Jets assistant coach Greg Knapp dead after bike crash

[makoti]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

Will changing the title bring him back to life?

Seriously.
Maybe if we stop using language that implies that this was entirely a bike issue and not an automobile one (a car swerving into a bike lane, reports that the driver was texting. Maybe more to do with car operations than the bike?), more people will take this and us seriously.
Or is that too much to ask of you?

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by makoti

Seriously.
Maybe if we stop using language that implies that this was entirely a bike issue and not an automobile one (a car swerving into a bike lane, reports that the driver was texting. Maybe more to do with car operations than the bike?), more people will take this and us seriously.
Or is that too much to ask of you?

Changing the title of this thread is going to cause more people to take this issue seriously? I don’t think so.

[gasman]

Settle down you two. We’re all on the same team.

[clyde the point]

MADD made a huge difference in how people viewed drunk driving. Perhaps all of us cyclists, of which there are as many as MADD, can organize and bring some greater public awareness of the many flaws apparent in bike vs vehicle cases. Something positive to work toward.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

If you put yourself in a situation where a car can run you over... it's car baiting. Highly unfortunate situation as it's an "accident"

As far as skill? Can't help you there, but keep inherent risk in mind. There's always zwift

No need to criticize if somebody doesn't want to ride on dirt roads. Riding on a road isn't automatically getting hit by a car. Some don't want to spend the money to bounce around on dirt roads. Just like there's dirt roads without much traffic, there are asphalt w/o much traffic.
I think dirt roads, the dust, the ruts...are a big PITA to rode on and MTBs, no thanks. And I have been hit from behind while riding a bike(2002)..

[verticaldoug]

Originally Posted by clyde the point

MADD made a huge difference in how people viewed drunk driving. Perhaps all of us cyclists, of which there are as many as MADD, can organize and bring some greater public awareness of the many flaws apparent in bike vs vehicle cases. Something positive to work toward.

I think you can easily morph MADD to encompass distracted driving. You are better off not 'being cyclist specific' but road safety conscious for all. I am sure more innocent car drivers are killed and maimed by distracted drivers, unsafe drivers.
It's not a us vs. them issue, it is an all of us issue.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/greg-...b0ca689fa8381f

The family said in the statement that Knapp never regained consciousness after being hit by the car in the city of San Ramon in the San Francisco Bay Area. The teen driver who struck him was reportedly texting at the time of the collision, New York’s CBS affiliate reported.

[clyde the point]

Good points.

[Elefantino]

Some outlets have changed their headlines from "bike accident" to "hit by a car" which is good progress.

We will make further progress when we stop laying blame on an inanimate object (the car) and instead focus on the person behind the wheel.

We don't blame the bullets, after all.

[Shoeman]

I don't even feel safe pedaling in my Residential Neighborhood for all the Speeding & Distracted Drivers!!!

[Blue Jays]

Big Telecom could render texting inoperable while devices are moving with relative ease, yet they know there would be outcry from passengers in cars, buses, trains, and airplanes.

People who know they are "going to get their drink on" have embraced rideshare and taxi services. My sense is fewer people operate vehicles under the influence of alcohol today as compared to thirty years ago, for example. We somehow need to make a similar leap with distracted driving.

Success educating drivers not to text would naturally benefit pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike. In the near term, perhaps telecom should be required to advise if cellular devices were actively being used at time of impact to help investigators? Perhaps make the financial punishment more onerous?

[redir]

Oh damn! That's terrible. I did not realize he was that critical. If they can prove that punk was texting they need to throw the book at him. As a society we simply cannot accept this.

[bpm]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

If you put yourself in a situation where a car can run you over... it's car baiting. Highly unfortunate situation as it's an "accident"

Really, riding on the road in a marked bike lane is car baiting? That's the cycling equivalent of saying "look at the way she's dressed, she was asking for it." Great job taking a page from the victim blaming handbook.

And using the word "accident" infuriates me. The report is that the driver was texting and swerved into the bike lane. That's not an accident, that's negligence.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by redir

Oh damn! That's terrible. I did not realize he was that critical. If they can prove that punk was texting they need to throw the book at him. As a society we simply cannot accept this.

Instinctually, I agree with you. I would think that many of us do. The problem is that many of us - or people that we know - are that punk. It's ubiquitous in our society. It’s considered a norm, and not a crime.

So, a Father (and brother, son, fill in the blank) was killed, and left people mourning his absence. Right now, the perpetrator is an unnamed irresponsible teenager. It’s easy (and justifiable) to cast aspersions on them. But just wait until that teen is revealed as someone who volunteers at a pet rescue society. Or high school quarterback. Or President of the Glee Club. Something less amorphous than a reckless stupid teenager.

Then what? Then people start to soften their opinions. It was a terrible “accident.” It could happen to anyone, etc.

Clyde The Point is right. There needs to be a cultural “tipping point” where reaching for your phone is considered equally as reckless and insidious as reaching for an open bottle of booze while you’re driving.

I’m not sure what would galvanize public opinion like that. I’m really loathe to put it in such stark terms, but it might take a serious accident with a politician or a celebrity to prompt that change.

[Spdntrxi]

^ I thought it was reported he's 22

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Spdntrxi

^ I thought it was reported he's 22

I thought the perp was a teen-ager. Regardless, the age of the driver is ultimately a number. The younger they are, the more sympathy they will engender. (Along with some other variables)

The point is: it’s not considered a crime. The family of the perp will inevitably play up the totality of that individuals life, and point out it can happen to almost anyone.

And, unfortunately, they’re right.

How many us, despite our anger at what happened, and our status as vulnerable cyclists, haven’t so much as even glanced at our phones recently while driving? I can’t make that claim. Now switch “glancing at the phone” with “taking a swig of booze” while driving. There’s the problem.