macteacher

This happened in my area to someone i know. Riding a fixie with lights (front and rear)

Charges are pending... it'll be interesting to see how the law deals with this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bciGP...ature=youtu.be

the sci guy 

clearly pulled out right in front of him.
damn, was he ok?

JohnJ80

What did he have for a light on the front? Doesn't look like much of a light and that may be a problem for him. Didn't even light up the road in the very darkest sections. He may have been very difficult to see and there may be some question as to whether he had adequate lighting if it's specified in statute.

Hope he was ok.

J.

ItsJustMe

He clearly had a flashing front light. Looked pretty decent to me.

It looked like there might be a frame or two with a license plate - but it's hard to tell on YouTube.

BobbyG

Fixie with no hand brakes + traffic = disaster. Be a responsible commuter. Add an Air Zound air horn. Ride defensively...expect the worst. Racing through the streets whether in a car or on a bike is irresponsible and dangerous.

dynaryder

He has a front brake,the cable is clearly visible throughout the video,and you can see the lever a couple times. Unfortunately,he has the lever on the tops and not up on the horns were he prolly spends most of his time. I think having the brake where he could get to it would have helped.

macteacher

The rider is okay... a bit bruised, but okay. He had lights, flashing (you can see it in the video). As for an air horn...well..who knows. I know I certainly don't have one. Heck most people don't even have bells, let alone air horn. You can have all the defensive and offensive equipment ever invented, but when a driver pulls a stupid move, sometimes, 's**t' happens. Hindsight is 20/20. The driver is CLEARLY at fault. According to common sense and to the police.

As for the bike being a fixie, there are so many people out there who ride fixies, that wasn't the problem. It was the idiot who ran in front of him. The original non-youtube footage has a clear license plate. The police have charged him. We'll see how this will all end up.

JohnJ80

Even the flashing light didn't look very bright. Look at the road in front of the bike in the dark - it doesn't show up. I guess my point was, I would think he'll be ok in court unless he didn't comply with proper lighting. I'm wondering if a flashing light that isn't particularly bright will pass that muster with the judge.

J.

ursle

My air horn is resides under my breast bone, it works great, knowing that most auto drivers are "stupid" (to bikes) and riding without complete control at all times is an assumed risk when you chose to not mount brakes....

If fixies had airbags

Soon, autos will have exterior deploying airbags, but I'll assume only in countries that (by that time) still have autos

macteacher

Your statement "I think he'll be ok in court". I don't quite understand who you are referring to. The biker won't be charged. It is the car driver who is at fault and it is he who will be charged (according to the police). I doubt the car driver will be 'ok in court'.

People fail to realize, drivers who are involved in 'HIT & RUN', get screwed over by their insurance policy holders (once charged and convicted). I doubt the driver will be 'ok'. It will be interesting to see how the judge rules on this case and what penalty the driver will receive for what could have potentially have been a dangerous situation

BobbyG

Sorry, didn't see the brakes. But I will reiterate about the Airzound air horn. I have been using them for almost 20 years. In this instance, just to be safe the rider could honk at the car, even if it wasn't moving, to prevent just this type of event. On my commute I have a few intersections where cars seem to proceed even when I've made eye contact. My airhorn pumps up to 80psi with the bike pump, hits 110 dB, costs nothing to operate and holds about 40 seconds or 40 toots, whichever comes first.

Bikeforumuser0011

Hope he is alright, and that everything works out.

koolerb

What with so many trying to blame the guy on the bike? The car was at fault.

spivonious

Hope he's back on the bike soon, and that the driver gets convicted.

MNTC

I don't think anyone's disputing that, but a brighter light may have alerted the inattentive driver. No way to know for sure but most here as far as I can tell use much brighter lights.

CbadRider

+1

Blaming the victim is a trend found in A&S, and this thread will be in danger of moving there if it continues.

JohnJ80

I meant that you friend will win by having the driver get stuck but I didn't articulate that well. Certainly on the hit and run - you can't (in most places) have an accident and leave regardless of who's fault it is. But if there is/was a question of who is in the right in just the issue of the bike/car collision, I guess that point is considerably more nebulous vis a vis lighting, etc... was my conjecture.

But to a large extent most of that is really a don't care because the point really is to make sure that you do whatever you can do to avoid having an incident in the first place (being right and dead is losing, obviously). If this was, at it's core, a case of the car didn't see the biker then thinking about ways to be more visible and to make sure that there is no doubt would be productive activities. FWIW, my suggestion would be to get a far better flashing light to make sure that even to a drunk driver it's obvious that someone or something is approaching the intersection.

It's a great thing he's all right - this could have been much worse.

J.

Bike Gremlin

The cyclist had just enough time to slow down and avoid the crash. I see him not slowing down when the car starts approaching, even when it starts pulling in blocking the way.

It is driver's fault, but that won't help bones heal faster. The cyclist should learn from this, have 2 fingers on the front brake when riding in traffic and slow down if he isn't sure the driver has seen him.

In those scenarios, I usually look back over my shoulder, if it is safe, pull to the left side of my lane. That makes avoidance easier, plus it moves me laterally, making me more visible to the driver pulling in.

bmontgomery87

This. I try to take the lane and stand up to make myself noticeable anytime I'm in a 'no man's land' like that. Cars don't pay attention and I try my best to be seen.

I hope the cyclist heals up quickly, and I hope the dbag who ran away gets the book thrown at him in court.

KonAaron Snake 

You can have all the airzounds, 4000 lumens, and helmets you want - but when it's not your day, it may not help a lick. We blame the cyclist because, deep down, we like to think it won't happen to us. Airzound isn't helping there - the auto is to blame. I hope he's ok.

10 Wheels

Be nice to know what front light he was using?

I have had two autos do that to me when I had a bright light.

UnfilteredDregs

I got hit yesterday. I was in the left turn lane at an intersection, waiting for the light... This guy driving a black acura sedan, in the left turn lane of the intersecting road, makes his left, right into me...I couldn't believe it, I had no time to move, he was looking 45 degrees to port of the direction of his vehicle. I lept up off the pedals and onto his hood.

The bastard took off when I asked him for his information. License and such. I got his plates. Amazingly a car pulls up and the driver says, "Do you need a witness?" I said, "Yeah, I'd greatly appreciate it." He hands me his card...the guy is an NYPD Operations Intelligence Specialist, Special Operations Division, a Captain...

Great witness. I'm okay, my knee was a little aggravated, going to the doctor today to have it checked out. Bike was mangled. I filed a complaint and accident report. Once the paperwork is in the system I'm going to insist upon an arrest and take it from there.

ItsJustMe

Oh, man, that's instant karma gold right there. Awesome. Let us know how it comes out. Is leaving the scene of an accident with injury a felony in your state? Sure hope so.

spare_wheel

I've been car-free or car-light for decades. I can't think of a single instance where an airzound, a 10000 lumen light, a reflective vest, high viz clothing, or a big red flag would have made me safer. Not one.

#bike stockholm syndrome

JohnJ80

Man, go for it - with a witness like that you should be golden. The only way that cyclist become safer on the road is when drivers start watching out for them. They way that happens is by the word getting out that there are consequences. Besides that, what buttheads that leave the scene of an accident deserve to get whacked hard by the law.

J.