There is some sort of offence relating to unsafely opening a car door.

About 20 years ago a friend was riding down the terrace in Wgtn when some guy opened a door. She couldn't avoid it and ended up badly breaking her leg. The guy in the car was charged with some offence related to unsafely opening a car door and fined rather heavily as well as having to pay for her bike. Happened so long ago I can't remember the details.

I suspect it is time to start linking the various themes about road safety.

When riding up to Amberley from Christchurch yesterday morning I was pushed off the road 3 times by truckers on Marshlands Rd. I noted with some annoyance the trailer licence plate were covered with mud making identification impossible (a traffic offence in its own right). Later on State Highway 1 trucks with "Courier Post" and "Owens" advertising on them tried the same trick.

I am getting close to writing a letter to the bosses of all the trucking companies that give me a close shave to warn them the not only are they in breach of several road regulations and laws they are also acting as negligent employers under the current employment laws by permitting unsafe and dangerous work practices in their employees work place - the State Highway were they require their employees to drive.

Is it time to start a Black and White List of Trucking companies? Black for ones that don’t share the road and white for ones that do and show spontaneous acts of kindness towards cyclists.

When I am in my car, I drive as if every other driver on the road is a fuckwit.
When I am on my bike, I ride as if every person on the road driving a car is a fuckwit.
Proportionaly there is probably as many fuckwit cyclists on the road as there is fuckwit drivers.
Fuckwit drivers kill other drivers.
Fuckwit drivers kill cyclists.
No amount of banner waving, slogan yelling, petition signing or rightous bravado is going to change the behaviour of a fuckwit. That's because they are fuckwits.
The whole us v them debate is fuelled by both sides taking a moral highground and we all know never the twain shall meet because ................... both sides have fuckwits on their team.
Maybe we should just concentrate on being as safe as possible and accept, as we do when we drive, that there are fuckwits on the road.
I'm a huge fuckwit but maybe it's because I concentrate on keeping myself safe instead of bleating about the wrongs of the road that makes me a breathing fuckwit.

I'm just a bit over this us/them thing I suposse. No one's ever gonna "win".

Just saying...