Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

Was riding home today in a bike lane and without aiming for it, I managed to
run over a reasonably sized rock. I'm sure most people have had rocks go
flying at 90 degree or so to the way you are travelling but this one was a
beauty.......went clear across the road and hit a fence still going a
million miles an hour.

I am about 97kg and run my tyres at 110psi and it seems that when I do
launch a rock, it goes at approximately warp factor 9. I have had a couple
hit parked cars, fences, houses, etc.

My concern is I wonder where I stand legally if a rock that is unwillingly
launched causes some damage (eg. paint chip on car, smashed window, etc.)
Or worse still, what if I managed a "one in a million" rock that took out
someone's eye?? I would guess that if a car did this, their compulsory
third party insurance would cover it but obviously that is not the case for
a cyclist.

My thoughts are that the council responsible for the road would be the ones
responsible but I am no legal-O??

Anyone got any ideas??

Gags

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

Sounds like it is "time to join BNSW" time and get access to their 3rd
party policy - designed just for situations such as this. You could
try shifting the fault to RTA (or whoever) but hey have bigger pockets
than you.

cheers

Col

On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 21:09:24 +1000, "Gags"
wrote:

Was riding home today in a bike lane and without aiming for it, I managed to
run over a reasonably sized rock. I'm sure most people have had rocks go
flying at 90 degree or so to the way you are travelling but this one was a
beauty.......went clear across the road and hit a fence still going a
million miles an hour.

I am about 97kg and run my tyres at 110psi and it seems that when I do
launch a rock, it goes at approximately warp factor 9. I have had a couple
hit parked cars, fences, houses, etc.

My concern is I wonder where I stand legally if a rock that is unwillingly
launched causes some damage (eg. paint chip on car, smashed window, etc.)
Or worse still, what if I managed a "one in a million" rock that took out
someone's eye?? I would guess that if a car did this, their compulsory
third party insurance would cover it but obviously that is not the case for
a cyclist.

My thoughts are that the council responsible for the road would be the ones
responsible but I am no legal-O??

Anyone got any ideas??

Gags

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

Sounds like it is "time to join BNSW" time and get access to their 3rd
party policy - designed just for situations such as this. You could
try shifting the fault to RTA (or whoever) but hey have bigger pockets
than you.

cheers

Col

On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 21:09:24 +1000, "Gags"
wrote:

Was riding home today in a bike lane and without aiming for it, I managed to
run over a reasonably sized rock. I'm sure most people have had rocks go
flying at 90 degree or so to the way you are travelling but this one was a
beauty.......went clear across the road and hit a fence still going a
million miles an hour.

I am about 97kg and run my tyres at 110psi and it seems that when I do
launch a rock, it goes at approximately warp factor 9. I have had a couple
hit parked cars, fences, houses, etc.

My concern is I wonder where I stand legally if a rock that is unwillingly
launched causes some damage (eg. paint chip on car, smashed window, etc.)
Or worse still, what if I managed a "one in a million" rock that took out
someone's eye?? I would guess that if a car did this, their compulsory
third party insurance would cover it but obviously that is not the case for
a cyclist.

My thoughts are that the council responsible for the road would be the ones
responsible but I am no legal-O??

Anyone got any ideas??

Gags

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

"Gags" wrote in message news:ADTeb.154
snip rock flinging issues

I've done a few beauties... one hit a car so hard I was sure
he was gonna run me down for it! Damn, must've dented?!

Anyway, in a car when this happens, nothing is even
mentioned. It is just something you deal with, i.e. window
chips, etc. Hitting someone in the eye, you'd probably
be passed them before you even realised and they might
be none the wiser. The damage would probably only
be temporary anyway.
I don't see how it could be anything other than an
accident. You couldn't (well I'm sure a lawyer could)
really even blame council - how often should they sweep
the streets? It only takes a second for a car to drop a
stone from its tyre onto the road.

What if you get hit in the face with a rock flung from a
car?

One I regularly think about is getting smacked by the
output of coucil mowers. When they mow median
strips, I ride pretty close by the output 'shute' and I'm
not sure if they use grass catchers or not?

All this is not something I stress about, just when it
happens I think to myself what Gags just wrote...

stone-chippy hippy

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

"Gags" wrote in message news:ADTeb.154
snip rock flinging issues

I've done a few beauties... one hit a car so hard I was sure
he was gonna run me down for it! Damn, must've dented?!

Anyway, in a car when this happens, nothing is even
mentioned. It is just something you deal with, i.e. window
chips, etc. Hitting someone in the eye, you'd probably
be passed them before you even realised and they might
be none the wiser. The damage would probably only
be temporary anyway.
I don't see how it could be anything other than an
accident. You couldn't (well I'm sure a lawyer could)
really even blame council - how often should they sweep
the streets? It only takes a second for a car to drop a
stone from its tyre onto the road.

What if you get hit in the face with a rock flung from a
car?

One I regularly think about is getting smacked by the
output of coucil mowers. When they mow median
strips, I ride pretty close by the output 'shute' and I'm
not sure if they use grass catchers or not?

All this is not something I stress about, just when it
happens I think to myself what Gags just wrote...

stone-chippy hippy

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

Gags wrote in message
...
Was riding home today in a bike lane and without aiming for it, I managed
to
run over a reasonably sized rock. I'm sure most people have had rocks go
flying at 90 degree or so to the way you are travelling but this one was a
beauty.......went clear across the road and hit a fence still going a
million miles an hour.

I am about 97kg and run my tyres at 110psi and it seems that when I do
launch a rock, it goes at approximately warp factor 9. I have had a
couple
hit parked cars, fences, houses, etc.

My concern is I wonder where I stand legally if a rock that is unwillingly
launched causes some damage (eg. paint chip on car, smashed window, etc.)
Or worse still, what if I managed a "one in a million" rock that took out
someone's eye?? I would guess that if a car did this, their compulsory
third party insurance would cover it but obviously that is not the case
for
a cyclist.

My thoughts are that the council responsible for the road would be the
ones
responsible but I am no legal-O??


An act of god maybe? Surely they could not pin something like that on you,
unless it was clear that you were actually trying to hit the person with the
rock. You could maybe sue the council, but can they be held accountable just
because there is a small rock on the road?

Perhaps you could post this to aus.legal, and see what they reckon.
---
DFM

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

Gags wrote in message
...
Was riding home today in a bike lane and without aiming for it, I managed
to
run over a reasonably sized rock. I'm sure most people have had rocks go
flying at 90 degree or so to the way you are travelling but this one was a
beauty.......went clear across the road and hit a fence still going a
million miles an hour.

I am about 97kg and run my tyres at 110psi and it seems that when I do
launch a rock, it goes at approximately warp factor 9. I have had a
couple
hit parked cars, fences, houses, etc.

My concern is I wonder where I stand legally if a rock that is unwillingly
launched causes some damage (eg. paint chip on car, smashed window, etc.)
Or worse still, what if I managed a "one in a million" rock that took out
someone's eye?? I would guess that if a car did this, their compulsory
third party insurance would cover it but obviously that is not the case
for
a cyclist.

My thoughts are that the council responsible for the road would be the
ones
responsible but I am no legal-O??


An act of god maybe? Surely they could not pin something like that on you,
unless it was clear that you were actually trying to hit the person with the
rock. You could maybe sue the council, but can they be held accountable just
because there is a small rock on the road?

Perhaps you could post this to aus.legal, and see what they reckon.
---
DFM

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

"Deep Freud Moors" wrote in message
news:74Web.5033
You could maybe sue the council, but can they be held accountable just
because there is a small rock on the road?

Perhaps you could post this to aus.legal, and see what they reckon.

Oh god no, not another "Car accident" thread!

;-) hippy

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

"Deep Freud Moors" wrote in message
news:74Web.5033
You could maybe sue the council, but can they be held accountable just
because there is a small rock on the road?

Perhaps you could post this to aus.legal, and see what they reckon.

Oh god no, not another "Car accident" thread!

;-) hippy

Bike Tyre Launched Rocks
 

Gags,

Ever thought of auditioning for the next Mad Max movie. I'm sure your
trick with rocks and bicycles could fit into at least one scene.



--
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