Driver attitudes to helmets

Richard Burton said:

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if I'd knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not
wearing a helmet"

If the account of the incident was correct, the driver is being an a**e. The lack of headgear does
not cause accidents.

--
The Reply & From email addresses are checked rarely.

Richard Burton said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if I'd knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not
wearing a helmet"

Please confirm that this woman is uniquely stupid, and that this was a unique incident, otherwise
the ramifications are too awful to contemplate.

A response of that nature could be expected here, where helmet wearing is compulsory. It is
disturbing in your situation.

Alan.

"Richard Burton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if

I'd

Quoted message said:

knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not wearing

a

Quoted message said:

helmet"

Please confirm that this woman is uniquely stupid, and that this was a unique incident, otherwise
the ramifications are too awful to contemplate.

No, this woman is not uniquely stupid and this was not a unique incident. The incident only shows
how truly wonderful cycling helmets can be. They have considerably more capabilities than mere head
protection for the rider. For instance, it's a widely known fact that they emit subliminal signals
that enable drivers to identify cyclists when they're not looking out for them. Their cunning design
enhances the aural acuity of the wearer, enabling him or her to detect errant motorists from a
greater distance. The helmet wearing cyclist suddenly acquires considerably improved bike handling
skills and is able to jump the bike over cars, buses and HGVs with consummate ease.

Richard, of course it would have been the cyclist's fault. How could you ever have thought
otherwise?
___
Michael MacClancy

PS Bigger helmets make for better lovers!

"Richard Burton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if

I'd

Quoted message said:

knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not wearing

a

Quoted message said:

helmet"

Please confirm that this woman is uniquely stupid, and that this was a unique incident, otherwise
the ramifications are too awful to contemplate.

Sadly, the driver is not uniquely stupid. I am sure other drivers are at least equally stupid.

Her claim that it is your fault because you were not wearing a helmet is bollox[tm]. However, that
has not stopped various insurance companies claiming that cyclists not wearing helmets are guilty
of contributory negligence and hence sought to reduce the compensation that they are paid in the
event of an accident. The weasels have even tried to claim such negligence when no head injuries
have been involved.

The CTC have, I believe, contested this vigorously and (as I understand it) the current legal
situation is that non wearing of a helmet is not considered contributory negligence.

However, that is unlikely to prevent the slim-balls from attempting to slither out of their
responsibilities again in the future.

As for your particular stupid [censored] -- sounds like standard defence mechanism bollox[tm].

If she is crushed by a juggernaut will she accept its her fault because she has a brake light out or
was doing 32 mph or some other 'technical' infringement.

T

The driver is an ar*ehole.

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get correct one remove dependency on fame &
fortune h*$el*$$e**nd***$o$ts***i*$*$m**m$$o*n**s@$*$a$$o**l.c**$*$om$$

Richard Burton said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if I'd knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not
wearing a helmet"

Please confirm that this woman is uniquely stupid, and that this was a unique incident, otherwise
the ramifications are too awful to contemplate.

It has happened to me when a car pulled out of a side road and I had to slam on the brakes. When I
suggested various options for a change of lifestyle for the driver, he told me it was my fault for
not wearing a helmet.

It is a growing trend for drivers to think they can do whatever they want and that if they cause a
crash it is never their fault. Everyone else is wrong, and the fact that you were a) a cyclist and
b) not wearing a helmet, makes you totally irresponsible and wholly to blame for anything the
driver might do.

It is a very dangerous and worrying trend - arguably one of the greatest threats to cycling as a
pastime, as insurance companies are now jumping on the same bandwagon.

I won't stop, even if helmets were made compulsory. They would then find something else to avoid
taking responsibility for their own actions - skinny tyres, clipped pedals, no body armour...

John B

Seek the useless cretinous moron out, shoot her and burn the body. Then explain to the Counsel for
the Prosecution that it was her fault because she wasn't wearing a seatbelt / helmet / Gaythorne and
Hollins Advanced Leather Truss. Gagh!

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

"Richard Burton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if I'd knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not
wearing a helmet"

I suspect this is one of those scenarios where someone knows they are so obviously wrong but are too
arrogant to admit it that they grasp for the nearest defence to hand. Unfortunately, the nearest
defence is not always the most logical.

--
Akin

aknak at aksoto dot idps dot co dot uk

"Richard Burton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if I'd knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not
wearing a helmet".....

I would have asked her why *she* was not wearing a h****t considering head injury is quite common in
motoring accidents.

Richard Burton said:

Please confirm that this woman is uniquely stupid, and that this was a unique incident, otherwise
the ramifications are too awful to contemplate.

Don't read too much into it. Most drivers, indeed most people, are reluctant to admit something was
their fault. The helmet was just the convenient rationalisation to hand. I doubt very much that the
driver believed it any more than other drivers really believed that the tree or lamp post hit their
car. Its just easier to rationlise the accident in that way rather than admit they drove their car
into the tree or lamp post.

Tony

"Richard Burton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if

I'd

Quoted message said:

knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not wearing

a

Quoted message said:

helmet"

I'll have to remember that one. If I crash into a car whilst driving and the other guy is
injured, it's their fault if the car is not fitted with an airbag.

Simon

JohnB said:

Richard Burton wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if I'd knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not
wearing a helmet"

Please confirm that this woman is uniquely stupid, and that this was a unique incident, otherwise
the ramifications are too awful to contemplate.

Quoted message said:

It has happened to me when a car pulled out of a side road and I had to slam on the brakes. When I
suggested various options for a change of lifestyle for the driver, he told me it was my fault for
not wearing a helmet.

Quoted message said:

It is a growing trend for drivers to think they can do whatever they want and that if they cause a
crash it is never their fault.

Reminds me of the time a car pulled into a roundabout in front of me, causing me to brake my
motorcycle very hard and just manage to stop before hitting the passenger side door. The roads were
otherwise deserted, so waiting for me to pass -- and I did have right of way -- would have held up
the car a few seconds. It was midday in the summer, and the car's side windows were open.

The passenger was so scared she emitted a small shriek as my tyres squealed and I appeared to be
going to dive into her window. I ended up so close I could clearly hear the driver's reply, which
was, "Don't worry, this is a Volvo."

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's
Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK ["]http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 13:09:23 +0000 (UTC) someone who may be [email hidden] (Chris Malcolm)
wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

The passenger was so scared she emitted a small shriek as my tyres squealed and I appeared to be
going to dive into her window. I ended up so close I could clearly hear the driver's reply, which
was, "Don't worry, this is a Volvo."

I do recall a lorry driver who had that attitude. This changed after an encounter between his lorry
and a train in the docks.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E I will always explain revoked
keys, unless the UK government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

Richard Burton said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most
of us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if I'd knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not
wearing a helmet"

Please confirm that this woman is uniquely stupid, and that this was a unique incident, otherwise
the ramifications are too awful to contemplate.

Drivers would like us all to wear helmets because subliminally it makes them feel better about
mixing with us in traffic. The fact that some of us would give up cycling if they were made
compulsory is an added bonus ;-)

On this subject, it was so warm tonight that I rode home in shorts and with nothing at all on my
head (I usually have a beanie or a cap in winter). It was nice to feel the breeze, and reminded me
why I really don't like helmets. I wore mine on Saturday at Calshot velodrome and realised I hadn't
taken it out of the cupboard since the last time I went on the track, which was August 2002.
Strangely, when I rode at Calshot as a schoolkid we didn't have to wear any protective gear, and
no-one died (one kid broke his arm, but that's neither here nor there).

Richard Burton said:

Just had reported to me last night an incident that I consider so disturbing, I felt I should
enquire whether this was a single incident or part of a trend.

Car overtakes cyclist, and immediately turns left, not the disturbing bit, it's happened to most of
us, but the next bit is. The cyclist caught up with the driver, and remonstrated with her: her
response being "well if I'd knocked you off, it would have been your fault because you're not
wearing a helmet"

Please confirm that this woman is uniquely stupid, and that this was a unique incident, otherwise
the ramifications are too awful to contemplate.

It wasn't Helen or Ian behind the wheel was it🙂?

Adrian Boliston said:

I would have asked her why *she* was not wearing a h****t considering head injury is quite common
in motoring accidents.

I would have run my cleats down the bodywork ;-)

vuelta said:

A lot of people (non speed cyclists) presume you are a reckless cyclist when wearing a helmet. So
in Holland you're guilty in public opinion when you DO wear a helmet.

I knew someone whose father wouldn't let him have a bike with drop handlebars for the same reason.
This was in the days before MTBs, so he ended up with an zero street cred Raleigh Twenty. Needless
to say, he never rode it.

Not Responding said:

It wasn't Helen or Ian behind the wheel was it🙂?

I think you really ought to withdraw that, smiley or no.

--
Guy chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗ "Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter
educatus et nimis propinquus ades"

Zog The Undeniable said:

I would have run my cleats down the bodywork ;-)

After all, it would have been her fault for not wearing a helmet.

--
Guy chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗ "Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter
educatus et nimis propinquus ades"