Cycling is, umm, safe

[Lockhouse]

I cycle 20 miles per day to and from work in Central London in rush hour. I've been doing this for 3 years. I always cycle defensively and although you can't 100% avoid accidents you can certainly limit the chances of having one by not being stupid. I see lots of cyclists risking serious injury - it doesn't bother me though as if they get knocked off as it keeps my accident chances low by skewing the average. It helps being a car driver as you read the road much better that a cyclist who doesn't have a driver's licence.

I've come off twice in 3 years - once was when I was riding too fast at Winchester station near my house and hit a car side on because I couldn't stop in time. My guard was down because it was a country road. The second time a numpty stepped off a kerb right in front of me in Old Broad St and I hit him in the legs. Luckily both times nothing was broken but as I get older it takes a good few weeks for the bruises to heal.

[bobhope]

I seem to remember there was a safety campaign aimed at motorcyclists a couple of years ago which concentrated on educating them to look out for themselves, to be prepared for dangers and the actions of other road users.

The response was for bikers to get very wound up that something wasn't being done to educate the other drivers.

Everyone on the road - drivers, bikers, cyclists, pedestrians - should consider all other road users to be blind, insane, drunk, incompetant, drugged up, half asleep and completely untrained. Then you stand some chance of defending yourself against them. Putting faith in the law and other road users is a suicidal policy.

Excellent summary of road users. Cyclists have to be twice as alert because they are the ones that end up on the losing side in any accident.