Originally Posted by
merlinextraligh
I don't agree in that situation. Spiff said it's a main road, so 55mph for speed is a reasonable estimate ( adjust up or down for the actual speed)
At 55 mph, you've got to be able to see, and perceive what you're looking at 279 feet away, or almost a football field.
http://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/reactiontime.html
Are you sying that you're always going to be able to see a cyclist on the edge of the road, in the dark, wearing dark clothes with no light, and no reflector 300 feet away?
If I'm on a jury, I acquit Spiff if he was unfortunate enough to have hit the idiot.
I agree that a jury is likely to acquit. However, since the standard safe following distance is two to four seconds, and if he was driving safely he would have been four seconds behind the vehicle in front of him, then he should have been able to see the cyclist 300 feet in front of him as the car in front of him passed him even at 55 mph. He pretty much said he was driving on autopilot when he said part of the reason he didn't see the cyclist was because he didn't expect to see a cyclist there. Don't motorcyclists have a bumper sticker about this sort of mindless driving? (Rhetorical. Yes, they do; "Start Seeing Motorcycles")
I think the OP is looking for people to help him put all of the blame on the ninja. Okay, fine. If the ninja would have had a legal rear reflector, then he might have been able to get your attention soon enough that you wouldn't have had a panic stop. However, if you were driving properly and paying attention, then you also would not have had to skid. He's legally in the wrong, but you have something to learn here too.
By the way, nice idea about carrying some blinkies to hand out to ninjas. You might as well go all in and bring a screwdriver to help them mount the lights as well.