The Ridgeway 16
Image by A R Cane
The Ridgeway

getting rid of the 4by4s

Moth M
Moth Jul 10, 2003 20:46:07
Replying to nickbrand

At the risk of turning the world into a red tape fest, I wouldn't disagree with those other licenses. It's a bummer because most people are fairly sensible, but there're always them wot ain't.

Long before I owned a car I used to cycle everywhere & was even then convinced you should need a license for a pushbike & have to pass a test for using one on the road etc.

The way some cyclists cause danger to themselves and others beggars belief. (What DO I sound like?) It also makes other road users antagonistic towards cyclists.

I also know someone who was apparently knocked off their (motor) bike by a 4x4 (as it happens!) and very severely injured.

BUT the accident was judged to be the fault of a cyclist who was KILLED in the accident. Because the cyclist is dead and wasn't required to have insurance, this guy on the motorbike got bugger-all as compensation etc for horrendous injuries....

Think I got that story right.

Licensing & stuff isn't always the answer, but they can't do any harm. Unless of couse someone comes up with a better way!

love

Moth

H habibi
habibi Jul 10, 2003 21:07:00
Replying to Moth

i think there is a case for treating SUV 4x4s as a special license class. i was close to death recently from one of these monsters - the driver just did not seem aware of the sheer width of the vehicle - and as it sped past, it clipped my panniers, leaving me precarious to say the least. i think that when urban motorists buy these toys, they may appeal mostly to the "unconfident" driver, who will derive a (false) sense of security from the scale of the beast. and then deny it, and claim they really need one, for how else can they ferry the kids to school? even if it was just a mandatory "awareness" course, that would help. of course its never going to happen. car culture is king, and alternative transport users basically use the road at their own risk, and forget all your quaint notions of highway code. as a child i used to laugh when i saw on the telly the size of the cars americans drive. and on the rare occasion of seeing one in the flesh, it just seemed obscene. but now, suddenly, they're everywhere. soon they'll outnumber people! look out!!

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