Safe Speed Forums

Gatsobait my old mate!

Glad you are OK and that cyclist is OK

I would have fined her £30 for the pavement offence anyway - evenif she did have cuts and bruises.

From what you describe - with rest of the regualr gang on here - cannot see how any blame can attach itself to you from clear description you have given.

Shame that you are out of pocket. Really hope your car can be repaired to your satisfaction as well.

Cyclists (arthur and the Mad Lad apart!)

If cyclist had injured pedestrian - pedestrian may have been able to pursue civil case against the cyclist - but difficult as even if they win - cyclist may not have means to pay and plaintiff gets soaked for costs. Unfair world! Or that is what I hear has occurred in past. If serious injuries State offers some basic pay out - but cannot remember what is is off top of my head..... indeed - may have gone in cut backs ...

Thanks all for comments. Honestly I wasn't looking for a bunch of "not your faults" and "nothing you could have dones", though I'm not complaining. But in a weird way I'd have felt better if someone had said that using my bat-sonar or X-ray vision would have alerted me early enough to prevent the accident - as it stands being told I did everything right still means that it could happen again.
Still, much appreciated all the same and all round.

Keeping up your harsh-but-fair image?

Me too, but so far repairs not so brilliant. New windscreen fitted and the seal was iffy so it'll have to come back out. And the fecking mirror has fallen off now and refuses to stick back on as has the aerial for my phone, though that's relatively unimportant. Not too keen on driving around with just door mirrors though, so I have to go back to sort mirror out, then off to see about wing damage (which hasn't even been looked at yet), then back again to sort windscreen seal out. Pain in the (_!_) all round.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Hello copper........again

To answer your questions....

Yes! 2004 not a good year for me. This was the second of 2 accidents I have been involved in this year. Before you start making spurious judgements, please bear in mind I never had a road accident involving another vehicle or person since I started driving in 1982

The first one happened when I was dropping off a friend in Redhill. I had just driven into the cul-de-sac where his flat is. Cul-de-sac only a few hundred metres long so excessive speed not an issue. I was travelling at about 20 mph when lady in parked vehicle on my nearside decided to pull away into my path without looking in her mirrors. She pulled out at a point where it was impossible for me to have anticipated her actions. Point of impact was the rear portion of the front wing about 6 inches in front of door seam. Front wing, passenger door and real quarter panel trashed!

She admitted liability and the claim was resolved without any problems. I didn't lose my NCB for this one either.

To answer your questions regarding the other accident

Speed limit 30mph at accident site. Accident site next to public park area with childrens' play area. Quite a few yummy mummies and spoggs about.

I had just left my home. Accident occured about 400 yards from my house. Car was still cold so keeping revs low, deffo not exceeding 30mph.
driving conditions good, dry road surface, fine weather.

Accident happens 15metres from road junction. I am already slowing down for junction, probably 20-25mph at impact with cyclist (I'm fairly sure his injuries would have been a lot worse if I had been travelling at 30mph!).

Cyclist exits footpath from footpath on left into path of my car. Neither of us could see eachother because of the vegetation/undergrowth between us. He cannot see into the road on his RHS and I cannot see him through vegetation either.

I don't think your observation about COAST is appropriate in this case because it was just impossible to anticipate what was going to happen.

There was absolutely no reaction time. My windscreen just exploded in my face and that was that. I never saw the cyclist ride out in front of me. 25mph is 40km = 11.3 m/s =approx 35 feet per second. Distance from point of impact to my windscreen approx 6 feet (Length of bonnet basically). Now...if someone fired a 80lb bag of potatoes at 35feet per second, from 6 feet away...into your face.....Would you have time to duck? I don't think so matey! By my reckoning, you'd have less than one fifth of a second to react, somewhat beyond my brain's limited computing skills!

Roll on 2005! I can't possibly have such shit luck as this year!

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Living in the UK is like eating a bile sandwich. It leaves a bitter taste in yer mouth

Cheers mate!

Due last week in November - but she gave us a scare earlier in the week.

However, this was more down to an over-indulgence of chocolate and pickled gherkin sandwiches than anything else .... Wimmin! We have never got to the bottom of these bizarre cravings ....

Yup - got me fetching and carrying the Go-Cat as well.......

He's all heart - ain't he!

I am sure it would have been worse!



I wish they would maintain foliage. We have one road near us in North Lakes where accidents have happened through this. They have trimmed it now - but took them 6 months - and we are autumn anyway now.... They really are brain dead - aren't they!

Kids are notorious though for hurtling out of parks - though...

.

Ah! Well that is where it does come in - to certain extent - we know the park is there and there is just a very slight possibility that a right twazak like this will be just that - a right twazak! Thus - we slow down - but you were slowing down anyway for the junction. Cyclist is clearly at fault here .... he would probably have hit you if you were stationary!

In case you are wondering - IG is my wife's cousin ......



True - accident which is down to cyclist who should have been taught COAST and Highway Code and done a Cycling Proficiency Test.

Doubt a compensation claim would have got far even if they did prove you had 1% responsibility.

Er bad luck - usually comes in threes ...... You have two more to complete second cycle of three! One more non fault accident and one more Gatso! Be careful! At least until 31/12/04!

Be sure to see out the year in style - wee dram, and make sure you visit someone bearing bread and coal for the fire .....as 2005 dawns....

Do a little dance to beat out the evil spirits (have been told this is a Swiss tradition - wife is Swiss)


Just thought I would cheer you up all the more!

Well thanks for yer pearls of wisdom!

I'll deffo be taking good care. Jaysus! What a year! I'm terrified to get in my car! Speed cameras, suicidal teenage cyclists, drunk pub landladies pulling out into my car. I had it all this year!

So you know IG huh!

Hope he doesn't work Reigate nick. He'll have my guts for garters if he ever stops me

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Living in the UK is like eating a bile sandwich. It leaves a bitter taste in yer mouth

Quite a year so far! Um - can only get better!

Don't worry - am in North East!

Guts for garters - we have a nasty jail in Durham. We have been clearing it out - just for you!

Bad luck again - I drive at 10 -15 mph in cul-de sacs with parked cars.

Agree - not a lot you can do when dopey Doris does this sort of thing - but perhaps you could just glance for sign of engine starting -any fumes from exhaust suggesting sudden move-off, similarly glance beneath parked cars - ball or foot may give you a little warning in this kind of street.



Please to hear this - at least something went right for you - but definitely an aggravation. Why oh WHY will they not use mirrors and just look over shoulders? Not rocket science - is it!



As the Mad Doc has said -undoubtedly worse if you had been at 30 mph.

So COAST is there - as you are slowing down for junction. However, COAST means observing parks, play areas, and park entrances - and you know the park is there at 400m from home. So - you Anticipate numpty child will run out from play area .....and you may not see - cos daft council are complete idiots and do not clip hedges back....

But even so - 20 mph- ish - not unreasonable speed past here - and even if you had passed junction at 5 mph - this idiot would have ploughed into you... so agree - not a lot you could have done anyways. Could have caught out anyone.... police, ambulances, fire crews, our Paulie here, me - all of us!

Wish they would insist on Cycling Proficiency though - would avoid a lot of this aggro for all of us!



Like I said above - you were in wrong place a wrong time to greater extent. Must have been one heck of a shock to you anyway - and you should never underestimate the power of shock either.



I can sympathise with you to some extent. You really have had a bad year... like Mad Doc says - be extra careful until the year is out as it is not over yet! I can understand your frustration - such a run of bad luck - especially with the A21 scam.

But do look at the pepipoo site - it will help your situation -especially if you have elected to go to court. You need advice as to how to present yourself in court - because like the system, me. or not - an "attitude" counts against you - and you need to really calm down and present your case very calmly and responsibly to keep the fine and the costs down.

And check out the web sites before you set off anywhere - forewarned is fore-armed to some extent - and do look at RA in Halfords and "origin technologies" site ... You can even download scam sites onto Tom Toms as well ....

Lots of legal means to help yourself and protect yourself - best one of course is to keep to the speed limit.

I appreciate your advice IG and thanks for it

BUT

It really bothers me that anyone should have to go to such lengths just to get in their car and go for a drive!

I hope you can see where I'm coming from!

It REALLY shouldn't be neccessary to treat motorists like this!

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Living in the UK is like eating a bile sandwich. It leaves a bitter taste in yer mouth

Oh - we all know that!

That is why we are all complaining about it, mate! And why we are campaigning against scams and for return to normality!

None of us saying "abolish speed limits" - but that sensible limits, training, responsible behaviour by ALL road users, and fair and normal enforcement would do far more to improve road safety than a scamera.......