Category: Safety & Compensation

1. Cyclist killed after hitting pothole

   Posted on 12:40pm Monday 10th Mar 2014

   A 51-year-old cyclist was killed on a charity bike ride after riding over a pothole the council had failed to repair, an inquest heard.

   Martyn Uzzell died instantly when he hit the 4in deep pothole on a main road and was thrown into the path of a car. Only a month before the tragedy, the council sent workers to inspect the pothole after police said it was a hazard. But it was decided immediate repairs were not necessary.

   Coroner Rob Turnbull told the inquest at Skipton Magistrates’ Court there was ‘no doubt whatsoever that the condition of the road on that occasion was the cause of the incident’. He said the pothole, which surrounded a roadside drain, had ‘existed for some time prior to the accident’.

   Yesterday Mr Uzzell’s widow Kate,  48, revealed she was pursuing a  compensation claim against North Yorkshire County Council after his ‘entirely avoidable’ death. She said: ‘It is simply disgraceful that a pothole on such a busy road was allowed to go unrepaired. This should not have happened. My husband was an experienced cyclist and was out doing what he loved, while raising money for charities close to his heart, but it has cost him his life.’

   The tragedy happened in June 2011 when Mr Uzzell, a service engineer, was cycling with two friends from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for a cancer and children’s charity. They were riding along the A65 road at Giggleswick, North Yorkshire, when Mr Uzzell hit the pothole and fell into the path of a VW Golf behind him. He suffered devastating head injuries.

   After the coroner ruled his death was the result of a road traffic accident, Mrs Uzzell, of Clevedon, Somerset, said she wanted to know ‘why something wasn’t done’ when the council had been warned about the pothole. Local authorities have a legal obligation to keep roads in a good state, but usually prioritise repairs according to how deep and dangerous potholes are. It is not known how deep the pothole was when inspected by council staff five weeks before the tragedy, the inquest heard. Police had called the council’s customer service team to report the pothole, but the operator did not pass the information on to the highways department, the inquest heard.

   However, a council inspection was carried out two days later and the hole was ruled not serious enough for immediate attention. A further inspection was made of the road before the accident and again no action was taken.

   Mrs Uzzell said: ‘I do not want anyone else to lose a loved one because the roads have not been properly maintained. ‘My life has been devastated, I have lost my best friend and soul mate, a lovely person, who bought joy to my life, I am lost and lonely without Martyn.  'And it isn’t just me, Martyn’s entire family is also suffering the loss of someone very special.’

   Police confirmed Mr Uzzell and his group had cycled competently, travelling at a reasonable speed with a good distance from one another and were wearing appropriate clothing. The Crown Prosecution Service decided the council failings did not constitute a criminal offence and refused to press charges. Mrs Uzzell said: ‘I was devastated when the CPS told me they would not be prosecuting. My husband has died yet no one is being held to account as to how this was allowed to happen.’

   North Yorkshire County Council said it would consider the coroner’s comments carefully and expressed sympathy. Potholes, made worse by harsh winter weather, cause millions of pounds of damage to cars each year but are especially dangerous to cyclists.

   Chris Peck, of the Cycling Touring Club, said: ‘They can cause injury and in some cases such as this, death.’

   Article supplied by Street Repairs

2. Drive safely in the coming floods and storms

   Posted on 11:07am Wednesday 12th Feb 2014

   Road safety charity the IAM is offering tips from Britain’s top advanced driver, Peter Rodger. Following severe weather warnings of storms and floods over the coming days, the IAM is advising on how to keep safe in the storms.

   IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger said: “A suddenly very wet road surface increases the chances of slipping when braking or steering, which is a problem not just for motorists, but cyclists and motorcyclists too.”

   “When driving in wet conditions remember that stopping distances will increase, and visibility will be reduced. Drop your speed and give yourself more time to slow down.”

   In cases of severe flooding, you should reconsider making the journey at all. If it is unavoidable, and you have to drive through deep water, the IAM recommends drivers take the following precautions:
   •Drive on the highest section of the road and don't set off if a vehicle is approaching you
   •Leave time and space to avoid swamping other cars and pedestrians
   •Drive slowly and keep going once you have started – make sure you have a clear run. In a manual car, keep the revs high by "slipping the clutch" (which means the clutch is not fully engaged) all the time you are in the water
   •If you can’t see where you are going to come out of the water, such as when approaching flooding on a bend, think twice about starting to drive into it
   •In deep water never take your foot off the accelerator, as this could allow water to travel up the exhaust pipe
   •Once you're out of the water, dry the brakes before you need them. The best way is to lightly apply the brake as you drive along for a few seconds, after checking nothing is following you too closely.

   In the wind
   •Strong winds can also unsettle your car and even change your direction of travel. Grip your steering wheel firmly and also be ready for the effects of the wind on other road users, particularly motorcyclists and flat-sided vehicles like lorries.
   •Plan your journey – is there a route with less exposure to the weather and less risk of fallen trees? Choose a sheltered route if you have the option.
   •Strong winds are not constant, they are usually gusty so ensure you hold the steering wheel firmly.
   •Overtaking high sided vehicles or driving past buildings can result in a sudden gust from the side as you clear.
   •Give cyclists, motorcyclists, lorries and buses more room than usual. They get blown around by side winds easily. Even pedestrians can be blown about.
   •Watch trees and bushes on the roadside - their branches can show you how strong the wind is. Look well ahead, that way you don’t need to take your eye off the road and you can see any windy patches before you get to them.
   •Go slow enough to cope with the gusts. Wind can get under a car and reduce its handling and braking significantly.
   •Keep an eye on what is happening to other vehicles – where they are affected will give you a pre warning.
   •Go slowly enough to cope with the tree that has fallen right across the road, just round the bend where you can’t see it.
   •Be careful of debris, try and have space beside you in case you need to dodge it.

   In the rain
   •Before you set off, set your heater controls – rain can makes the windows mist up in seconds. You don’t want to be fiddling with controls when you should be concentrating on the road.
   •See and be seen. Put your lights on – as a rule of thumb, whenever you need to use your wipers you should also turn your dipped headlights on, and before overtaking put your wipers on their fastest setting.
   •Keep your eyes on the road ahead and plan your driving so that you can brake, accelerate and steer smoothly – harsh manoeuvres will unbalance the car.
   •Slow down. In the rain stopping distance is at least doubled. Giving yourself more space also helps to avoid spray, especially when following a large vehicle.
   •If you have cruise control, avoid using it on wet roads – you need to pay more attention to the road surface conditions and alter your speed gently.

3. Reevu Rear-vision helmets saving lives‏

   Posted on 9:00am Saturday 1st Feb 2014

   Reevu is always pleased to share the saving of a motorcycle community members life

   Tim Says

   “I actually missed my trip to Spain in October, as I was swiped off my GSX1250FA by a driver turning left across the bus lane I was in; bike written off, broken collar bone and damaged shoulder, and a free ride in an ambulance!

   The Reevu helmet took quite a wallop, I was unconscious for a few minutes apparently, but without the helmet I would have probably not survived, so please, pass on my utmost thanks to the designers and manufacturers for probably saving my life!

   Graham Steele

   CEO Reevu moving the World forward through innovation

    

4. Drive safely in icy weather

   Posted on 9:13am Wednesday 29th Jan 2014

   Following warnings of icy weather, road safety charity the IAM is offering driving tips for the frost and ice from Britain’s top advanced driver, Peter Rodger.

   IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger said: “Some bits of the country have already had a first taste of this year’s winter. That means it’s time for the rest of us to start thinking about how to deal with it too.”

   Rodger offers six tips to drive confidently in icy conditions:

   1) Keep to the main roads as they’re more likely to be salted. Also bear in mind that after the frost has gone, ice can remain in areas which are shaded by trees and buildings – and it forms there first, so be careful in the evening as the temperature drops.

   2) It may seem obvious to say – but every year people do forget, so ensure you have de-icer and a scraper. And don’t be one of those people, still out there, who only scrape a small area and drive looking through a slit – clear the whole screen to be able to see properly.

   3) If the road is slippery when you start off, do it in second gear, releasing the clutch and accelerating gently, avoiding high revs – this will help prevent wheel spin. As you drive, stay in higher gears to help avoid wheelspin. In an automatic be gentle with your feet, and use whatever gearbox features that the car handbook says will help in slippery conditions.

   4) It seems obvious, but cars go in ditches every winter because drivers haven’t taken icy roads seriously enough. If it’s cold outside treat wet looking patches with great care – they could be ice, not water.

   5) Stopping distances are increased by up to 10 times in icy conditions, so leave plenty of distance between your car and the car in front - plan so that you’re not relying on your brakes to stop - on ice they may not do that for you. If it is really slippery slow down early and use the gears to do it.

   6) If your car loses grip and starts to slide sideways, take your foot off the accelerator, and point the front wheels where you want to go.

   Rodger said: “These are just a few pointers to start you thinking. Being mentally prepared as well as having the right equipment is vital, so think about any problems you encountered last winter, and what you need to do to avoid them or overcome them if they recur this year. Be prepared for the worst – icy conditions will affect accelerating, steering and braking.”

5. Drive safely in the stormy weather‏

   Posted on 10:47am Monday 6th Jan 2014

   Road safety charity the IAM is offering tips from Britain’s top advanced driver, Peter Rodger. Following severe weather warnings of storms over the coming days, the IAM is advising on how to drive in windy weather.

   In the wind

   · Strong winds can also unsettle your car and even change your direction of travel. Grip your steering wheel firmly and also be ready for the effects of the wind on other road users, particularly motorcyclists and flat-sided vehicles like lorries.

   · Plan your journey – is there a route with less exposure to the weather and less risk of fallen trees?  Choose a sheltered route if you have the option.

   · Strong winds are not constant, they are usually gusty so ensure you hold the steering wheel firmly.

   · Overtaking high sided vehicles or driving past buildings can result in a sudden gust from the side as you clear.

   · Give cyclists, motorcyclists, lorries and buses more room than usual.  They get blown around by side winds easily.  Even pedestrians can be blown about.

   · Watch trees and bushes on the roadside - their branches can show you how strong the wind is.  Look well ahead, that way you don’t need to take your eye off the road and you can see any windy patches before you get to them.

   · Go slow enough to cope with the gusts.  Wind can get under a car and reduce its handling and braking significantly.

   · Keep an eye on what is happening to other vehicles – where they are affected will give you a pre warning.

   · Go slowly enough to cope with the tree that has fallen right across the road, just round the bend where you can’t see it.

   · Be careful of debris, try and have space beside you in case you need to dodge it.

   In the rain

   · Before you set off, set your heater controls – rain can makes the windows mist up in seconds. You don’t want to be fiddling with controls when you should be concentrating on the road.

   · See and be seen. Put your lights on – as a rule of thumb, whenever you need to use your wipers you should also turn your dipped headlights on, and before overtaking put your wipers on their fastest setting.

   · Keep your eyes on the road ahead and plan your driving so that you can brake, accelerate and steer smoothly – harsh manoeuvres will unbalance the car.

   · Slow down. In the rain stopping distance is at least doubled. Giving yourself more space also helps to avoid spray, especially when following a large vehicle.

   · If you have cruise control, avoid using it on wet roads – you need to pay more attention to the road surface conditions and alter your speed gently.