| Re: drivers speeding away
On Jan 25, 11:41 am, r15...@aol.com wrote:
> On Jan 24, 9:52 pm, tkeats2...@hotmail.com (Tom Keats) wrote:
>
> > ...Because "being predictable" connotes
> > relying on others to look after our safety. But we've
> > really gotta look after ourselves.You said it all when you said it.
>
> > Maybe cyclists' safety is more about predicting, than
> > it is about being "predictable."Sing it, Brother!!!
>
> New cyclists are admonished to be 'visible and
> predictable' first and foremost. This implies that
> ultimately it is up to the drivers to keep them safe,
> and that their responsibility as cyclists lies in helping
> the drivers keep them safe.
The implication you state is only in your own mind.
Beginning cyclists are admonished to be visible and predictable
because, without such instruction, so many of them are neither.
Without instruction, most of them don't seem to know that rules of the
road even exist for cyclists. Their behavior is random and dangerous
to themselves.
I've seen beginning cyclists who were intelligent people do things like
zoom to the left gutter 100 feet before an intersection because they
planned to turn left. I've seen them shoot out into a road in front of
a barreling semi-truck, somehow thinking it would be OK. I've seen
them ride down sidewalks at over 15 mph, including past a blind
driveway intersections where a car was pulling out.
The first task is to get them to obey ordinary, logical rules of the
road - that is, to be predictable. Soon after that idea's implanted,
you can work on other concepts, like reacting to driver behavior.
> Talk about putting the ball
> in the wrong hoop! Instead of be 'visible and predictable,'
> it should be 'keep your head up and your eyes open,
> and think ahead.' Instead of visibility, Vision. Visibility
> is a by-product of responsible riding anyway, and
> shouldn't be a prime directive; 'predictable' means
> different things to different people.
Can you imagine if we taught people to drive using the same logic?
"It doesn't matter what side of the freeway you use. Forget those
'Wrong Way' signs. Just keep your eyes open."
First things first.
- Frank Krygowski
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