The Long Lasting Effects When Cyclists Jump Red Lights

And top marks to the Council for thinking that a junction under repair was a good place for a planter so large even a car could be missed by it.

Years ago, I worked with a lad my same age whose late father had struck and killed a pedestrian who was crossing a fast dual-carriageway at night. No blame could have been or was attributed to my friend's father but it messed him up for the rest of his life. It's worth remembering that motorised vehicles may be harder than pedestrians and cyclists but they have soft centres. As a cyclist, I stop at red lights and do not depart early; I have little sympathy with red light jumpers, no matter what form of transport they are using.

Seven months after passing my motorcycle test I had a young girl 12 year old run into the side of my motorcycle while looking backwards across a dual carriageway. She ran into the side of my motorcycle I was travelling at just 12 miles an hour when she hit me and as a consequence I ended up having to deal with the fact that this young girl would never walk again. She wasn't looking when she was running she didn't even know I was there when she hit me. When my motorcycle struck her I was the one that the police tried to prosecute I was the one they came for and although I was innocent and I was proved innocent it deeply affected me for years and years.. there was literally nothing I could have done about it..

The mental devastation that happens to others after a death in a road traffic accident must not be underestimated. Two completely separate local accidents in the last few years near here resulted in the wife of one victim and the husband of the other taking their own lives, such tragedy as both had children of school age. Thank you for another great analysis video Ashley.

If I'm honest, I reckon I would have missed the cyclist too as I would likely have been much more focused on further errant pedestrians crossing during my green light. In fact, I see that happen all the time and it really highlights how you should never rely on your light being green.

It is totally true and be aware that it doesn't have to be that serious to cause a mental impact. When I was 14, my mother knocked over a girl from my school when she ran across the road. The impact knocked on to the bonnet and she hit her head on the windscreen in front of me. This memory is as sharp in my mind now as it was nearly 50 years ago, even though the girl was only scratched and bruised, and at school the next day. On a side note, who at Edinburgh City Council thought that planter was a good idea?

If anyone is interested, this is recorded at York Place, Edinburgh. Having been living in Edinburgh for 7 years, and cycling has been an extremely popular way to commute around the city, especially for students. I have experienced close calls by both driving and cycling in the city. In my opinion, the road is a common space for all road users and it's everyone's responsibility to keep the road safe, one of them is to follow the lights.

A family friend, a lorry driver, was involved in a fatal accident 6 years ago. No blame was attributed to him but it definitely messed him up. He hasn't returned to professional driving and I doubt he ever will. I can only sympathise what he's gone through mentally.

Thank you for highlighting the impact that these incidents can have on everybody involved or otherwise. It takes a lot of courage to share stories about accidents and the effect it has on people’s mental health and the knock on effects. Appreciate all your work and efforts Ashley!

I would have missed that cyclist. I re-watched the start of clip multiple times (before you pointed out the cyclist) and missed him every time. Thanks for sharing this video. I'll repeat that I learn something every time!

It's astounding how quickly we throw our safety out the window in one of the places where we need it most.

I'm an everyday cyclist and fit and confident enough to mix it in traffic whilst obeying the rules of the road. I never jump lights, would advise other cyclists to do the same and sympathise with anyone who's affected by the aftermath of road collisions. It's fine to criticise cyclists and I think Ashley mainly including here (but not always) offers a good context when doing this. Pre-amble over! I would say however there are understandable reasons why we can get triggered when these criticisms come our way. Often criticism is made in bad faith and even when not intended our prevailing car culture makes it hard for some people to imagine that non-motorised traffic is anything other than an obstacle to their progress. Because cars are the norm on the road it only takes one driver in 100 to think like this for abuse to becomes an everyday experience and this can feel dangerous when you're more exposed on two wheels. One minute we're told get off the road next minute we're told to get off the pavement. We're criticised for wearing specialist cycling gear one day and and criticised for not wearing it the next. We're held to account and punished by motorists because yesterday they saw a teenager doing a wheelie. Essentially it can feel that whatever we do we can't win and there's no correct way to be on two wheels. No wonder we get defensive! Just one last point regarding drop bars. They are absolutely fine in traffic. The advantage is they give you all the hand positions so you ride on the tops to see better or in the drops when a lower centre of gravity/profile helps with stability on a down hill stretch or in gusting /strong headwinds. On longer journeys being able to change hand positions helps with comfort too which has a knock on effect of improving concentration.

Let's not forget it's not just cars vs. light jumping cyclists. They can also seriously hurt pedestrians, other law-abiding cyclists, and motorcyclists.

Absolutely no chance of spotting that cyclist. Very interested in hearing about that court case in the next video. It's extremely important to ensure that you take out the legal cover in your car insurance, never make a saving on that! I'm from the UK and I was hit from behind in Germany, any lawyer dealing with this type of claim will know precisely what to do, an average motorist will not be able to successfully navigate the process.

The rudeness and lack of compassion of many drivers or riders is bewildering! In the United States this is a serious problem in the trucking industry. Many truckers have the mindset that they are the professional and everyone else is borrowing the roads from them. This mindset is creating very hazardous conditions for everyone. I for one am sick of this behavior. Thank you for pointing out how ones behavior effects everyone on the road. I was first at the scene thirty five years ago in Kansas City Kansas, when a young man couldn’t stop on a snowy road in his four by four truck. He never got out though not injured to help. I struggled to stop her bleeding and failed. I returned home very cold and covered in blood and in tears. The anger I feel every time I think of this is overwhelming. Angry because he didn’t think of the fact he couldn’t stop any faster just because he could get his vehicle going. Angry that he didn’t even try to help. Angry because I wasn’t prepared for such a situation. The responsibility of driving or riding on a public road is everyone’s concern. Being prepared is essential.

A similar thing that might be worth covering is when there's a pedestrian crossing and the other lane has cars queuing either side of it. I always slow to a crawl knowing a pedestrian obscured from my view might cross without looking left. A majority of cars in these circumstances seem seem to drive over crossings without slowing down. It always sends shivers up my spine when I see it.

I had something similar happen recently. Was coming up to a junction. My light was on green. I slowed slightly coming up to the light where there was a crossing. There's a blind spot on the left and I came to within 20 yards of the crossing, a cyclist shot out with no lights whilst wearing headphones. Despite a hard application of the brakes and some last second evasive action from us both, I hit them. Amazingly the cyclist was up on his feet straight away and my car has zero damage. He just bounced off the front on the bumper. His bike was wrecked though. I came running out with my first aid kit but the cyclist didn't want to stick around. Either he knew he was on the wrong or his bike was stolen. I'll never know. I did my due diligence and reported it to the police but with no evidence and no injured party they never got back to me. That was when I decided to get a dashcam.

He wasn’t on the hoods where you have perfect brake access on drop bar bikes. That’s suicidal on any urban roads. Never mind when jumping a red! Nice message to finish with 👍🙏

Just over 8 years ago I was forced to emergency stop when child ran out from between vehicles. He wasn't injured, but I suffered injuries when the car behind me crashed into my vehicle as I held the brakes staring face to face with a terrified child. I was almost physically recovered when I was blindsided joining a queue of traffic on a motorway filter lane 8 months later. Ever since then, have suffered from recurring pain and PTSD. This has affected my family and employability. I will be medicated for life as a result - even though my original actions saved a life.

Rewatching this clip multiple times and reading the comments it’s possible that the cyclist goes when the left only signal turns green, something we’ve seen many times on this channel from other road users and with all the changes from the roadworks it could explain a lapse of judgment, we only have the drivers viewpoint to go off on but to be clear they had very little chance of avoiding the collision due to the numerous obstacles blocking their view