Nicely following on from the tragedy in that last story, several driving schools have reportedly “created” special modules for their instructors to use when teaching learners how to handle cyclists. You can read more in ADI News but you’ll have to subscribe to the magazine itself (which is very worthwhile).
But it makes me smile. If instructors need “special” modules for dealing with cyclists, you have to wonder what the hell they’ve been teaching up until now. And is anyone naive enough to believe that the tragedy reported wouldn’t have happened if learner drivers were trained differently? No one ever seems to question deficiencies in the training that cyclists receive (i.e. virtually none in most cases).
No learner I have ever taken on has been under the impression that there is an open season on cyclists, or that it’s OK to run over one. In fact, the biggest problem by far is that they initially try to give them so much room that they don’t take account of oncoming vehicles or parked cars on the other side of the road. Beyond that, the task is to get them to try and anticipate and not try to barge through narrow gaps – which applies when dealing with any other road user, and not just cyclists.
The Highway Code says of the matter:
211
It is often difficult to see motorcyclists and cyclists, especially when they are coming up from behind, coming out of junctions, at roundabouts, overtaking you or filtering through traffic. Always look out for them before you emerge from a junction; they could be approaching faster than you think. When turning right across a line of slow-moving or stationary traffic, look out for cyclists or motorcyclists on the inside of the traffic you are crossing. Be especially careful when turning, and when changing direction or lane. Be sure to check mirrors and blind spots carefully.
212
When passing motorcyclists and cyclists, give them plenty of room (see Rules 162 to 167). If they look over their shoulder it could mean that they intend to pull out, turn right or change direction. Give them time and space to do so.
213
Motorcyclists and cyclists may suddenly need to avoid uneven road surfaces and obstacles such as drain covers or oily, wet or icy patches on the road. Give them plenty of room and pay particular attention to any sudden change of direction they may have to make.
163
[Partial quotation]
- give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car
When on lessons, learners will inevitably encounter cyclists in real situations, and extremely common questions include:
- why isn’t he on the cycle path?
- why did he go through that red light?
You don’t need to be a genius to work out the answer to these, and I always answer completely truthfully. No politically correct claptrap to try and make the cyclist in question come out as a saint – just the plain truth. I’ve ridden with them before, and the reasons they ride on the road instead of the cycle path include:
- deliberately trying to show how he’s entitled to use the road
- they reckon they get punctures on the cycle paths
- trying to avoid having to slow down for junctions (and they’ll often hop on to the path anyway if the lights ahead change)
Indeed, the group I rode with openly admitted that it deliberately held up cars on country lanes by riding two abreast – particularly if the car sounded its horn at them – and I am certain that this group wasn’t unique. As far as jumping red lights goes (I’ve seen three do it today – two Spandex Boys, and one gorilla on a mountain bike) they simply don’t know, don’t care, and probably both. I also point out to learners that someone who shoots a red light on a bike (or who hops on to the pavement at the last minute to use the footpath) is quite likely to be as blasé about the whole business when they’re in a car.
It seems that both The AA (including BSM) and RED have introduced these special “modules. The AA’s news release is here. RED is unfortunately on Facebook, which means you’ll not be able to find anything meaningful (well, maybe if you’re quick, but not if you try the link after a few days), but I will tell you that at this moment in time RED is claiming that it:
…asked over 1,000 cyclists and 98% feel more should be done to educate new drivers on the importance of cyclist safety.
I just have to put my head in my hands and wonder what the world is coming to with stuff like that. It’s like asking a thousand petty criminals if they think they should be let out of prison early, and somehow thinking that they must have a point if 98% of them say yes. What do RED expect cyclists to say? No?
The problem is that the sudden newsworthiness of the subject is partially linked to one particular incident, which is a prime example of the lowest intelligence in human society being able to get a driving licence. Emma Way tweeted the following after she knocked one off:
Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier – I have right of way he doesn’t even pay road tax! #bloodycyclists
Let’s just get our facts straight here – it isn’t the phrase “bloody cyclists” which is the problem (that was in the hash tag anyway), but the fact she nearly killed one in a road traffic accident and doesn’t seem to have reported it or stopped at the scene, or even to have been concerned, but then showed off about it. It was her childish trust in Twitter, and her overall outlook on life those few words convey which was her downfall. You can read more on that link above – she’s going to get in serious trouble, and it serves her right if the accusations are true – though the rest of the article is rabidly pro-cyclist. If Emma Way is at one complete extreme of the spectrum*, the authors of the article are at the opposite extreme. And in both cases, I mean “extreme”. Absolutely as far as it is possible to go.
Because let’s not lose sight of the fact that many cyclists ARE a bloody nuisance on the roads, especially with so many of them thinking that they’re Bradley Wiggins since last summer – and it is deficiencies in them, perhaps typified by the rabid rhetoric in parts of the article above (particularly the comments below it – some of those people don’t seem to realise that what they’re saying is as bad as what Emma Way said), which are at the root of the problem. Not the motorist.
* At the moment, there is some dispute over what actually happened. Emma Way might have all the social conscience of a dog on a croquet lawn as far as her tweet and underlying attitude goes (not to mention some of the other things she has apparently said and done, according to her Facebook pages), but her version of events does have a certain plausible ring about it. And the cyclist involved, Toby Hockley, refused to talk to the BBC any further.
Update: Emma Way has pleaded not guilty to three charges related to the incident. The case is to go to trial in November.
Update: Emma Way was found guilty of two of the three charges – failing to stop, and failing to report an accident. She was acquitted of driving without due care and attention. The rapid pro-cycling lobby will be unhappy about this, I guess. Mind you, some of them would appear to have found a creative way of dealing with it.