Cyclists Warned To Carefully Consider Ride Times

Cyclists warned to carefully consider ride times

The 18-year-old drink driver who now faces charges after hitting a trio of mature cyclists in Hastings appeared to be suffering inattentional blindness, exacerbated by fatigue from an all nighter and perhaps also drugs.

The characteristics of the crash represent a commonly repeating pattern in recent times, one that has emerged due to greater drug use and the twenty four hour lifestyle and freedom of mobile youth today, say road safety group Candor Trust.

In nearly 20 per cent of the crashes where cyclists are struck from behind the driver of the motor vehicle failed to observe the cyclist, and half of these drivers hitting groups of often brightly dressed cyclists are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The vision of another 25 per cent of them is obscured for reasons such as glare.

The combination of fatigue, alcohol and lighting quite likely affected the vision and steering of the Hastings culprit, who crashed into the cyclists at an all too typical time of day for such crashes.

The high number of substance impaired drivers in this group of assailants who strike from behind is not repeated when compared with culpable drivers from the other type of cycling accidents eg intersection collisions.

The sickening Hastings crash had a close cousin in Colorado last week where Steve Tanaka hit a group of cyclists sideswiping two and sending another two flying also early in the morning at 7:20 a.m -- he faces charges of careless driving, driving without insurance and driving under the influence of drugs.

And across the Tasman, a New Zealander was lately released from a Queensland jail after serving time for killing Olympic triathlete hopeful Luke Harrop and seriously injuring a riding mate.

The methadone addled woman had ploughed into his group of cyclists from behind when they too were out on a morning ride to impove fitness.

Last December in Melbourne three people were taken to hospital suffering back and hip injuries. This was after yet another dangerous driver failed to observe and struck five cyclists on the Nepean Highway from behind about 6am.

A police spokeswoman said the cycling pack had stopped at a red light when the car's driver veered into it. The driver was charged with conduct endangering life, careless driving and driving under the influence of a prohibited drug.

It's sobreing to consider a recent long range (ten year) study in the U.S.A found alcohol and drugs were involved in half of cyclist fatalities, say's Candor Educator Urs Te Aho.

A study researchers conducted in the Royal Adelaide Emergency room also found a third of injured cyclists were injured in association with an involved part having used drugs or alcohol. Drug intoxication was a little more common than the other.

In light of the recent findings and events Candor Trust wishes to warn cyclists to be aware of the risk of meeting up with fatigued drink and drug drivers on early morning rides.

This is the time that drug and drink people typically seem to travel - once they feel confident the checkpoints have been packed in.

"We don't want cyclists having any false sense of security caused by the presence of daylight - the blindest drivers seem to be cruising about just when the sun rises".

ENDS

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