No sympathy here I'm afraid.
As a former cyclist I had many close shaves with idiot car drivers who just would not allow enough space. The number of times I had to kick the side a car or van to alert the driver to my presence was mid-boggling.
On the odd occasion when a driver stopped demanding to know what the problem was, the excuse always seemed to be "I didn't see you there". And that was despite wearing a Hi-Vis jack and dayglo helmet.
The offending lights thing is a defence mechanism for cyclists. If it annoys the car drivers, then at least the driver has seen them, and maybe will not try to knock the cyclists off their bikes.
Just remember, the slight dent a car may get from bumping a cyclist can mean death or serious injury for the cyclist, so it is not unreasonable to put the onus on the driver not to hit one.
These comments also apply to motor cycles. I spent 18 months in hospital after a woman driver said she did not see me when she emerged from a side road on the the main road. This also despite having my headlights on and wearing a hi-vis jacket.
So I will always come down on the side of the cyclist when it comes to the on-going war with the four wheeled menace.
As a former cyclist I had many close shaves with idiot car drivers who just would not allow enough space. The number of times I had to kick the side a car or van to alert the driver to my presence was mid-boggling.
On the odd occasion when a driver stopped demanding to know what the problem was, the excuse always seemed to be "I didn't see you there". And that was despite wearing a Hi-Vis jack and dayglo helmet.
The offending lights thing is a defence mechanism for cyclists. If it annoys the car drivers, then at least the driver has seen them, and maybe will not try to knock the cyclists off their bikes.
Just remember, the slight dent a car may get from bumping a cyclist can mean death or serious injury for the cyclist, so it is not unreasonable to put the onus on the driver not to hit one.
These comments also apply to motor cycles. I spent 18 months in hospital after a woman driver said she did not see me when she emerged from a side road on the the main road. This also despite having my headlights on and wearing a hi-vis jacket.
So I will always come down on the side of the cyclist when it comes to the on-going war with the four wheeled menace.
