Perhaps, after she hit the cyclist from behind, the cyclist hit the side of her car with a stick or something.
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Sure, you can turn the automated driver off. When the automated driver is disengaged, the radio, heater, and AC stop working, all the windows open, and the car pulls slightly toward the shoulder.
One of the primary lessons Iâve tried to impart to my kids as they started driving is âOften, you can be right, or you can be safe; pick one.â Sure, you have the right of way and that guy has a yield sign. heâs going awfully fast, though. Doesnât look like heâs going to stop. You can be right, and maybe let him t-bone you. Accident wonât be your fault. Or you can let up on the throttle, swallow your pride a little, and let that clown do whatever heâs going to do before you get there.
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I spent 12 years as a cyclist in Vancouver. At the time my wife worked for a cycling advocacy group, so we were both fairly steeped in cycling culture. Vancouver has been âout in frontâ as far as cycling goes, with bike lanes, bike âroutesâ on side streets and other stuff. There is rarely a reason to ride on a busy street outside of downtown (where they are all busy).
I am and always was a careful rider, because I have no interest in being âin the rightâ but dead. Ride like there is a contract on your life. And still, Iâve had near misses in the hundreds from people not paying attention as they drive. I was hit once and only through sheer luck managed not to be hurt (my bike was destroyed) when an idiot swerved around the cars that had stopped for me (I had right of way) and hit me at 50kph). The vast majority of incidents were a person rolling through a stop sign, talking on a cell phone (in an SUV).
The more responsible members of the cycling community need to
acknowledge their bad actors and take steps to reform their community
and the non-cycling public's perception of it, or the hostility and
indifference to cyclists will continue.
I can and will say the same about drivers. A bad cyclist pisses people off and endangers himself. A bad driver pisses people off and kills people who did nothing wrong.
I actually think that we donât take driver licensing nearly seriously enough. It should be hard to get a license - possibly on par with trucker licenses. It should be easy to lose a license, and hard to get it back. And if you hurt someone by not taking driving seriously enough, then you should never be allowed to drive a vehicle again.
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Itâs not a valid thing to say; itâs victim-blaming. Reminds me of the calls for moderate Muslims to reign in fundamentalists.
My ad absurdum is to propose to motorists that they should hate on pedestrians because jaywalkers. Suddenly it breaks down because everyone is also a pedestrian.
And if youâre jealous of me running red lights with impunity (red lights only being necessary because cars), get out of your damn farting car and make your own damn momentum, and youâll learn something about freedom versus responsibility.
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This thing grinds to a halt at every freakinâ stop sign. I had to shut the autodriver off. Why do they always release the first version of technology when itâs still shit?
Mineâs even easier: Itâs better to be left than right.
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I tell them âhaving the right of way will be slim consolation in your hospital bed.â
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Slartibartfast: Iâd far rather be happy than right any day.
Arthur: And are you?
Slartibartfast: No. Thatâs where it all falls down of course.
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Furthermore, three months following the incident, Davis revealed her personal feelings (i.e. a total lack of remorse over having nearly paralyzed the victim) in a public Facebook post stating that she hates cyclists. I guess her self-proclaimed hatred of cyclists would explain why she runs them down; nearly maims them; and then leaves them lying in the road, refusing to help them. Sheâs the paragon of an egomaniac and should be ashamed of herself.
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My parents owned a driver training school. The car I learned to drive in had an infuriating brake pedal on the passenger side. My dad often told me that being in the right but dead is not a victory. Just because you have the right of way and that other driver is a moron doesnât bring your life back.
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4000 lbs is about average for the USA. Thatâs mean, not median, so itâs likely a majority but not a vast majority of US cars are under it. Australia might not be as bad though.
Well, average for ten years ago, at least. Check the date there.
I wouldnât be surprised if the average vehicle is heavier today, thanks to the explosion of hybrids and their heavy battery packs, especially since Hybrid drivers are the kind of people who were more likely to buy small commuter cars in the past.
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