Text 16271, 66 rader
Skriven 2005-11-15 11:51:02 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
  Kommentar till text 16097 av Raymond Yates (1:3613/48)
Ärende: Fog lights
==================
Hello Raymond,

 >>> One of my students had an incident where the car, traveling on
 >>> a cross-street, went through the intersection because he did
 >>> not see the biker. The biker had the right of way, but hit the
 >>> car in the front door.

 MV>> Then I'd say, your student was inexperienced and had not yet
 MV>> learned the lesson that having right of way does not mean that
 MV>> you will actually get it.

 > Well he /was/ a student...<g>  even so the circumstances were
 > such that the error was not entirely his.

Oh, I am not saying that. Surely the driver of the car was more at fault. But a
biker should not think in terms of "fault" or "blame". A biker is very
vulnerable and "Here lies Mike, he had right of way", is not the epitaph of my
preference. People make mistakes and if one wants to survive one should take
into account that others make mistakes.

 > It was at low speed, and the car shot out in front
 > of him, he was doing less than the speed limit

Sometimes less than the speed limit can be far too high...

 > and being cautious, but even so..

Let's say he was lucky to survive and learn a lesson.

 MV>> An experienced and carefull biker will not assume that he has been
 MV>> seem and approach the crossing at such a speed that he can always stop
 MV>> before he intersects the path of the car if the car driver suddenly
 MV>> pulls up. he will only accelerate if he has advanced to the point
 MV>> where he can pull out in front of the car no matter what.

 > Whne the speed limit on the road is, say 45, like it was in
 > this case, you can only slow down so much before other traffic
 > hits you from behind...

Hmmm... Is that a serious danger? I suppose it is, but I have a bit of a
problem with such a situation.

 MV>> Have you ever run headlong into another unlighted car because
 MV>> you did not see it and if you did, would you have seen it in
 MV>> time had it carried lights?

 > Actually I have in the distant past, a driver in front of me
 > that was making a right turn onto the main road. he moved forward,
 > and I was looking to the left for oncomiing traffic and thought he
 > had gone ahead. He hadn't. So I was going forward and hit his
 > bumper. I was surprised, I thought he had already left..

I can see how that happened as it once happened t my mother too.

But that is a different situation. You had already seen him. Plus that it was
not an oncoming car, you hit him from behind, so the "I didn't see him, but I
would had he carried lights" does not apply.

 > that was one of the few accidents I have ever had..

Let's hope it stays that way.

Cheers, Michiel

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