Safe Speed Forums

Keith Bingham comments that that Jason was in high -viz from the gilet and echoes the widow's comment that he must have seen him if he can claim he was "hunkered down"

However, the comment may have been passed by one of the other drivers who allegedly saw Jason and pounced on by the defence. :roll;

CW goes off on one again about how the law lets off "killer drivers" and then off on one again over the way the Highway Code advises ccylists to wear high visability gear


[i]All policecemen wear such gear now as part and parcel of uniform. Folk do see bright colours in the dark.[/quote]

Now Jason was wearing a St Andrews Scotland colours gilet..and arguably the white cross should have made him visible. I would still have added fluorescent arm bands just be that bit safer in dark winter days though.

Of course, as he points out . some would not see cyclist decked out as a "Christmas tree" and claims many are poorly sighted and claims that the DVLA's driving test which only requires the driver to be able to read a number plate from 20.5 metres is whoolly inadequate.

The driver behind McTaggart saw Jason for a full 16 metres on an NSL road.

I do not think it is poor eyesight ,... more woefully inadequate COAST skills which only a moron and complacent incompetent will choose to ignore.

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Problem - I've actually visited the scene of this (as a former resident of this town )-looked around - and need to know more -just in case I pull out into a road with a van, and miss a cyclist ------
First - which direction was Jason travelling ?
Secondly - what maneuver was the van driver performing?
Thirdly - what (if as i suspect the driver was turning right ) influence did the hedge and the road sign play in the prevention of view of the cyclist from the van driver , given that at this point
going north - traffic might well be accelerating from the A82/A830 junction to NSL / higher ,as this stretch of road is straight and can sustain ( did for a lot of years previous to the imposition of the present limits) higher speeds than the present limit allows .
2) -TO MY MIND -having seen this accident scene FIRST HAND - there's a lot more questions than answers - perhaps if someone like IG had access to the WHOLE TRUTH - then as an independent investigator had given his view -I'd feel happier .
This case --to my mind raises more questions than answers .

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

str letter in this weeks's CW contains the harrowing story of the reader losing his son. The idiot in question was in a stolen car. - number of traffic offences on his record.

Oh .. so sadly the f:censored:g norm

We are sick of catching the same offenders over and over.

It does not help though when police officers do the stupid and blame everyone else but themselves per some other (actually - let's be blunt five CURRENT as of NOW KSI) cases being heard in the courts up and down the country. I do not condone stupidity - so who is behind the wheel and stupid # acts cancel out "experience and training". We .. those on the road .. are responsible for our own actions and no one else.


Let's get that out in the open and plain for even the least intelligent on the planet to undertand.


No excuses. You are on the road as a road user. An adult. Buck lies with YOU as the road user - and no one else really. ;roll;

Note the words ROAD USER - I include every one adult person so how they travel.

I do not defend rogue BiB drivers any more than I defend muppet MOPS - though outcomes might be different .. with Bib transgressors perhaps having more to lose long term.

I do not agree with manslaughter charges to be borught for each incident. We could not provide such evidence. We struggle to convince a court of "dangerous" at the moment in any case. :roll;

The CW reader points out what the Mad Doc and self have already pointed out as fails in the "fob off" law as we agreed to call it when we met up last week.

We've had the "death by reckless/inconsiderate driving" as a possible charge for past 10 years (and not 15 per the CW reader's letter ) We always found it too hard to prove though/. and CPS tend to favour easy options so as to get a conviction when all is said and done

We do try to go for the throats on our patch .. But .. folk know we are present. They complain about our presence too per letters to the press You cannot win them all - but they should still thank Paul Garvin and his successor for their lucky stars and decent stats

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Don't know if anyone has posted latest on this -if so sorry for a double post .

Last week had occasion to return north to Fort William to undertake some unfinished family business .Passing the council yard on the Inverness road noticed that there is a plaque in memory of Jason ( a white circle about 6' in diameter with a cyclist in racing gear and his name with the date ).
Mrs B took a photo ,which when I get it developed ( if it comes out ok) will post up .(unless anyone's going up that way and gets a chance to take a better one ) .
Just got the older film developed showing the tributes placed there just after his death, but photo is not very good .
Entrance to the council yard is about a quarter mile north of the BP garage on the A82/A830 junction and is on right heading north ( toward Inverness- if you get to the you've gone too far)

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Well I can probably do that without too much trouble ... but not sure when heading down to Ft W. ...
Do post yours up when you have it.
Shame that I didn't know you were so close ! Could have (maybe) grabbed a cup of coffee.
Pleased to see you here again

edited ...

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

Finally got the film developed and it's come out quite well( apart from a bit of car door) -could have been better ,but there was a lot of traffic on the council estate that day .
Still if anyone is up Fort William way , the council yard is on the right on the A82 about 400 yds after the junction with the A830 heading toward Inverness ( north)

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on