Originally Posted by chipcom
I agree that we can't prevent E and it does not enter into our planning process, but if one is supposed to be 'totally responsible' , then F IS something that must be considered - which is just about impossible and thus renders the 'total responsibility' theory moot. When it's nut cutting time, you don't have time to apply a nice risk analysis methodology, you make snap decisions, act and react. You cannot focus on that car you think is going to run the light and miss the guy behind you who has no idea of what is happening and plows into you from the rear, yet you simply cannot process and prioritize all of the potential threats in any orderly, logical fashion. If you are 'totally responsible' you should have seen that guy behind you and dealt with him too, as well as the little girl on the sidewalk fixing to use the crosswalk, the dog darting out from between some parked cars, the lady in the other lane yapping on her cell phone and not paying attention, etc, etc. Any one of those variables can be the one that ultimately leads to something bad happening, even if they don't seem like the obvious threat or are even observed at all. All you can do is take responsibility for your own actions, you cannot be 'totally responsible for your own safety' because too many variables are outside of your control. That is why I think this entire poll is silly. It could have easily been written 'do you take responsibility for your own actions regarding your safety' and all of this nonsensical debate could have been avoided, but as I mentioned before, there is another purpose to this poll, it is not just an innocent attempt at enlightenment.
This is where I disagree with you:
Originally Posted by Chipcom
If you are 'totally responsible' you should have seen that guy behind you and dealt with him too, as well as the little girl on the sidewalk fixing to use the crosswalk, the dog darting out from between some parked cars, the lady in the other lane yapping on her cell phone and not paying attention, etc, etc.
You seem to interchange the meaning of 'totally responsible' with 'having total control'. In other words, I do agree the following is true:
If you 'have total control' you should have seen that guy behind you and dealt with him too, as well as the little girl on the sidewalk fixing to use the crosswalk, the dog darting out from between some parked cars, the lady in the other lane yapping on her cell phone and not paying attention, etc, etc.
But being 'totally responsible' does not mean having total control and being capable of handling anything that may happen. But what 'totally responsible' does mean is that you can't count on anyone else to do it for you, if you can't.
In other words, taking total responsibility for your safety while cycling in traffic means you are not
counting on anyone else to be responsible for your safety. But taking total responsibility for your own safety does not at all preclude the possibility that your safety may still be compromised.