Almost killed yesterday

[Colin]

Mandatory testing for people over an arbitrary age won't save you.

I think that it would go a long way in making the general public a LOT safer.

Glad you are OK, Colin. Good reason to count your blessings. Find a new passion while you still can.

Cycling is such a passion that I don't think I could give it up. It's the only form of exercise that I really enjoy, and I've come to learn that exercise - especially into old age - is paramount. I have other passions, but they are more sedentary/mental.

Thanks for the kind wishes Jon........

 

[high impact]

Colin,
I am truly thankful and relieved that you are ok and able to enjoy another deep breath all the while taking in the wonder and beauty of this "so called" natural world.

 

[Cadmn]

I share the road out to our flying field with tons of riders as it is part of parkit isn't too bad as most are very professional in their use of the road, many have rear view mirrors & light & all kinds of such things & ride very carefully but you get some ever once in awhile that are all over the road have No idea of anything else around them etc.the older more experienced you can see teaching the younger ones & yelling at them to get into line. it's neat to watch & I get to talk with many as they stop & talk at the field to watch us fly.

 

[Ken]

So, we need a photo of the old helmet and the new one...
ken

 

[Just Me]

I watch and see things like a hawk.

evidently not or you would have used your super evasive powers to miss being hit.

 

[threads1]

S.I.P.D.E. - It works for every vehicle you operate because no-one is watching out for you but yourself.

 

[John L]

Colin,

Thank God you are alive.

 

[signmeup]

evidently not or you would have used your super evasive powers to miss being hit.

I was thinking the same thing. Most accidents are the result of at least two mistakes. You were going too fast to stop if something bad happened.....and someone cut you off. Yup....that's two. I guess you learned to slow down at intersections in the future.

 

[CES020]

No need to bust on the old people, it's not an old people problem, it's a stupid people problem. You can't ban stupid people from driving....well, yes you can, but they'll never do it. I'd say once a week I avoid an accident of some sort because some stupid person is on a cell phone. Cell phones, in my opinion, are perfectly acceptable to use while driving, BUT only by responsible people. People that understand the impact of that conversation on their driving abilities.

WAYYYYYYYYY too many stupid people driving today. I have a 92 year old Uncle that still drives and he lives in a crazy busy city, one I don't even like to drive in. I'll take my chances with him over a certain demographic that ends up on the phone while driving "yeah, and then she said, and then he said, and then I said, and then he said, and then she said.........".

Cell phone while driving shouldn't be allowed for gossip

 

[Colin]

I was thinking the same thing. Most accidents are the result of at least two mistakes. You were going too fast to stop if something bad happened.....and someone cut you off. Yup....that's two. I guess you learned to slow down at intersections in the future.

I find that insulting and offensive. You are completely wrong. Please have another look at the graphic, and read my statement to police:



This is my statement of the incident which occurred on December 3rd 2009. I was traveling east on *** Rd. on my bicycle, and was wearing an approved helmet, bright blue jacket with reflection tape, gloves and glasses. The time was approximately 3:30 pm. The weather was clear and dry, as were the road conditions. Visibility was excellent. I was riding on the right of the road, approximately one foot from the gravel edge, and was traveling in a straight line at a steady speed of approximately 35 km/h. As a cyclist of 20 years in the area, this is one of my regular cycling routes.

As I neared the part of *** Rd. where ### Rd. meets, I had a clear view of a car travelling west (towards me) on *** Rd. The car had its left indicator on and proceeded to slow. I was satisfied that the driver had seen me, and was yielding the right of way to me. At about the same time, another vehicle had just come down ### Rd. to the stop sign, and witnessed the entire event. The car traveling west proceeded to turn South onto ### Rd. directly into my path. This manoeuvre left me no time to brake or avoid the collision. As I was struck by the front of the car, I became detached from my bicycle and was tossed over the car, and landed on the ground (as shown in the attached graphic).

At the scene, the elderly lady driver of said vehicle was very apologetic, and said that she didn't see me; that I had "come out from the shadows". There was no dark shadowy areas. I was informed that she later stated to police that she did in fact see me, but thought that she had the time & space to make the turn.

I remained laying on the roadway until emergency personnel arrived. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital, checked over for neck/spinal injuries, and released. Today, the following day, I am extremely stiff, sore, and have a headache which I normally never experience.

 

[Colin]

No need to bust on the old people, it's not an old people problem, it's a stupid people problem.

While you correct that there are people of all ages who don't have good driving skills, I suggest that it is foolish to say that as a person ages, their driving skills are not affected by the aging process. I think this is obvious by watching how - almost on a daily basis on the news - some old person drives their car through a store window thinking that they were hitting the brake instead of the gas. As we age our sight gets poor, our ability to judge space/distance/speed/trajectory/ and all of the spatial calculations required in the operation of a motor vehicle in traffic gets more & more impared as we age. Obviously some do better than others, but to deny this fact is to do so at you own peril.

 

[signmeup]

I find that insulting and offensive. You are completely wrong. Please have another look at the graphic, and read my statement to police:

According to your statements and diagram you assumed that a slowing vehicle was yielding you the right of way. It was not. You hit it. Sounds like a mistake to me. Do you pull into intersections when on comming traffic is signaling they are going to turn up the street you are on? What if they had simply forgotten to turn off their signal lights and were really going straight through the intersection? Another two mistake scenerio.

A little trick I use when driving is to assume everyone else on the road is a complete idiot......possibly drinking. If I am on a bike I assume the complete idiots are out to get me.

 

[CES020]

I suggest that it is foolish to say that as a person ages, their driving skills are not affected by the aging process. I think this is obvious by watching how - almost on a daily basis on the news - some old person drives their car through a store window thinking that they were hitting the brake instead of the gas. As we age our sight gets poor, our ability to judge space/distance/speed/trajectory/ and all of the spatial calculations required in the operation of a motor vehicle in traffic gets more & more impared as we age. Obviously some do better than others, but to deny this fact is to do so at you own peril.

And I would ask what you'd be saying now if you were hit by a 16 year old kid that's had his/her permit for 1 week. That 80 year old might not react as fast, but they also tend to be very defensive drivers and very cautious for the most part. You certainly can't say that about most 20 year olds. They take risks all the time. Most older people don't take risks, they tend to only go when the coast is VERY clear, not just "clear", which is frustrating to those that are risk takers.

Just because you see it on the news that and old person hit the gas instead of the break doesn't mean it's a trend or a statistic that could be applied to an entire group of people. It's a single event by a single person until proven otherwise. The news is filtered data sent to the masses with an agenda. Sure, an old person did that, but what about the 16 year olds that wrecked their cars that day? Not on the news. Why not?

 

[Colin]

According to your statements and diagram you assumed that a slowing vehicle was yielding you the right of way.

Yes, and that is a reasonable, rational, and assumtion to make. It appears that you don't understand that it was not an "intersection" where I had a stop sign. I was not obligated to stop or slow down for the driver of the car, and if I had, it would have suddenly changed the rules of the road and made things confusing for all. Put it this way: Imagine that you were driving a car in that very scenerio, and the lady signaled to turn, slowed, and then at the last second as you were rightfully driving along, pulled over right into you. Would you feel that you were at fault?

Based on the eye witness who was in the other vehicle watching this all unfold right in front of them, and the law, the police have placed 100% blame on the old lady, and she has admitted 100% blame, and when the insurance company does the same, I'll let you know, but for now, are you willing to admit that you are wrong in your assertions?

A little trick I use when driving is to assume everyone else on the road is a complete idiot......possibly drinking. If I am on a bike I assume the complete idiots are out to get me.

Yes, I do the same. In this case though, I had no chance, nor would you if you were on the bike.

 

[Colin]

And I would ask what you'd be saying now if you were hit by a 16 year old kid that's had his/her permit for 1 week. That 80 year old might not react as fast, but they also tend to be very defensive drivers and very cautious for the most part. You certainly can't say that about most 20 year olds. They take risks all the time. Most older people don't take risks, they tend to only go when the coast is VERY clear, not just "clear", which is frustrating to those that are risk takers.

Just because you see it on the news that and old person hit the gas instead of the break doesn't mean it's a trend or a statistic that could be applied to an entire group of people. It's a single event by a single person until proven otherwise. The news is filtered data sent to the masses with an agenda. Sure, an old person did that, but what about the 16 year olds that wrecked their cars that day? Not on the news. Why not?

Your logic is twisted here. You seem to be refusing to admit the fact that as we age, our vision, reflexes, spatial judgements etc diminish. Just because there are young drivers who are involved in accidents and do foolish things does not make the declining abilities of the old drivers dissapear.

Besides, I did not say that it applies to a whole group of people, as a matter of fact, I said that some age better than others, but to deny the bloody obvious that the vast majority of very senior drivers do not have nearly as sharp the driving abilities that most people have is an odd thing to deny and I would wonder why someone would deny the patently obvious. Is it to be politically correct?

 

[CES020]

Wow......

I'm very sorry you were hit by a car and that car was driven by an elderly person. I've owned motorcycles and I've owned bicycles. I have the plates in my body to prove it.

However, your facts are the items that are twisted. She admitted to seeing you and making a judgment call that was wrong. Last time I checked, there are no judgment call tests. If there were, we'd probably have about 50% of the people driving today. Anyone can pass a driving test that's based on facts. What do you propose? Having a senior doing a driving test and have someone from DMV push a puppy out in front of them and see if they swerve in time? There is no such test at DMV.

Yes, they do lose their lighting fast reflexes. Know how they compensate for it? They slow down. I'd much rather drive the roads with seniors than multitasking executives.

She didn't hit you because she was old, she hit you because she made a poor decision. When you start legislating poor decisions, let me know, cause there's a heap of people I'd like to run through that test.

A senior, while losing their fast reflexes, also come with about 500,000 or more miles of actual driving time behind the wheel. I'll take that over a 16 year old with a stereo cranked up so loud you can hear it a mile away, text messaging his/her friend while driving.

Is there a point in time where people don't have the skill to drive? Certainly. Does it happen to every senior? Absolutely not. Do seniors cause the majority of accidents today? Not even close....not even close. Singling them out from driving is what's politically correct in this conversation. I'm the opposite. My view is if you want to test them, great, let's do it. Now, it doesn't apply to seniors, it applies to everyone. You can't pass the test, you don't drive. I don't care if you are 16, 36, or 96. That, I'm all for. Targeting seniors because one made a mistake and hit you, I'm not for. I'll ask the question again because you didn't answer it the first time, what would you be calling for if a 16 year old had hit you instead? Tougher policies on who gets a permit?

 

[JimJenson]

Your logic is twisted here. You seem to be refusing to admit the fact that as we age, our vision, reflexes, spatial judgements etc diminish. Just because there are young drivers who are involved in accidents and do foolish things does not make the declining abilities of the old drivers dissapear.

Insurance is all about managing risk. According to my insurance company, a younger person is more likely to be in or cause an accident than an older person. This is why the rates are through the roof if you are under 25. Ironically, the same insurance company doesn't charge extra for being over 60.

 

[Colin]

She admitted to seeing you and making a judgment call that was wrong.

Yes, but because you weren't there and don't know what the exact scenerio was like, it appears you don't have an appreciation for just how off the charts her error was. Believe me, if you were there, in my shoes, you too would be stunned at how someone's ability to judge her own vehicle's relationship with other moving vehicles could be so jaw-droppingly poor. With this skill level, she should not be permitted to possess a drivers licence. Driving is not a right, it is a responsibility.

Yes, they do lose their lighting fast reflexes. Know how they compensate for it? They slow down.

Unfortunately, the world outside of their metal & glass bubble doesn't slow down along with them to their level. You are asserting that simply going slower is safe, and I suggest that that is simply not true. It not only doesn't begin to address the myriad of other factors and situations which are part & parcel of day to day driving, but it ignores the fact that an individual driving slower than the rest of traffic actually creates more problems & dangers as it introduces a "differential" in speed.

She didn't hit you because she was old, she hit you because she made a poor decision.

She was in her mid eighties, and if you wish to hold onto the idea that her age had nothing to do with her incredibly poor spatial judgement, you are free to do so. We disagree.

A senior, while losing their fast reflexes, also come with about 500,000 or more miles of actual driving time behind the wheel.

Not necessarily. Many drive very little and/or infrequently. Many may also have acquired their licence later in life (esp older women whos husbands have passed away). There are also many who have simply had poor driving skills for a long time. So I find a disconnect between your willingness to give all seniors such latitude, but to refuse to look at the possibility that the natural aging process has a very real negative effect on a persons driving ability - albeit varying from person to person.

I'll take that over a 16 year old with a stereo cranked up so loud you can hear it a mile away, text messaging his/her friend while driving.

Yes, me too, but fabricating this extreme example with the fictitious teenager isn't an arguement against the fact that aging has an effect on driving ability. It is nothing more than an emotional red herring.

Is there a point in time where people don't have the skill to drive? Certainly.

Ah! Then we agree, as this is all I'm saying. And I'm suggesting that this particular old lady is at that point.

Does it happen to every senior? Absolutely not.

Actually it does; eventually. (unless of course they die before this happens).

My view is if you want to test them, great, let's do it. Now, it doesn't apply to seniors, it applies to everyone. You can't pass the test, you don't drive. I don't care if you are 16, 36, or 96. That, I'm all for.

This supports my assertion that it is far too easy to acquire a drivers licence, and that more education needs to be in the whole process.

I'll ask the question again because you didn't answer it the first time, what would you be calling for if a 16 year old had hit you instead?

The same thing. A review of their driving abilities.

 

[CES020]

Wow....again.... You seem to be able to read far more into my words than I mean, so I'll just back out the conversation now as I have no desire to have to go back and explain the logic of every single word I typed and compare that to what you implied I meant when I typed it.

Once again, I'm sorry you were in an accident with an elderly person. I'm glad you were not seriously injured.

 

[John L]

Maybe we should require a drivers license for those who wish to operate a bicycle on the roadway.