Brakeless fixie rider on trial for killing pedestrian in London

[fiamme red]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/17/charlie-alliston-london-cyclist-front-brake-collision-kim-briggs-old-bailey

A cyclist accused of killing a woman by ploughing into her on a track bicycle has told a court that having a front brake would not have prevented the collision...

Giving evidence, Alliston said he did not know a front brake was a legal requirement and insisted that having one would not have made a difference when he saw Briggs step into the road holding a mobile phone.

“I tried to go around,” he said. “Having a brake, I wouldn’t have had enough time to pull it. It was a few split seconds prior to the impact, which caused the impact, so a brake at the time wouldn’t have made a difference.”I have front and rear brakes on my fixed-gear commuter. While I've sometimes tried to ride without touching the brakes, the front brake is always useful when something unexpected happens.

[William]

In Rhode Island (and probably all States), most serious cyclists break many of the rules every time they ride...

TITLE 31
Motor and Other vehicles

CHAPTER 31-19
Operation of Bicycles

SECTION 31-19-10


§ 31-19-10 Lamps and other equipment on bicycles.

(a) Front lamp. Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet (500') to the front.

(b) Rear reflector. Every bicycle shall be equipped with a red reflector of a type approved by the division of motor vehicles which shall be visible for six hundred feet (600') to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet (500') to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.

(c) Pedal reflectors. No person shall sell a new bicycle or a pedal for use on a bicycle that is not equipped with a reflector of a type approved by the department, on each pedal of the bicycle which is visible from the front and rear of the bicycle during darkness from a distance of two hundred feet (200') nor shall any person operate a bicycle without reflective pedals.

(d) Sirens or whistles. A bicycle shall not be equipped with, nor shall any person use a bicycle equipped with, a siren or whistle.

(e) Brakes. No person shall sell a bicycle, new or used, that is not equipped, and every bicycle, excluding bicycles that are especially designed and made for off-road use, shall be equipped with a brake or brakes which will enable the operator to stop the bicycle within twenty-five feet (25') at a speed of ten (10) mph on dry, level, clean pavement.

(f) Side reflectors. Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a minimum of twenty (20) square inches on each side of the bicycle of white reflective material on the wheels or tires to indicate as nearly as possible the continuous circular shape and size of the wheels or tires of each bicycle. All reflective materials used in compliance with this statute shall be visible during the hours of darkness from five hundred feet (500') when viewed under lawful low beam headlamps under normal atmospheric conditions on a straight, level, unlighted roadway, and shall meet the requirements as prescribed by the division of motor vehicles.

History of Section.
(P.L. 1976, ch. 58, § 2; P.L. 1984, ch. 423, § 1.)


In regards to the rider in the OP link, if the law required it, he's pretty much toast. He can argue that it wouldn't have made a difference, but then the other side could argue that it might have made a difference, minimized the impact, or even slowed your progress further back down the road so the collision never would have happened.

Tough on all parties either way.







William

[tiretrax]

Tragic and sad. If he's found guilty, it will be interesting to see what penalty is assessed and how it compares to an automobile driver killing a cyclist.

[Bruce K]

But it is also Great Britain so it may not actually be relevant to the slap on the wrist that most motorists get when involved in an accident with a cyclist.

BK

[benb]

He doomed himself saying he yelled at her twice before hitting her. If he had that much warning he should have been able to stop or swerve. Sounds like a pretty bad bit of riding and if he's that bad I believe him that he probably would still have hit her if he had brakes, cause he either wasn't paying attention or panicked and if he had brakes he probably would have forgotten how to use them.

[redir]

HE didn't wear a helmet! Throw away the key!

[pjbaz]

He doomed himself saying he yelled at her twice before hitting her. If he had that much warning he should have been able to stop or swerve. Sounds like a pretty bad bit of riding and if he's that bad I believe him that he probably would still have hit her if he had brakes, cause he either wasn't paying attention or panicked and if he had brakes he probably would have forgotten how to use them.

I'm not defending, but I can yell "hey" twice in less than a second ...

[pdmtong]

Similar thing happened here (http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bicyclist-sentenced-for-fatal-S-F-crash-4736312.php) a few years ago

A bicyclist who fatally struck a 71-year-old man who was crossing the street in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service.

Chris Bucchere, 37, cut a deal with prosecutors last month, pleading guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter and avoiding a jury trial that could have exposed him to prison time if he had been convicted.

The charge was the most serious ever brought in the U.S. against a cyclist in a fatal crash with a pedestrian, said District Attorney George Gascón. He said the victim's family did not want Bucchere to be locked up.

"After the accident, but before Hui died, Bucchere wrote a post on an online cycling forum saying he was "way too committed to stop" before hitting Hui."

[tiretrax]

But it is also Great Britain so it may not actually be relevant to the slap on the wrist that most motorists get when involved in an accident with a cyclist.

BK

That's what bugs me. Motorist kills a cyclist. $100 fine. A life is gone - seems like a license should be suspended, a stiffer fine (10,000+), maybe some jail time.

[Idris Icabod]

Found guilty of causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving but not of manslaughter:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-41028321

[benb]

That article makes him sound way less guilty... the original articles did not describe the events as this one did:

- She stepped into the road and stood there staring at the phone
- He yelled and slowed down to the 10-14mph range
- She didn't move, and he swerved and yelled again
- She took another step into his new path and he hit her

So he saw her way in advance.. brakes probably were not even a factor. His real mistake was trying to ride around her as opposed to deciding to come to a complete stop. If the pedestrian is that out of it it's not hard to believe this happening to any of us, but again maybe having good brakes really would change the whole thing.

10-14mph seems like it makes sense as the range of speed I approach people on the MUT who look unpredictable.

[Mark McM]

10-14mph seems like it makes sense as the range of speed I approach people on the MUT who look unpredictable.

Sure. But you most likely have brakes, so you can stop quickly if needed. Even at 10 -14 mph, it takes a brakeless fixie much longer to stop.


Here in Massachusetts the law specifically states that bicycles ridden on the roads have to have brakes that stop the bicycle from a specified speed (15mph) within a specified distance (30 feet). This requirement can be met with just a rear brake (such as on a coaster brake bike), but it is nearly impossible to meet by reverse pedal pressure on a fixed gear.

[Louis]

Those cyclists sure are a menace. I bet it won't be much longer until pedestrians in London are clamoring for concealed-carry permits...

[gdw]

The brakes, or lack there of, were definitely a factor according to the crash investigators who studied the "accident" and determined that he would have been able to stop if his bike had a front brake. The article also mentioned that he's the third cyclist in Britain to be successfully prosecuted for killing a pedestrian. The other two got the usual slap on the wrist, a year or less of incarceration, that we often see in the U.S. when a cyclist is killed by a motor vehicle operator.

[Seramount]

a cyclist without brakes kills a phone zombie...

not sure where the greater amount of blame lies.

[rousseau]

As cyclists travelling faster than pedestrians I think we have a responsibility to slow down for them if they look unsure of themselves crossing the street when they're far enough away to be yelled at. Trying to dodge them is dangerous and reckless, and in this unlucky case, it was fatal.

[buddybikes]

Another cell phone induced death.

[ultraman6970]

I do not know how is that this dude killed at person because I havent read anything about it but since i had used fix gears for years in the street I can tell you that skidding to stop becomes second nature after a few months (if you are good at it), same with the handling and the use of a front or a rear brake.

And this takes me to think that this accident probably happened due to combination of things, the dude is not a great bike handler as he thinks, excessive speed and the bad luck of the pedestrian he hit.

As a cyclist you have to share the road with motorized vehicles and pedestrians at the same time... sure he did not meant to kill the pedestrian but clearly half of the problem was negligence too, from him or the diseased, some pedestrians have no idea w** are they doing aswell...

[dpk501]

Similar thing happened here (http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bicyclist-sentenced-for-fatal-S-F-crash-4736312.php) a few years ago

A bicyclist who fatally struck a 71-year-old man who was crossing the street in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service.

Chris Bucchere, 37, cut a deal with prosecutors last month, pleading guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter and avoiding a jury trial that could have exposed him to prison time if he had been convicted.

The charge was the most serious ever brought in the U.S. against a cyclist in a fatal crash with a pedestrian, said District Attorney George Gascón. He said the victim's family did not want Bucchere to be locked up.

"After the accident, but before Hui died, Bucchere wrote a post on an online cycling forum saying he was "way too committed to stop" before hitting Hui."

Zero remorse asshat. He was lucky that family was so generous. In the olden days, the chinese groups would have have chased him down with cleavers.

[Mark McM]

Another cell phone induced death.

There is no evidence that either the cyclists or the pedestrian was using a phone at the time of the incident.

In original statements to police, the cyclists said that he thought that the pedestrian was using here phone, but that appears not to be the case, as it was never brought up at trial.

[zap]

There is no evidence that either the cyclists or the pedestrian was using a phone at the time of the incident.

In original statements to police, the cyclists said that he thought that the pedestrian was using here phone, but that appears not to be the case, as it was never brought up at trial.

According to reports out of England, the pedestrian was not using her mobile.

[Gurpil23]

Some more updates on this

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/24/widower-matthew-briggs-of-woman-mown-down-cyclist-calls-change-in-law-kim-briggs-charlie-alliston

See a lot of cyclists without brakes in downtown Chicago .. :bike:

[Mr. Pink]

Similar thing happened here (http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bicyclist-sentenced-for-fatal-S-F-crash-4736312.php) a few years ago

A bicyclist who fatally struck a 71-year-old man who was crossing the street in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service.

Chris Bucchere, 37, cut a deal with prosecutors last month, pleading guilty to felony vehicular manslaughter and avoiding a jury trial that could have exposed him to prison time if he had been convicted.

The charge was the most serious ever brought in the U.S. against a cyclist in a fatal crash with a pedestrian, said District Attorney George Gascón. He said the victim's family did not want Bucchere to be locked up.

"After the accident, but before Hui died, Bucchere wrote a post on an online cycling forum saying he was "way too committed to stop" before hitting Hui."


Wasn't that incident caused by the cyclist racing virtual competition on Strava?

[benb]

Sure. But you most likely have brakes, so you can stop quickly if needed. Even at 10 -14 mph, it takes a brakeless fixie much longer to stop.


Here in Massachusetts the law specifically states that bicycles ridden on the roads have to have brakes that stop the bicycle from a specified speed (15mph) within a specified distance (30 feet). This requirement can be met with just a rear brake (such as on a coaster brake bike), but it is nearly impossible to meet by reverse pedal pressure on a fixed gear.

Sure no doubt. My own fixie experience years ago (in MA) was that even with front and rear brakes (I had V-brakes, they were pretty good), the fixie felt like it was still dangerously slow to stop. It was like even with the brakes the fact that your legs had to keep turning made it feel like the bike had more inertia or something and made it harder to stop.

Guess that's me... great stopping ability (power + modulation) is part of what defines a high performance bike IMO.

[verticaldoug]

I'm in London and this has received a fair amount of press. I even listened to Nick Ferrari on LBC chat about it on talk radio yesterday.

The whole thing is a big like Camus 'The Stranger'. The judge was really angry the cyclist showed zero remorse. Ultimately, I think this is what he is guilty of and the judge does have discretion.

Moreover, immediately after the accident, he was online in forums saying some pretty stupid things.

Although the CCTV video was not released to the public, the expert did say he cannot tell if she was looking a phone as she was behind a car on the video.

At the end of the day, if he had kept his big mouth shut and said sorry about the 'accident', he'd probably had walked. He looks like a pretty anti-social punk.

D

[Idris Icabod]

Update: 18 month sentence in a young offenders institute:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-41306738