with someone who writes:

"How many not so good at it `track stand' at junctions & traffic lights, risking falling over in the traffic"

The OP is clearly a troll

Have some self-respect and move on

Research I was struggling to recall is referenced here;

http://road.cc/content/news/12065-report-dft-casualty-stats-says-cyclist...

"Meanwhile, according to police reports studied as part of the research, wearing dark clothing at night was thought to be a possible cause of just 2.5% of accidents resulting in serious injury to the cyclist, with not using lights or jumping red lights each blamed in 2% of cases. Those percentages rose slightly in instances when the cyclist was killed, although in those circumstances police could only rely on evidence from the driver and other witnesses.

The report’s findings show clearly that far from being the danger to other road users that certain elements of the media have portrayed them as in recent months, cyclists are themselves put at risk by the actions of motorists, with the police attributing blame to the driver in up to three quarters of collisions between a bicycle and other vehicle in accidents involving adult bike riders."

"I don't think it needs any research to tell that at sometime or other `all road users' are numpties."

Undeniably.

Of the two groups we're discussing though, one kills 3,000 ish people a year in the UK, and the other slightly fewer than are killed each year by trousers (probably). The research you dismiss indicates (as I recall) that the latter are also, mostly, not the cause of collisions involving the two groups.

So, as I say, false equivalence.

"...let's just see the other side of the problem, the cyclist themselves".

Sure. But it's a massive false equivalence. If all these folk behaved themselves from tomorrow, it would, I reckon, be a drop in the ocean in road safety terms, when compared to all drivers behaving in accordance with the road traffic acts and highway code.

My understanding is that most of the research done on the topic refutes the idea that cyclists are the authors of their own misfortune too, for what it's worth.

Never fails to amaze me how many riders go out without helmets. Most of them seem to fellow middle agers or older too

yesterday I was trying to get a boris bike out on the pedestrianised area behind royal festival hall and was almost run into and then shouted at by two people going way too fast for a pedestrianised area at rush hour (6pm)...

I am also getting tired of lone speed merchants going round the outside of cars and pushing cars into the cycle lane...

but none of them are as annoying as joggers, cyclists or walkers, 2, 3, 4 or even 5 abreast...

I agree.

I've noticed my own road skills seem to lessen as i get more into a ride, last year rather than wait in a queue for a level crossing i thought I'd weave in and out to the front, meant i was on a steep incline, still had to wait but couldn't get going when the gates opened and ended up falling off very publicly probably to the satisfaction of some of the drivers

Personally id go further and say the following to cyclists:

Wearing all black may be seriously cool but it makes you seriously inconspicuous, not a good look when all around you are large metal objects travelling quickly.

Wearing a wooly hat or cap is really making a statement, but if you knew you were going to bang your head on tarmac at speed wouldn't you rather wear a helmet?

Well it is obvious. People are idiots, there are a lot of brain donors out there, some of them ride bikes.