This post appeared in my facebook timeline yesterday, from my cousin.
Most people would rant about something like this, but I think his cool, calm, collected response should help this message resonate with cyclists everywhere.
Please share this post – it’s not enough to only think about how well you light up the road in front of you, it’s about making sure other road users can see you, particularly those coming up behind.
Here’s the text from the facebook post again, in case the image is a bit too small to read for some people.
My van after a head on crash with a lorry yesterday.
I nearly hit a cyclist yesterday. I could see the oncoming traffic as the road was straight for over 500 metres, I wasn’t speeding, the visibility was good and my van had excellent lights, but I didn’t see the cyclist soon enough. If he’d had lights and a hi viz vest I am certain this incident would not have happened as I would have seen him sooner, had plenty of time to adjust my speed, let the oncoming traffic pass, then overtake the cyclist safely.
A word of advice to cyclists. If you are going to ride a bike on the road, make sure you are visible to other road users, especially when riding in the dark. You need to stand out from a distance. Get proper lights and a motorway class hi viz vest. Do all you can to make yourself visible to other road users. Other vehicles need time to adjust their speed to allow a safe passing distance once they have seen you. If you can’t be seen on a long straight you are putting yourself and others needlessly at risk of serious injury.
The cyclist was uninjured. In fact, he didn’t even stop. I’ve got a very stiff neck, shoulders and arms The van is a write off.
Are you visible enough when you ride?
Why not check out the “lights and reflectives” section at Wiggle.
Extra 15% off on Lights and Reflectives
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Start date: 04/12/2012 14:00 GMT
End date: 11/12/2012 14:00 GMT
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So what if instead of a cyclist it was a pedestrian, animal, or other unexpected object in the road? Not that I’m condoning riding at night without lights, but it sounds to me like the driver was going faster than was sensible given how far he could see. I think the primary lesson here is don’t drive too fast when visibility is limited.