Another weekend of CARnage

It’s official, being a cyclist in New Zealand is as fun as being a crash test dummy – a dangerous existence not helped by the low quality vehicles on the road (in terms of safety features and serviceability) and the atrocious driving standards.

Last night I was enjoying a leisurely ride with my mate Pete; this involved a trip around the mountain, mainly flat with a steep climb at the end followed by a rapid descent where you can easily (as we did) touch 70kmh. Great fun, until at the only T junction on the road, out ‘drives’ (actually Kangaroos, jumps, stutters or hops might be better descriptions) a white car with young female Maori driver. Avoiding action was required and luckily for Pete and I there was not any on coming traffic as we overtook the silly cow at over 60kmh.

Now I can hear you say “but you were reckless in your actions’!

Well, the speed limit there is 70kmh and we were both under this; we were both wearing hi-vis gear and were, unlike the car driver, paying attention. Furthermore, we had right of way, the car failed  to give way and frankly appeared not to give a toss about the near miss she had just been involved in (we could have conceivably rear ended her, but this would have hurt!).

So fortunately Pete and are not statistics, unlike those less fortunate than us this weekend. Three cyclists were struck and killed by cars this weekend. In this article there is an overview of the two incidents (two others were killed last week, making five in a fortnight); now I am obviously biased – as I biker I have had several near misses, last night being the most recent. I also appreciate that the media has to produce stories that balance reporting. But please, the poor car driver (who hit the cyclists so hard she had to be cut from the vehicle), is very distressed! She is a farmers daughter who lives in a nearby farm, the cyclists are on a regular, organised Sunday ride – so, why was she on the wrong side of the road, given that she knows the area, presumably knows cyclists use the road and given it is a rural area she could have hit a milk tanker, a tractor a farm bike – anything in fact! I am guessing because she could, because motorists really only care for themselves and not other road users; and from the ‘gross generalisation’ file comes the next bit. Many bikers have pointed out that young female car drivers are the worst, the least attentive, the least in control, the least likely to see a cyclist and the most likely to take you out. I have deferred from having this opinion – until last night!!