HBxRider

edit: a 4th cyclist was killed 2 days ago by a DUI driver on labor day.
https://www.hbindependent.com/news/tn...,3457326.story


I uploaded a local news clip that just aired:


This concerns me as I live in Huntington Beach, I do almost all my non trail cycling in this city, and ride on the same street the cyclist killed at today.

Can't do much other than be as safe as I can, and hope I'm not unlucky.

TrojanHorse

Well, they weren't wearing helmets... why is that such a critical piece of information. If you're hit by a 4,000 lb car, that 200g helmet isn't going to do much for you.

Where was she riding? I ride through there pretty often and I'm a bit fatalistic about road riding - if you put in enough miles on a bike you are going to have an unpleasant (or worse) interaction with a car.

God bless her dad, he was a lot less bitter and angry than I would be if my daughter were killed.

skidder

Location if you're traveling westbound on Adams from Costa Mesa to H.B.: after you cross over the Santa Ana River you start on a slight downward grade. The first traffic light about 200 yards from the river is at Ranger Drive. She was hit just before she got to the light. There's a striped bike lane right there, but it fades out pretty quickly after the Ranger Drive light - you can divert easily onto the Adams Ave. frontage road, then keep going west into the shopping center at the corner of Adams/Brookhurst. There's really no 'bike lane' on Adams as you appraoch Brookhurst, as H.B. restriped the streets to squeeze in another car lane at the intersection; personaly I would never try to 'take the lane' while approaching that intersection as there are too many drivers going between Costa Mesa and H.B. along that stretch of Adams Ave.

TrojanHorse

Ouch, my inlaws live just off adams just a hair east of there and in fact, I took adams from SART to Albatross yesterday!

There is a bike lane but you get no quarter from the very high speed traffic that goes through there far in excess of the speed limit. I agree, if you tried to take the lane you'd be a bug splatter on somebody's windshield, that traffic is just too fast.

Nikon Rep

This is why I try to ride as much as possible on sidewalks.

Southern California is where I live and its home to the most 3rd world illegal drivers in America.

Nachoman

CbadRider

There is a thread just for sidewalk riding. I'm surprised you haven't posted in it yet.

TrojanHorse

He gets to irritate more cyclists by showing up here though. So there's that.

lesiz

"Well, they weren't wearing helmets... why is that such a critical piece of information."

I can't believe I saw that statement here on bikeforums. Helmets are a critical part of bike safety. As to whether it was critical in this specific instance depends on the specifics of the fatal injury. However it does reveal that the cyclist was not safety-conscious. This, while participating in a high-risk sport.

TrojanHorse

My point is not that helmets aren't a useful (I think critical is a bit over the top) piece of safety gear, but the tone of journalists when they write about cycling accidents is suspicious when talking about helmets. It would be like reporting on whether the driver was wearing his safety belt, another useful piece of safety gear that has no bearing on the accident nor the outcome.

LesterOfPuppets

Cycling for transportation is no more a sport than walking to the corner store. How risky it is depends on the cyclist and the cars on the roads.

Moyene Corniche

Not a whole lot of info on the details, so everything from this POV is speculation...
I'm a bit confused with the father's statement that according to the mother it was not safe to drive a car, perhaps but then why in the world is she on a bike at the busiest time of day on a super busy road..
Now the driver was an 80 year old person.... I have problems with drivers that old, granted some are fine and in full control, but some are not and there isn't a checkup on those driver's every few months or at most every year..
Those are two of the variables that we don't have answers to... Also what kind of bike was she on ? a fixie, MTB or Road bike or ?
Was she a casual recreational rider or a seasoned rider with competitive experience...
Not that against a 4000 pound car it changes the impact, but what and how one rides does affect the risk factor...

Here back east, CT / Mass / RI it is incredibly busy on the roadway's and I try to be off of the main roadway's when the sun is low and i'm heading towards the sun as well as traffic is coming up from behind me....

It's also to be said that here in this country, ( Iv'e raced and ridden in France and Italy ) a great majority of drivers believe bicycles should be relegated to the sidewalks or better yet attached to the merry-go-round on school yard playgrounds.. Drivers here are often uncourteous and extremely risk prone... Many do not even know that as cyclists we have the same rights as they do and are considered moving vehicles and therefore abide by the same motoring laws... ( That is also addressed to the idiots who run stop signs and red lights, you people do not help ! )

Moyene Corniche

(1) Totally reckless on your part, You don't belong on a sidewalk, check the laws concerning cyclists...

(2) Nice biased and bigoted statement....

PhotoJoe 

There are two threads that you all may want to be aware of.

1) Sidewalk Riding (as cbadrider already referenced)

2) The Helmet Thread

The forum owners encourage conversation about safety issues, however, the topics have derailed so many threads that they have decided that those topics must remain within their designated threads. Please, no more sidewalk riding or helmet talk here. If you have insights to share, by all means, please feel free to contribute to the appropriate threads.

Thank you.

Garfield Cat

Who are the forum owners?

PhotoJoe 

internet brands

HBxRider

Make that a 4th cyclist killed this year. This time it was by a DUI driver. He was killed on the same street I was cycling on, only 3 hours after my ride.

Huntington bicyclist hit by car, dies; driver suspected of DUI - HB Independent

TrojanHorse

Dang, already drunk driving by 6:30 pm on a Monday.

Garfield Cat

Driver identified as Michael Perez

Bicyclist identified in fatal Huntington Beach crash - The Orange County Register

TrojanHorse

What does this mean, in English: Perez was located nearby and interviewed by officers

LesterOfPuppets

Not just any Monday. Labor Day Monday, could have been day 3 of a 3-day bender for him.

indyfabz

A few years ago, during my local MS 150 ride, a participant was struck by a drunk driver. The participant was riding across a bridge that has a shoulder that's probably 8' wide, if not wider. According to witness, the guy was riding well into that shoulder. The driver left the scene. However, the police recognized the description of the car and believed it to be one owned by a woman who lived a few minutes away from the accident scene and who apparently had a history of DUI. The police went to her house, found her at home 3/4 in the bag and arrested her.

This all took place before noon on a Saturday. "Liquid lunch" as they call it.

TrojanHorse

Back in February of this year, a cyclist was killed in Santiago Canyon on a nice wide road with a huge shoulder. The driver was drunk AND high at 8:30am on a Sunday morning. Somer Nicole Gonzales, 18 yr old. Ugh.

rms13

This sucks. Hate to say it but this is why I didn't go riding labor day and why I didn't ride 4th of July and why I don't ride any holidays that generally involve people drinking all day long

rms13

Probably coming home from partying all night. My wife used to work for LAPD and her opinion early morning rides are more dangerous. Less cars but more likely to have really drunk people driving who are coming home from drinking all night. But honestly I don't think there is a fool proof way to stay safe in socal with the amount of cars on the road all day every day