The clue is that there doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem with truck v car collisions,involving turning trucks,as there is with cyclists. 
If you care to do some research you will find that are far more collisions between trucks and cars. 
Javiatrix:
I doubt any more cyclists are dying now than they were five years ago.It’s just ‘fashionable news’ at the moment and everybody knows it’s a safe story to report right now.
Is spot on…a motorcyclist getting killed would make a paragraph in the Manchester Evening News.
Road deaths are measured on a year that runs September to September, for some reason.
Cyclist deaths in the year ending Sept 2013 were two per cent down on the previous year.
PS I ride a cycle most days. I haven’t noticed any change for the worse in driver behaviour towards cyclists in recent years. I wish I could say the same for cyclist behaviour. However, since last autumn’s spate of cycle deaths in London, more of London’s cyclists appear to be riding a bit more responsibly.
Carryfast:
The clue is that there doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem with truck v car collisions,involving turning trucks,as there is with cyclists.
Carryfast brings his scientific mind to bear on another issue. Did it not occur to you that similar incidents between cars and HGVs result - usually - in nothing worse than dented wings? Not much news value there, is there?
Rythm Thief
Surely the onus is on the HGV driver to ensure s/he operates the vehicle in a safe manner? After all, we shouldn’t be relying on every single other road user to know exactly where an HGV’s blind spots are. Let’s face it, plenty of car drivers don’t know this, and they’ve actually passed a test!
How does absolve other road users from using their eyes, ears, brain?
Rhythm Thief:
Carryfast:
The clue is that there doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem with truck v car collisions,involving turning trucks,as there is with cyclists.Carryfast brings his scientific mind to bear on another issue. Did it not occur to you that similar incidents between cars and HGVs result - usually - in nothing worse than dented wings? Not much news value there, is there?
A collision involving an undertaking car and a left turning truck would result in a ‘bit’ more than a ‘dented wing’ in most cases.The difference is that the blame in that case would be ( rightly ) put on the car driver for undertaking the truck whereas in the case of the cyclist it’ll be the truck driver’s fault because of political considerations and the idea that blame depends on ‘vulnerability’ not the rules of the road and common sense.
Carryfast:
nick2008:
Rhythm Thief:
I think it’s a two way process. I see plenty of posts on here (sadly) from people who seem to see cyclists as nothing more than an obstacle, instead of a legitimate road user going from A to B. The same sort of people who wouldn’t consider driving at someone crossing the road on foot seem to see cyclists as fair game, especially when they’re dressed in lycra (which is the most comfortable stuff to wear if you’re cycling any distance over about ten miles, by the way). This needs to change.I look at a cyclist as a toddler walking with mum on the path, a potential hazard not that they do things on purpose just not always savvy to what’s around them.
It would be interesting though to know how many near miss and actual collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians how many have EAR phones in listening to music etc …With exception of audible horn warnings road use is all visual combined with brain power related to anticipation.There’s no law that says anyone can’t drive with closed windows and loud music or drive if they are deaf so the idea of cyclists and pedestrians using headphones or even using the road when deaf is a red herring.In this case it’s the brain power and anticipation aspects especially among vulnerable road users and especially cyclists for some reason.
When riding a motorcycle or pedal cycle, your hearing does make a difference…you can hear and sense pressure changes if a truck is behind or to the side of you, or a car that is passing is suddenly getting too close.
Even in a car, in a tricky driving situation I tend to turn the radio off and I sometimes crack the window open slightly.
Rhythm Thief:
Surely the onus is on the HGV driver to ensure s/he operates the vehicle in a safe manner? After all, we shouldn’t be relying on every single other road user to know exactly where an HGV’s blind spots are. Let’s face it, plenty of car drivers don’t know this, and they’ve actually passed a test!
Surely the onus is on all road users (including pedestrians) to lookout for themselves and always assume the other person hasn’t seen him??
The pic with the mixer looks a bit like me as if the mixer has cut across the path of a cyclist riding along their lane and unfortunately they’ve gone underneath.
GasGas:
Carryfast:
nick2008:
Rhythm Thief:
I think it’s a two way process. I see plenty of posts on here (sadly) from people who seem to see cyclists as nothing more than an obstacle, instead of a legitimate road user going from A to B. The same sort of people who wouldn’t consider driving at someone crossing the road on foot seem to see cyclists as fair game, especially when they’re dressed in lycra (which is the most comfortable stuff to wear if you’re cycling any distance over about ten miles, by the way). This needs to change.I look at a cyclist as a toddler walking with mum on the path, a potential hazard not that they do things on purpose just not always savvy to what’s around them.
It would be interesting though to know how many near miss and actual collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians how many have EAR phones in listening to music etc …With exception of audible horn warnings road use is all visual combined with brain power related to anticipation.There’s no law that says anyone can’t drive with closed windows and loud music or drive if they are deaf so the idea of cyclists and pedestrians using headphones or even using the road when deaf is a red herring.In this case it’s the brain power and anticipation aspects especially among vulnerable road users and especially cyclists for some reason.
When riding a motorcycle or pedal cycle, your hearing does make a difference…you can hear and sense pressure changes if a truck is behind or to the side of you, or a car that is passing is suddenly getting too close.
Even in a car, in a tricky driving situation I tend to turn the radio off and I sometimes crack the window open slightly.
In most cases depending on weather conditions I’ve usually driven cars and trucks with at least the driver’s window wound down.It can be of benefit in some cases like hearing something approaching when emerging at junctions or entrances etc.But.The important thing is,with the exeption of emergency vehicles audio warnings,it makes no difference in making the decision as to all the potential hazards and wether the road is actually clear or not.That decision can only be made on the basis of what can actually be seen and then acting on it.As I said deaf people aren’t prohibited from using the roads nor is it compulsory to drive with open windows and all audio distractions turned off and in most cases the sense of hearing is no use in hazard perception and determining what’s going on whatsoever and certainly isn’t the issue in the case of cyclists avoiding the potential hazards of left turning trucks.That’s all about using their visual sense and anticipation.Just as is the case when driving a vehicle of whatever type or pedestrians crossing roads and especially side roads.
I bet virtually everybody on this forum, when approaching a new drop/pick-up for the last few KMs turns the radio down to see better!
Why do we do that? 
^^^^^ very true! I imagine someone with an ology would tell us that it’s a throw back from caveman days; new situation, possible danger, maximum concentration required.
chester:
I bet virtually everybody on this forum, when approaching a new drop/pick-up for the last few KMs turns the radio down to see better!
Why do we do that?
LOL have to agree do that all the time, must be man’s inability to multi task.
albion1971:
Javiatrix:
I doubt any more cyclists are dying now than they were five years ago.It’s just ‘fashionable news’ at the moment and everybody knows it’s a safe story to report right now.
Are you right in your mind? How can you call a human being getting killed as ‘fashionable news’
Would you say that if you son or daughter had been wiped out?
Get a grip eh.
I don’t think he was saying that this individuals death was “fashionable” news at all. You have clearly taken his comments way out of context. He was merely stating that the Media nowadays tends to overblow and over-sensationalise everything. And I have to say, I totally agree with him. I am also sick of the BBC. Why do they keep sending their helicopter up into the sky to take aerial views of the floods (to a drum beat of course), day after day after day. We know it’s bad. But why “dramatise” it?
Pathetic.
the maoster:
^^^^^ very true! I imagine someone with an ology would tell us that it’s a throw back from caveman days; new situation, possible danger, maximum concentration required.
Its because we have the unconscious mind and the conscious mind. When we do something regularly (Stored data if you like) the automatic part of our mind does the work for us, in remembering and motion. The more we drive then the easier and less focus we have to give it. For instance if you are driving and listening to the radio and a cyclist crosses the trucks path. The radio will shut off in your head and your brain will quickly focus on the moment. Generally It takes a 10th of a second for your brain to react. Actually bang on!! New situation, possible danger, maximum concentration required at critical moments. As for multi tasking neither gender can do two things at once its a myth. females just move from one thing to another easier but then, that depends on the tasks.
Military pilots especially have to be able to multi task.
One of the potential proficiency tests for trainee RAF pilots involves doing mental arithmetic while playing a space invaders type game.
Before the age of computers/gps pilots had to navigate by mental dead reckoning (calculating where they should be in a few minutes on the map then trying to reconcile that with what they could see out of the plane), while factoring in wind drift etc, and flying the plane.
There was a documentary shown some years ago (it’s still on YouTube) showing a modern day RAF crew trying to fly a Lancaster simulator on a simulation of the dambusters raid. They all (especially the pilot, who in this case was female) had to process different information streams simultaneously. It all ended up being transmitted through the pilot’s headphones, she was ‘in command’ of the plane, but six other people were telling her what to do.
GasGas:
Military pilots especially have to be able to multi task.One of the potential proficiency tests for trainee RAF pilots involves doing mental arithmetic while playing a space invaders type game.
Before the age of computers/gps pilots had to navigate by mental dead reckoning (calculating where they should be in a few minutes on the map then trying to reconcile that with what they could see out of the plane), while factoring in wind drift etc, and flying the plane.
There was a documentary shown some years ago (it’s still on YouTube) showing a modern day RAF crew trying to fly a Lancaster simulator on a simulation of the dambusters raid. They all (especially the pilot, who in this case was female) had to process different information streams simultaneously. It all ended up being transmitted through the pilot’s headphones, she was ‘in command’ of the plane, but six other people were telling her what to do.
Ok maybe a misunderstanding. Multi task as you have explained is doing two things at once, that is impossible in the sense of your conscious mind focusing on two things simultaneously. Switching from one to another is possible. I would guess that is a test of mental flexibility.
I saw that documentary it was really good. It just showed the unbelievable skill of the pilots.
I never liked using headphones on a bike, myself. Partly because I don’t like music unless I can actually listen to it, but mostly because your ears are roughly akin to a truck’s mirrors when you’re on a bike. At least, that’s how I use them.
Bazza … yes, the onus is on all road users to use the road safely. My point was that trucks - and to a less dramatic extent, cars - are the vehicles which bring the danger to the road environment, just as cyclists are the ones which bring the danger to a shared path on which pedestrians and cyclists mix. Therefore, we drivers need to be extra vigilant and not rely on other road users somehow magically knowing where our blind spots are. Whether those blind spots should be there at all is another issue … should they not have been designed out by now?
Rhythm Thief:
I never liked using headphones on a bike, myself. Partly because I don’t like music unless I can actually listen to it
You actually try and ridicule me on a public forum for my spelling!
I don’t like white noise unless I heard it through a soggy sandbag 
chester:
Rhythm Thief:
I never liked using headphones on a bike, myself. Partly because I don’t like music unless I can actually listen to itYou actually try and ridicule me on a public forum for my spelling!
Sometimes. Not now though … in fact, I think the last post of yours I responded to I was in complete agreement with. What have you found to object to in the sentence you’ve quoted, then?
Yes you may have agreed with me in a post last week, when I posted as a pro cyclist.
What about the other times I posted as a trucker and you, could not add to the debate so you thought to better but ridicule my spelling?
Do you want me to add links to said threads?