More Cyclists Dying On Our Roads?...Should Cyclists Take a Cycling Test To Ride On Public Roads?

I use both 4 wheel and 2 wheel transport (not to mention my no wheeled hyper-dive back on my planet) so I think I can add a valid argument here.  It is a very scary experience for drivers having to be constantly aware of the cyclist in front. It may have been the full moon or just me being unlucky but on my way home from a pal's the other day(8 minute journey), a cat ran out in front of me, a drunk cyclist swerved in front of me on Stoke Newington Church Street only to wave me through and then swerve back in front of me when I decided to err on the side of caution. I finally found a very wide part of the road with no oncoming traffic in which to overtake him.  I'm nearly home and beginning to feel relief that I wont be killing anyone tonight when a seemingly normal cyclist darted in front of me for no apparent reason...what reason could he have had? There were no roads or even houses for that matter. Just a fenced park. I did make it home that night without a scratch on me, my car or anyone else but these are not isolated incidents; a lot of cyclists put too much trust in the driving skills of others.

As a cyclist, I am always aware of my immediate surroundings and try to be aware of the intentions of the drivers around me. I am only too aware of the damage a car can do to a person and their bicycle. A couple of weeks ago I came across an accident scene on Stoke Newington's Albion Road. A car was completely on the pavement. I could see a bicycle underneath it and to my horror there was a person's leg visible. It took the combined efforts and expertise of the Paramedics, Fire Brigade and Police Service to tend to the victim. I came along as they were cordoning off the scene with police tape and it took me 30 minutes to turn around and find another way. In that time, they still hadn't lifted the car off the cyclist's chest. If the government passed a bill today that all cyclists need to have a license to ride on public roads, I would be one of the first to get one. It will most certainly save lives if every cyclist took a safety and awareness test.