This Just Sucks

[Bill Bove]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/04/20/BAG8N67QDM1.DTL

How many more?

[Andreu]

Shocking but not surprising...if US is anything like Europe when it comes to the mix of bikes and traffic (which I suspect it is) then this sort of thing is going to continue happening. I think, to be fair, Holland fairs a little better....there the bike appears to be king and motorists have to give way to bikes and bike lanes....it would be an interesting exercise to compare stats between the different countries and the proactive and progressive approach various politicians have to cycling. I am not certain but I am sure the law in Holland also favours the cyclist ..that is to say ...if there is an accident between cyclist and car the car driver is always to blame (someone correct me if this is a gross over-simplification of the law). The consequence is that drivers do all they can to avoid accidents with cyclists. But this, of course, doesnt help the poor chap in the article attached to the above note.
What can we do?
We have as much right to the road but unfortunately there are so many motorists (and politicians) that don´t seem to care. And we lose big time when we come into contact with a car, truck or whatever...they just get a dent in the paintwork. In a 60 mile run I probably encounter at least 1 near miss (interestingly the odds are better in a big group....motorists seem to be intimadated by 30 odd Spanish cyclists taking up all the road).
Very very frustrating and sad.
As you say....it sucks!
A

[zap]

Laws in Germany favor cyclists as well.

For Germans, having a drivers license is quite expensive. Also, driver testing is quite extensive. As a result, on top of typical German character, driving errors are not tolerated. In my experience, posted speed limits in Germany are largely obeyed. Of course it helps when you don't have posted speed limits on open stretches of the Autobahn.

Maybe there is something in that.

Accidents still happen but punishment is a bit more severe in Germany.

[Ahneida Ride]

and as i've said before.

Nothing will happen to this guy. Slap on the wrist.

drivers don't ride into other cars cause they iunderstand the immediate,
crertain consequences.

[ericmurphy]

Considering how many bicyclists you see out here in the Bay Area, you'd think drivers would pay more attention to us. But it doesn't happen. Just last night I was coming home from a ride, and I was taking a lane (since I was doing about the speed limit anyway). Of course, at least one jerk had to dispute my right to even be on the road...

But the saddest story I'm aware of happened to my best friend a bit more than three years ago. He was riding his bike in a funeral procession for a bike messenger here in San Francisco. A guy driving an 18-wheeler drove through the procession, and ran my friend down, killing him. There were at least 20 witnesses to the killing, at least two of which testified in court that they believed the action to be deliberate (which would satisfy the elements for second-degree murder). Since this was the killer's third felony offense (the other two were for voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon, respectively), he was a candidate for a "three strikes" felony conviction under California law. His sentence could have been 25 years.

Instead, the judge, known for his opposition to the "three strikes" law, tossed all four felony charges in the death of my friend, forcing the DA's office to refile misdemeanor assault and involuntary manslaughter charges. The defendant was convicted, and served about six months in prison for killing my best friend.

[Johny]

ericmurphy,

I am speechless...

sorry for the loss of your best friend.

[Elefantino]

Here's a better link, the local paper:

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040421/NEWS/404210305/1033/NEWS01

[Ahneida Ride]

yup... slap on the wrist ...

Sicking ...

Crime is not crime till it hapens to you.

[EPOJoe]

What the hell is going on down there in Sonoma County?! Two in one week?! :confused: