Originally Posted by Sawtooth
yes, but.....placing all of the blame on the cyclist perpetuates the "I don't need to check the sidewalk" behavior of the drivers. This would not be so bad except that the law clearly expects children to use the sidewalk. This could easily result in tragedy when a family loses their little one because drivers have never been held accountable for checking the sidewalk.
Good point. Drivers (and I am one too) have to check everything. Could this be a case of two people not paying attention to much, and the guy on the bike getting the short end of things?
As kids we weren't allowed to cross the street, so there was no chance of riding out into the street and getting hit. When we were finally allowed to ride further away from home, we had enough common sense to watch out for cars who weren't watching out for us. I know common sense is in short supply these days, and it is too often used as an excuse... as in "Well, he should've used some plain old common sense like we all had when I was young." And I also realize that over time I have edited out some of the really stupid things I did as a kid. Selective amnesia. It's a wonderful thing.
But, the guy, the adult riding a bike on the sidewalk, should have had enough sense to understand that cars are big and fast and are not watching out for you. Is the driver at fault? Maybe, but if the guy on the bike didn't stop, didn't look, made himself unsafe, and rode in an illegal manner, then he is at least at partial fault and probably more.
I feel bad for the guy. I don't want anyone to get hit. I want everyone to share the roads. Drivers do have to watch out for a lot. But so do cyclists.