Sunday Times article on cycling safety.

"Zog The Undeniable" wrote in message
...
Peter Fox wrote:

For somebody doing 5000 miles a year this is:

Killed/Seriously injured - 92 years

I only do half that mileage, but they're still unattractive odds. They
*feel* correct based on my experience of British traffic, although I've
become wise to the usual tricks pulled by drivers, such as overtaking and
then immediately turning left (a cyclist, after all, moves so slowly that
he/she can be considered a stationary object).

I always breathe a sigh of relief when I get off the road and onto my
driveway at night.

The distribution is not uniform though, and if you avoid doing things like
undertaking large vehicles at junctions you can improve those odds
considerably.

On Feb 19, 10:52 pm, "
wrote:

Ken Kifer had a page on that, showing that LAB members had much much
lower rates than the average (which of course includes children and
beginners).

Sadly the late Ken Kifer was killed by a drunk driver whilst cycling.

...d

In article , Jim Harvest
says...

It would be fair to say that if he cycles for 60 years there is a 1 in 3
chance that he will be ksied. To me, that is scary, maybe to you it isn't.

Cycling's benefits to health and fitness probably balance that up pretty
well.

Martin Dann wrote:

Experienced cyclists should be less likely to be KSIed as they should be
aware of the main hazards (car doors, turning lorries, RLJ), and so
should last a lot longer.

It isn't 'experience' as such but knowledge and good habits.

Firstly they make a huge difference with simple good habits making the ride
safer (and less stressful).

Secondly I get quite a few visitors to the quiz on my web page ranting on
as "I've been cycling 30 years and what you say is a disgrace... blah blah
blah".


--
Peter Fox
Beer, dancing, cycling and lots more at www.eminent.demon.co.uk

On 19 Feb, 21:25, Zog The Undeniable wrote:
Peter Fox wrote:
For somebody doing 5000 miles a year this is:
Killed/Seriously injured - 92 years

I only do half that mileage, but they're still unattractive odds.

Hmm, doesn't seem too bad to me. You have to die somehow, after all,
and cycling doesn't stick out spectacularly as high risk.

... *They
*feel* correct based on my experience of British traffic, although I've
become wise to the usual tricks pulled by drivers, such as overtaking
and then immediately turning left (a cyclist, after all, moves so slowly
that he/she can be considered a stationary object).

That may be a fairly common assumption, but even on an open road, an
experienced cyclist is likely to be moving at around the speed of
agricultural machinery, diggers, road maintenance vehicles and things
like rubbish lorries and local busses that are stopping frequently. If
you *look* like a fast cyclist, most drivers won't left-hook you (I
know; it only takes one..).

I always breathe a sigh of relief when I get off the road and onto my
driveway at night.

I think you're probably stressing too much, it may be keeping you
alive on the roads (my suspicion is not) but then stress itself isn't
good for you either... :-) Enjoy the cycling, I say!

Cheers,
W.

x-no-archive:Rob Morley wrote:
In article , Jim Harvest
says...

It would be fair to say that if he cycles for 60 years there is a 1 in 3
chance that he will be ksied. To me, that is scary, maybe to you it isn't.

Cycling's benefits to health and fitness probably balance that up pretty
well.

Agreed. For me, as a fatty, and an assertive cyclist, the odds are
definitely in favour of cycling (rather than not cycling) if looking at
longevity alone.

Still scary though.

Quoting Jim Harvest :
It would be fair to say that if he cycles for 60 years there is a 1 in 3
chance that he will be ksied. To me, that is scary, maybe to you it isn't.

Well, it's pretty dismal, but to be fair if you cycle for 60 years
starting at (say) age 8 you've got a fair chance of dropping dead before
you finish...
--
David Damerell flcl?
Today is Second Sunday, February - a weekend.

Rob Morley wrote:

In article , Jim Harvest
says...

It would be fair to say that if he cycles for 60 years there is a 1 in 3
chance that he will be ksied. To me, that is scary, maybe to you it isn't.

Cycling's benefits to health and fitness probably balance that up pretty
well.

Sorry, Jim's post hasn't arrived here. Could someone please repost it?

Ta,
Luke


--
Red Rose Ramblings, the diary of an Essex boy in
exile in Lancashire http://www.shrimper.org.uk

Response to Ekul Namsob

Sorry, Jim's post hasn't arrived here. Could someone please repost it?


You pretty much got it. In any case, it's he

Message-ID:

_______________
x-no-archive:Ekul Namsob wrote:
Zog The Undeniable wrote:

Peter Fox wrote:

For somebody doing 5000 miles a year this is:
Killed/Seriously injured - 92 years
I only do half that mileage, but they're still unattractive odds.

Seriously? If the odds are that you would need to cycle 2500 miles /
year for 184 years in order to be KSId on British roads, would it not be
fair to say that the odds are that you will neither be killed nor
seriously injured?


It would be fair to say that if he cycles for 60 years there is a 1 in 3
chance that he will be ksied. To me, that is scary, maybe to you it
isn't.
_______________



My take on it? We're told that cyclists live longer than non-cyclists
on average, and anything which seems likely to extend my life shouldn't
greatly bother me - rationally, anyway. ;-) IMO, if we're weighing up
cycling versus not cycling, we should probably be very appreciably more
scared of cardiovascular diseases than of cycling accidents.




--
Mark, UK
"Let the gods avenge themselves."

"David Damerell" wrote in message
...
Quoting Jim Harvest :
It would be fair to say that if he cycles for 60 years there is a 1 in 3
chance that he will be ksied. To me, that is scary, maybe to you it isn't.

Well, it's pretty dismal, but to be fair if you cycle for 60 years
starting at (say) age 8 you've got a fair chance of dropping dead before
you finish...
--
David Damerell flcl?
Today is Second Sunday, February - a weekend.

God I hope not!
In my 71st year I hope to go on a bit longer yet before popping my clogs ( or
should that be my shimano sandals!)

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk