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Three thousand cyclists a year die in the UK

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MrCheerful

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Jan 20, 2017, 8:38:54 AM1/20/17
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Creative journalism at its best

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/watch-the-one-thing-we-can-all-do-to-save-cyclists-lives/story-30072364-detail/story.html

Judith

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Jan 20, 2017, 5:20:11 PM1/20/17
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On Fri, 20 Jan 2017 13:38:52 +0000, MrCheerful <g.odon...@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

>Creative journalism at its best
>
>http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/watch-the-one-thing-we-can-all-do-to-save-cyclists-lives/story-30072364-detail/story.html


I agree : it says "102 riders were injured in smashes with fixed or stationary
objects."

That does not account for the lamp posts which often jump out or bend over and
hit a cyclist as we know quite often happens.

Nick

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Jan 20, 2017, 7:05:19 PM1/20/17
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On 20/01/2017 13:38, MrCheerful wrote:
> Creative journalism at its best
>
> http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/watch-the-one-thing-we-can-all-do-to-save-cyclists-lives/story-30072364-detail/story.html
>

I see the Guardian begging for money as people don't buy newspapers any
more. How much do you reckon a journalist makes for working on a paper
like this. How much time do you think they are given to research stories?

MrCheerful

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Jan 20, 2017, 8:46:30 PM1/20/17
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well about half a second was enough for me, I expect they could devote
that much to the biggest figure in the article.

Peter Keller

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Jan 21, 2017, 4:38:44 AM1/21/17
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On 21.01.2017 02:38, MrCheerful wrote:
> Creative journalism at its best
>
> http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/watch-the-one-thing-we-can-all-do-to-save-cyclists-lives/story-30072364-detail/story.html
>
Liar. "Creative" is right.

[QUOTE]
There were a total of 1,775 deaths on UK roads in 2014 - up four per
cent on the previous year.

Of those 797 were motorists or car passengers, 446 were pedestrians, 339
motorcyclists and 113 pedal cyclists.
[/QUOTE]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cyclist-deaths-you-17-times-6021412

Nick

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Jan 21, 2017, 6:04:16 AM1/21/17
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Yes, half a second for you because it is your specialist subject.

What about if you were asked to write an article on the number of people
involved in salsa dancing?

MrCheerful

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Jan 21, 2017, 6:20:54 AM1/21/17
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half a second on Google I meant.

I note your attempt to divert the subject elsewhere.

The numbers involved in Salsa dancing would not be, officially made,
publicly available figures (unlike the numbers of cyclists that are
known to die every year on the roads.) I expect there is a body that
has a vague idea of the approximate number of salsa dancers, just as
there is a vague idea of approximately how many UK cyclists there are.
Another very good reason to regulate and register all road cyclists.

Nick

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Jan 21, 2017, 6:33:05 AM1/21/17
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On 21/01/2017 11:20, MrCheerful wrote:
> On 21/01/2017 11:04, Nick wrote:
>> On 21/01/2017 01:46, MrCheerful wrote:
>>> On 21/01/2017 00:05, Nick wrote:
>>>> On 20/01/2017 13:38, MrCheerful wrote:
>>>>> Creative journalism at its best
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/watch-the-one-thing-we-can-all-do-to-save-cyclists-lives/story-30072364-detail/story.html
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I see the Guardian begging for money as people don't buy newspapers any
>>>> more. How much do you reckon a journalist makes for working on a paper
>>>> like this. How much time do you think they are given to research
>>>> stories?
>>>
>>> well about half a second was enough for me, I expect they could devote
>>> that much to the biggest figure in the article.
>>
>> Yes, half a second for you because it is your specialist subject.
>>
>> What about if you were asked to write an article on the number of people
>> involved in salsa dancing?
>
> half a second on Google I meant.
>

Yes, presumably that is what she did and mistakenly wrote down the
Killed and seriously Injured figure. She wasn't familiar with the field
and so did not immediately realise her mistake as we would have done.

> I note your attempt to divert the subject elsewhere.
>

Divert it from what? I thought we were talking about a journalistic
error and how it might occur.

> The numbers involved in Salsa dancing would not be, officially made,
> publicly available figures (unlike the numbers of cyclists that are
> known to die every year on the roads.) I expect there is a body that
> has a vague idea of the approximate number of salsa dancers, just as
> there is a vague idea of approximately how many UK cyclists there are.
> Another very good reason to regulate and register all road cyclists.

It was not the difficulty of finding the number that I was hoping to
illustrate. Just that there are numbers you don't have a clue about and
could easily mistake.

All UK citizens should be registered and regulated.

Diesel vehicles should be banned. Cars should have full computerised
monitoring records to enforce traffic laws and improve safety. Motorists
should be prohibited from parking at the side of the road. etc, etc....

JNugent

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Jan 21, 2017, 6:50:21 AM1/21/17
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No bus, van or lorry occupants at all?

JNugent

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Jan 21, 2017, 6:55:47 AM1/21/17
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All UK citizens *are* registered.

Births are registered - compulsorily.

Deaths are registered - compulsorily.

Every ten years, even though the numbers can be approximnated by
arithmetic (see above), there is a compulsory count of everyone here.

Anyone naturalised as a citizen is registered - compulsorily. Their
eventual death will be registered - compulsorily.

HTH.

Judith

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Jan 21, 2017, 10:03:55 AM1/21/17
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On Sat, 21 Jan 2017 11:55:56 +0000, JNugent <jenni...@fastmail.fm> wrote:

<snip>

>Every ten years, even though the numbers can be approximnated by
>arithmetic (see above), there is a compulsory count of everyone here.

I remember after the last census - it was said by the Government that it would
probably be the last one - as the data it collects is probably already held by
different government departments and an alternative was to be considered.

I haven't heard anything since though - so I don't know if the 2011 one will
take place or not.

One problem of course is that there is no official record anywhere of how many
cyclists there are. That may be a contributory factor in deciding to have a
compulsory cycle register - so that the size of the problem will be known.



Peter Keller

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Jan 22, 2017, 4:31:59 AM1/22/17
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Presumably we the readers are supposed to subtract the motorists, car
passengers bicyclists etc from the total and come up with that figure.

Peter Keller

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Jan 22, 2017, 4:34:33 AM1/22/17
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The 2011 one will take place in 2023.

A. Einstein.

JNugent

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Jan 22, 2017, 1:00:30 PM1/22/17
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There's an unaccounted-for 80, I suppose.

Good point.



Bret Cahill

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Jan 22, 2017, 1:19:11 PM1/22/17
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> http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/watch-the-one-thing-we-can-all-do-to-save-cyclists-lives/story-30072364-detail/story.html

"There is a really simple way to stop thousands of cyclists being killed or injured every year."

Yes. Alert motorists of nearby cyclists' position and speed. This is cheap and easy technology.

Regulations require all kinds of safety features on your vehicle to protect others as well as you. Why not also require vehicles to have a receiver to monitor transponders on cyclists?

This is so obvious it should never receive a patent.


Bret Cahill




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