Strava being sued following rider's death
Discussion
http://inrng.com/
Utter madness. It's a great shame of course that he died but he was an adult and knew the risks he was taking, it was his personal choice. I doubt whether the case will succeed but even so I can see that it might bring about the end of users being able to set up segments with a negative gradient.
I've recently started 'competing' with someone else on Strava over MTB downhill KOMs, but I leave a margin for error in my riding and I'm well aware that if I crash then it will be my own stupid fault.
Utter madness. It's a great shame of course that he died but he was an adult and knew the risks he was taking, it was his personal choice. I doubt whether the case will succeed but even so I can see that it might bring about the end of users being able to set up segments with a negative gradient.
I've recently started 'competing' with someone else on Strava over MTB downhill KOMs, but I leave a margin for error in my riding and I'm well aware that if I crash then it will be my own stupid fault.
Utter madness, trouble is we live in an environment where we no longer have to take responsibility for our actions; it is always someone else’s fault. If it’s someone else’s fault then it must be their liability, if they are liable they surely they must be held to account financially – if ‘they’ are a company then it’s even better as it becomes less personal!
Sad to take such a black and white view when someone has lost their life, but it is the way people think.
I am sure that everyone on this forum (who enjoy going a bit quick) has tried to get a KOM, pushed themselves a little further then they are comfortable with – it could be argued improved their skills, confidence and ability by doing so. If you enter into a fast descent and push yourself beyond your abilities then you alone are responsible for the consequences of your actions, begs the question that should local councils ‘flatten out’ quick descents, maybe cycles should be banned from them just in case a cyclist falls off?
By the nature of our sport and passion we take our lives in our hands every time we jump in the saddle, what happens if I die on a ride I am trying to raise my ave speed, I am using Strava to record my ride but is not a segment, is it their fault? If I am actually racing another rider on the road and I clip the kerb and hit a tree is it their fault for making me go faster? Surely as a fully grown adult I am totally responsible for my actions, regardless of the consequences....?
I actually wrote to Strava yesterday requesting the re-inserted a couple of segments local to me where some do-gooder has flagged them as hazardous. To be fair one goes through Windsor Great Park and shares the path with horses and walkers, but removing the segment from Strava will not stop people riding it quickly. They have also hidden a very long, straight descent with a bend at the bottom of it, again some feckwit has flagged it as hazardous – which is their opinion – not mine!
Fed up with living in a nanny state, about time we let common sense and Darwin back into our lives.
Rant over………………………
Sad to take such a black and white view when someone has lost their life, but it is the way people think.
I am sure that everyone on this forum (who enjoy going a bit quick) has tried to get a KOM, pushed themselves a little further then they are comfortable with – it could be argued improved their skills, confidence and ability by doing so. If you enter into a fast descent and push yourself beyond your abilities then you alone are responsible for the consequences of your actions, begs the question that should local councils ‘flatten out’ quick descents, maybe cycles should be banned from them just in case a cyclist falls off?
By the nature of our sport and passion we take our lives in our hands every time we jump in the saddle, what happens if I die on a ride I am trying to raise my ave speed, I am using Strava to record my ride but is not a segment, is it their fault? If I am actually racing another rider on the road and I clip the kerb and hit a tree is it their fault for making me go faster? Surely as a fully grown adult I am totally responsible for my actions, regardless of the consequences....?
I actually wrote to Strava yesterday requesting the re-inserted a couple of segments local to me where some do-gooder has flagged them as hazardous. To be fair one goes through Windsor Great Park and shares the path with horses and walkers, but removing the segment from Strava will not stop people riding it quickly. They have also hidden a very long, straight descent with a bend at the bottom of it, again some feckwit has flagged it as hazardous – which is their opinion – not mine!
Fed up with living in a nanny state, about time we let common sense and Darwin back into our lives.
Rant over………………………
Quite right.
I ride down here on the way home from work: http://goo.gl/maps/KiML
Streetview doesn't really show, but it's a pretty steep hill. With a blindish junction on the left that cars edge out from... so if I can, I'll take the lane so as to be visible earlier and I always get in the drops, fingers covering the brakes, just in case I need them (though how much good it'd do at most of 40mph...)
If I was trying to set KOM on the downhill, I'd just hammer it from the top of the hill and hope nothing pulled out without looking. Would it be my fault if someone pulled out on me? Technically, no. But given that I know the road, could they claim contributory negligence if I had failed to account for a known dangerous junction and moderate my speed? Of course they could.
All said and done there's no point being 100% right and lying in A&E or worse.
I ride down here on the way home from work: http://goo.gl/maps/KiML
Streetview doesn't really show, but it's a pretty steep hill. With a blindish junction on the left that cars edge out from... so if I can, I'll take the lane so as to be visible earlier and I always get in the drops, fingers covering the brakes, just in case I need them (though how much good it'd do at most of 40mph...)
If I was trying to set KOM on the downhill, I'd just hammer it from the top of the hill and hope nothing pulled out without looking. Would it be my fault if someone pulled out on me? Technically, no. But given that I know the road, could they claim contributory negligence if I had failed to account for a known dangerous junction and moderate my speed? Of course they could.
All said and done there's no point being 100% right and lying in A&E or worse.
MadDad said:
I actually wrote to Strava yesterday requesting the re-inserted a couple of segments local to me where some do-gooder has flagged them as hazardous. To be fair one goes through Windsor Great Park and shares the path with horses and walkers, but removing the segment from Strava will not stop people riding it quickly. They have also hidden a very long, straight descent with a bend at the bottom of it, again some feckwit has flagged it as hazardous – which is their opinion – not mine!
whilst i agree that removing it from strava wont stop people riding it quickly, it will remove the competitive nature of it which in turn may stop people from taking stupid risks like cutting infront of horses or walkers in a bid to beat the time.Sadly not everyone has the common sense to stop a strava challenge if some lights in front of them turn red or if they come across a pedestrian on the same path, they just motor past either putting themselves at risk or giving the other person no room and scaring them. A shared path shouldnt really be the sort of place you are attempting to beat a time set by others when its frequented by people going much slower than you.
I've only just got strava and its quite addictive, especially when you get 7th on a segment on your first run but i'd rather be alive than KOM.
I'll go slightly against the thread and say that is somewhat questionable.
I agree with Pablo, in that as soon as you make something competitive, there will always be people who take it too far. It's human nature and I don't think any of us are immune from it, I'm certainly not.
Strava sounds like a great idea, but I think there do have to be restrictions on use where it brings riders into conflict with other road users.(naturally if you are only putting yourself at risk, that's ok imho).
I agree with Pablo, in that as soon as you make something competitive, there will always be people who take it too far. It's human nature and I don't think any of us are immune from it, I'm certainly not.
Strava sounds like a great idea, but I think there do have to be restrictions on use where it brings riders into conflict with other road users.(naturally if you are only putting yourself at risk, that's ok imho).
BOBTEE said:
I read this thread and then checked my email, got an email from Strava advising me that someone had stolen my KOM, git! Over two minutes quicker too!
If I was to say, you can't have that get out there and try harder would it make me culpable?Disclaimer: Don't worry about it, accept that someone is (much)faster than you, it's not the winning, it's that taking part that counts..
Wow that's a real life version of Trials HD/Trials Evolution which for those who don't know is an xbox game where you compete to beat your mate's times. What an awesome idea.
Regards the suing, it's America, I get the impression a lot would sue their own mother if they turned out ugly. Ridiculous of course to sue Strava, but there are so many stories of Yanks looking for someone to sue if anything goes wrong. Of course it is happening over here as well. Where there's blame there's a claim and if there isn't anyone to blame but yourself just put a claim in anyway.
Regards the suing, it's America, I get the impression a lot would sue their own mother if they turned out ugly. Ridiculous of course to sue Strava, but there are so many stories of Yanks looking for someone to sue if anything goes wrong. Of course it is happening over here as well. Where there's blame there's a claim and if there isn't anyone to blame but yourself just put a claim in anyway.
And then can Strava sue the family for contributary negligence given that they knew he was going out to beat a time and didn't stop him since it's so dangerous?
He lost control under braking, not even on a corner or hitting a car...! It's ridiculous, every cyclist knows the dangers, yes, Strava puts a competitive edge on it, but it's the cyclists job to make sure it's safe to do so. I wonder whether this guy set up this particular KOM section
He lost control under braking, not even on a corner or hitting a car...! It's ridiculous, every cyclist knows the dangers, yes, Strava puts a competitive edge on it, but it's the cyclists job to make sure it's safe to do so. I wonder whether this guy set up this particular KOM section
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