Originally Posted by
wphamilton
The bolded is wrong, legally, morally, and in practice. The only part that is true is that the cyclist is in the most danger. It's not even true that "a 30 pound bike will lose every time"!
Obviously, everyone should look out for themselves. Yet, the people who should take the most care are those who can cause the most damage.
I also find it highly dubious that a motorist, feeling secure enough in their anonymity and equipment to threaten another person or to even assume that the potential entitles them, would be so belligerent seeing the other party armed. Do you really think you, or any belligerent motorist, would disregard a sidearm until the person draws and shoots it??
It is a mute point though, since we mostly don't ride with open carry. Hence the jokes, and fantasy.
Again, prudence is the key word. The guy with the most to lose has to be the most careful because he can't rely on everyone else to do what they are supposed to. That may not be the ideal world, but its the real world.
In most states open carry is illegal, so the motorist should never know if the cyclist is armed. If the cyclist makes a move to purposely show his weapon to the motorist, that could be construed as an obvious attempt to intimidate, that is brandishing the weapon in a threatening manner, which is also illegal. Unless the motorist has actually threatened to run you over, you are in the wrong for brandishing your weapon.