Hey, seriously, next time call 911. Right away. That guy without the helmet, he could have had a serious head injury and not known it. (Plus, that'll get the cops there quickie quick, and THEY can sort out whether or not she was to blame. Wanna bet she was on a cell phone?)
Ditto ditto ditto. The police should have been involved.
At the least, she should have been ticketed for unsafe driving, and have been required to attend traffic school. At the most, if the biker turns out to have injuries, there needs to be a police record for the insurance.
Yeah, I thought of that, but...yeah, I was a doof. Minutes later, I realized we should've gotten her license plate number and exchanged numbers/contact info with the guy who was hit in case he needs some witnesses.
I wouldn't be surprised even if she wasn't on a cell phone. People are idiots.
Jeez, give the lady a break, it isn't like she smashed into him on purpose. o_O In my opinion, she was being a good role model, because she stopped to help the guy instead of just driving off.
In my opinion, also, it's stupid to have the roads and bike paths in the same place. That's how this stupid shit happens, especially in intersections. In a car, you can't see until you pull up far enough. And as a bicyclist, you have to be hypervigilant of your surroundings, too. The whole mess could be avoided by separating the two - car roads and bike roads. It'd make it safer for everyone involved.
She does not deserve any kind of break at all. Yes, she stopped to make sure he was okay, but it's a felony not to! Plus, she stopped, asked if he was okay, and then proceeded to blame him! Yes, he should've noticed the car wanted to turn right and slowed down in case she did something stupid, but it is not his fault that she thought he was far enough back to turn in front of him.
It's impossible to have roads and bike lanes completely separate. Look at sidewalks--they're separate from the road, but people not paying attention (both drivers and pedestrians...and the bikes that aren't supposed to be there) still get smashed.
Yeah, because the fact that something is a felony has stopped everybody from doing things that are wrong, right? And the accident was entirely, 100% her fault, right? Yep, I can see where you're coming from. She's TOTALLY in the wrong.
Good lord, it takes two to crash in a circumstance like that. I'm not saying she was right, but she's not the only one at fault here.
He may not have realized she was turning. She is 99% in the wrong. I see this so many times, and it happens to me at least once a week. The drivers down here are some of the worst I've ever seen. Yes, he should've been paying more attention, too, but it is very possible she didn't even slow down much or turn on her turn signal. (The speed limit on that road isn't very high.) There are situations like this where there is little the bicycle could've done.
Now, I see lots of stupid bicyclists too, but this lady was a complete jerk about it. If she showed any kindness or remorse at all, I wouldn't be so mad at her. But immediately blaming him for running into her...yeah, she gets no pity from me. I'm sick and tired of all these drivers who insist that everyone else look out for them.
Agree with jam that someone should have called 911 -- head injuries are nothing to mess around with, even if the injured party initially thinks they're okay.
As for blame, well, I'm sure the driver was at fault, but as Groppi likes to say, "It may not be your fault, but it IS your problem" -- which applies very well to a bike vs. car collision. Cyclists shouldn't rely on random motorists knowing that they have right of way, since the motorists aren't the ones who end up badly hurt due to ignorance. (Not fair, not even a little bit, but prudent.)
Yeah, I thought of that, but I was a doof and didn't say/do anything. :-[
True. I think of traffic collisions the same way: there are few (if any) accidents that aren't both parties' fault to some extent.
Though, I don't know if she had her turn signal on at all. I had someone almost run me over in the same exact manner and I had very little warning that she wanted to turn right.
Bikes everywhere...evildougMay 15 2009, 05:05:25 UTC
Here in NC, we got groups (flotillas? shoals?) of cyclists that appear right around blind curves. No bike lane...and as road is windy and hilly, you can't pass as every curve could have a semi coming right at you. So you end up coasting at 15 in a 55 until the road straightens. On secondary roads, that's okay, but on high traffic roads...rush hours...that is just not safe. Especially since it is hard enough to drive around here wth oncoming traffic ALREADY with their tires on/over the yellow line.
My point? Erm...motorists AND cyclists annoy the crap outta me. So, guess I am unbiased. Everybody on the road sucks but me.
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At the least, she should have been ticketed for unsafe driving, and have been required to attend traffic school. At the most, if the biker turns out to have injuries, there needs to be a police record for the insurance.
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I wouldn't be surprised even if she wasn't on a cell phone. People are idiots.
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In my opinion, also, it's stupid to have the roads and bike paths in the same place. That's how this stupid shit happens, especially in intersections. In a car, you can't see until you pull up far enough. And as a bicyclist, you have to be hypervigilant of your surroundings, too. The whole mess could be avoided by separating the two - car roads and bike roads. It'd make it safer for everyone involved.
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It's impossible to have roads and bike lanes completely separate. Look at sidewalks--they're separate from the road, but people not paying attention (both drivers and pedestrians...and the bikes that aren't supposed to be there) still get smashed.
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Good lord, it takes two to crash in a circumstance like that. I'm not saying she was right, but she's not the only one at fault here.
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Now, I see lots of stupid bicyclists too, but this lady was a complete jerk about it. If she showed any kindness or remorse at all, I wouldn't be so mad at her. But immediately blaming him for running into her...yeah, she gets no pity from me. I'm sick and tired of all these drivers who insist that everyone else look out for them.
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As for blame, well, I'm sure the driver was at fault, but as Groppi likes to say, "It may not be your fault, but it IS your problem" -- which applies very well to a bike vs. car collision. Cyclists shouldn't rely on random motorists knowing that they have right of way, since the motorists aren't the ones who end up badly hurt due to ignorance. (Not fair, not even a little bit, but prudent.)
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True. I think of traffic collisions the same way: there are few (if any) accidents that aren't both parties' fault to some extent.
Though, I don't know if she had her turn signal on at all. I had someone almost run me over in the same exact manner and I had very little warning that she wanted to turn right.
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My point? Erm...motorists AND cyclists annoy the crap outta me. So, guess I am unbiased. Everybody on the road sucks but me.
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