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Originally Posted by Kate
Exactly. I've been rear ended twice recently, both times I've been stationery and had my rear brake on.
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Yes I know and was sorry to hear it.
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The first time was for a pedestrian crossing and about 5 seconds after I came to a halt a van went into me. Excuse was 'didn't see you there'. The second time I was stationary at traffic lights and had been there a while before a lime green micra went into me. How, exactly, are these my fault?
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Well as far as the law and Highway Code goes then no it wasn't your fault at all. What I'm trying to put across is that there is another way of looking at things, that is maybe a little painful as it's coldly logical and unemotive.
In your circumstances (and again I wasn't there so this is no more than assumption on my part) possibly there was an opportunity to use the mirrors more, so that whilst stationary you are looking in the mirrors almost 100% of the time watching for the vehicle that one day will rear-end you, and if seen in time riding swiftly away to one side or some such emergency maneouvre (wonderfully demonstrated by Ness who did almost exactly that on the M25 very recently).
It is precisely because of this danger that I no longer stop at zebra crossings on a bike as I'm convinced that vehicles behind don't expect this, and the single rear brake light on a bike isn't terribly effective.
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Yes a majority of accidents have the driver/rider to blame, but to say all accidents are caused? I resent this and I resent the holier-than-thou attitude.
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Okay Kate, it's not personal so don't take it so. Holier-than-thou? No, that's not my style and I apologize if it comes across like that. And I also suggested that it was the vast majority of accidents and not all of them.
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My mother was waiting to turn right and coach went into the back of her doing over 50 mph, the coach driver didn't notice my mother there and didn't even brake. Now how excuse me, is that my mothers fault?
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Was your mother on a bike? (Seriously)
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Now back to this case in question, SVPilot wasn't doing anything stupid or out of the ordinary and whilst he is in agony from his injuries, people who don't know the road in question say 'tough, its your own fault'. Nice.
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Well you may have noticed that (out of courtesy) I haven't mentioned SVPilot's accident and not looked at who was to blame. So I really would appreciate you not infering that I had and also if you wouldn't mind just chilling out a little, because if we can't debate these things calmly and objectively then we're not going to get very far and it becomes a little pointless.
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