This morning's commute and other commuting stories

It doesn't matter what demographic classification you're given, deaths from left-turning vehicles will surely mostly be due to poor road positioning – on the part of the cyclist or the motorist. Gender is an easy variable to introduce because it's immediately available.

Well, that's why I tried to reduce the importance of that variable by suggesting that it hides something more fundamental, which can affect both men and women, namely that height may play a role.

Also, without wishing to state the obvious all the time, crashes are caused by conflicting road positioning. This is usually conflict which is not perceived until it's too late, which is where the persistent use of the term 'accident' comes from. Yes, there is good road positioning, as in positioning yourself visibly, but it's really a concept that doesn't apply in conflict and dissolves somewhat in the event of the above kind of conflict, as arguably any conflicting road positioning is poor, never mind what caused the conflict. I know this sounds like splitting hairs, but I have over the years found it unproductive for understanding the most fundamental causes to concentrate on something like 'on the part of the cyclist or the motorist' (or, conceivably, both). Take a character like Dennis Putz (even though he was 100% at fault in my view), or the aforementioned Shard building works--there are quite often much more interesting causes than is at first apparent.