Advocacy & Safety - Scottsdale cyclist's death shows problems with law

My impression is Arizona in general is very lax in punishing negligent motorists who maim and kill others, not just cyclists but also pedestrians and other motorists. This woman killed wasn't just a senior toodleing around but a serious triathelete roadie.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2010/04/22/20100422scottsdale-bike0safety.html

Arizona, Alabama, Alaska...... Vermont, Virginia, Washington.

And I suppose I should say Washington DC, which somehow thinks its a state.

roughstuff

This woman killed wasn't just a senior toodleing around but a serious triathelete roadie.

How does this make a difference?

How does this make a difference?

She was a RealCyclist™.

There, 6 pages from now, that should be the end of this thread :lol:

-Kurt

An excerpt from the article:

Allen Johnson, 26, an off-duty Tucson police officer, was struck from behind and killed by a pickup truck while riding last March in Tucson. The driver had her head beneath the dashboard at the time and later tested positive for medication, but she has not been charged....

Sounds eerily like the type of incident that killed one of our local cyclists. Amazing that she has been charged yet, especially in light of her gross distracted driving.

How does this make a difference?

to me it means the likelihood of a "death swerve" on the part of the cyclist is significantly lower. Otherwise, not so much

Horrible. how sad.

I don't know what it is - I was struck in broad daylight, riding a hybrid - sitting upright with a fire-engine red jersey - cyclists simply do not exist for some drivers some of the time.

Maybe three or four Dinotte 400s set to "strobe" facing all directions is the only way to be recognized as a vehicle.

Most people consider these situations accidents---- caused by voting citizens- not "criminals." Criminals don't vote. Citizens do. I fear it is that simple.

I think it's also because everyone is well aware of how easily this could happen to them if they're not looking. Motorists to some extent view cyclists as a nuisance on the road that could get them into trouble if they run them over. Since far more people drive than ride it is largely assumed that cyclists are at fault just for being there. I'm amazed how many people don't know how to pass a bike safely.

Last night traffic was backed up in the right lane, and I was in the left(we rid eon the left here) a car behind me in the right lane sped up to try to get in front of me before she hit the traffic jam in front of her. SHe didn't indicate and she was behind me to start with, but she nearly ran me off the road and nearly ran right into the back of a dump truck. All this to be passed by me two blocks later.
She really could have just been a bit more patient.

Also, I just skimmed the article, they said the driver was just charged with failing to give three feet while passing. Isn't that what he should have been charged with had he failed to provide three feet and not hit her? Wouldn't the fact that he hit and killed her make it negligent homicide?

My impression is Arizona in general is very lax in punishing negligent motorists who maim and kill others, not just cyclists but also pedestrians and other motorists. This woman killed wasn't just a senior toodleing around but a serious triathelete roadie.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2010/04/22/20100422scottsdale-bike0safety.html

They're gonna be too busy pulling over everybody as brown as my belt and searching them for ID to worry about trifles like bicyclists getting killed.

They're gonna be too busy pulling over everybody as brown as my belt and searching them for ID to worry about trifles like bicyclists getting killed.

Where does it say that in the bill that was signed?

Arizona, Alabama, Alaska...... Vermont, Virginia, Washington.

And I suppose I should say Washington DC, which somehow thinks its a state.

roughstuff

So why'd you leave West Virginia off the list? and Wisconsin and Wyoming?

Where does it say that in the bill that was signed?

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that Arizona was going to be combating the illegal immigration of Canadians and Brits by searching everybody as pale as a ghost with lousy teeth.