Surrey launches Drive Smart campaign as cyclist casualties rise dramatically

What amazes me in our increasingly litigious society is how government departments 'controlling' motoring appear to benefit from different rules. Example?

You go into hospital for routine appendectomy but the surgeon is tired and saws your leg off. NHS liable and that's government so you probably sue.

You are wrongly convicted of GBH against a surgeon perhaps...and spend some time inside. Then turns out evidence was botched and CPS covered it so you sue for if all, list months inside,defemation of character etc. CPS are liable.

There are other examples. How come then when the DVLA allow a nutter to operate a car and they then kill someone that the DVLA have no culpability at all and its all tidied away under the rug by third party insurers? Guarantee if families started litigation against such transport departments and won that the PM would suddenly be interested in road safety.

I'd really welcome comments on this

It's hillarious that Mr. Higgins thinks that cyclists make too much noise but will happily organise events for people to let loose with shotguns. The last time I checked you needed ear plugs or defenders to avoid going deaf when you use one.

I'm not anti-shooting or anything, just thought it seemed like a funny comment.

The idea of car drivers feeling intimidated by cyclists is also pretty laughable.

Why would you take the Harley to B&Q more like...(?!)

Cycled around that area - only for a couple of days but I felt kind of lucky to be in once piece and not because of bad driving but just the sheer volume of cars and the narrow country lanes which are basically arterial for all the traffic flowing in and out of London. Just sooo soo busy.

Gotta give it to the drivers - was in rush hour traffic with both lanes busy and no stupid overtakes or hassle.

"...a spike on the steering wheel..."
I saw a Harley Davidson parked up in B&Q the other day [each to his own]. I couldn't quite believe one particular feature. Pride of place atop each front fork tube was a stainless-steel cone-shaped cap. These,...let's call them what they were... spikes, were raked to the rear (i.e. so they pointed at the rider's face) and just looked to be perfectly designed and positioned to do some real damage to the rider's nether regions should he be unlucky enough to T-bone a SMIDSY.
Just thinking about it made me wince.

I mean...why would you?

Nice to see some suggestions that don't involve educating or training cyclists. I agree with the second point about road surfaces. I don't need bike training - the only weaving I do is to avoid holes.

It would be better if they just called it 'Drive Slow' though. Speed is the real issue - especially on country lanes and slower is smarter.

I've just spent a week riding tiny twisty lanes in Wales and it was much safer than I imagined it to be as drivers can only see 50 yards ahead and have to use passing places. They were being so careful they were slowing me up. The trick is to get that level of caution back on other roads. I favour no safety belts and a spike on the steering wheel in 20mph areas.

This seems like an excellent idea - we are launching a similar campaign in my local authority soon, like we did last year.

To share information between cyclists and drivers, and to educate BOTH groups (who as has been rightly observed are often the same people) about how they should behave both legally and sensibly on the road, is the only way forward.

Cyclists and drivers are allowed to use the roads but, just as a driver revving up and repeatedly driving down a street is antisocial and annoying, so is the behaviour of some cyclists. All road users need to get a better understanding of sharing the road safely and tolerantly.