It's my position as a driver that until no individual on a bicycle ever breaks a traffic law, no driver should no driver should ever be held responsible for running down any cyclist at any time.Cyclists should always me mindful of the fact that when I'm making a right-hand turn, or opening my door into traffic, checking my side view mirror is a somewhat difficult thing to remember to do. And if I end up killing you, well, you're engaging in extremely risky behavior.
You might think this is some crackpot but unfortunately this mentality comes through in the way a lot of people in DC drive around cyclists (and DC Metrobus drivers are not exempt!).
Personal Example: I was in the bike lane northbound on 14th Street. One block the bike lane was partially blocked by construction, forcing me to move left closer to traffic. Sure enough, my elbow was grazed by a passing car. The driver stopped (a uniformed Metro security officer) and while swearing at me checked his mirror, never once asking if I was injured (I was not). See, like the commenter above, this driver felt that it was my fault because I was on his road. I deserved to be hit, and woe unto me if I caused any damage to his precious car.
It's pretty obvious what happened to Ms. Swanson...she was in the bike lane heading west on R street, continuing straight across Connecticut. The garbage truck, also on R street heading west, made a right turn unto 20th, running into Swanson in the intersection. Cyclists call this a right hook. And, this morning, it nearly happened to me in the same intersection. I stopped at the stop sign there and the car next to turned in front of me, cutting me off. the driver never checked the bike lane...she was talking on her cell phone.
But damn me anyway for being there on my bike...
4 comments:
What a self-righteous, entitlement ass to say - "Cyclists should always me mindful of the fact that when I'm making a right-hand turn, or opening my door into traffic, checking my side view mirror is a somewhat difficult thing to remember to do. And if I end up killing you, well, you're engaging in extremely risky behavior." Perhaps it's just me, but there was a day when you were supposed to check your rear-view and both side view mirrors ever few seconds while driving... oh that's right, I forgot. Cell phone conversations and loud bass thumping music is more important than paying attention while navigating a vehicle that weighs several thousand tons compared to peds or cyclists. Don't get me started. I have had a few near misses on my short commute to and from work - including close calls with the notorious "right-hook." The last time it happened, a driver turned right onto NY Ave from the LEFT lane while on his phone. I yelled THANKS! You would have thought I called his mother a dirty whore from the look I got.
Soooo...if I were shooting my pistol that motorist happened to move into the path of a bullet, well, it's HIS fault, isn't it?
That's an interesting take on things. When I went for my drivers test it was of utmost importance that *all* mirrors were checked before taking off, reversing into a parking spot, turning into another road, or getting out of the car.
In fact i failed my first test for not checking my mirrors at various points through the test.
Mind you, it's a good idea to give way to other vehicles, just based on the fact that they're larger than you and if they hit you, all they will get is a scratch. You on the other hand can have any range of injuries from a few bruises to qradriplegia or even death.
Really, I think it's easiest if we just take it at face value and kill all cyclists. They're not really a species we want to take with us into the future.
Post a Comment