Originally Posted by
Rick
Yes this is the problem. The motorist had other options and still made a bad choice at the expense of yes an inexperienced bicyclist.
It matters not what a bicyclist does while riding down the road. When I am operating a motor vehicle, I do not hit them or anything else with my vehicle. If you are driving a motor vehicle you have a responsibility to do what ever is reasonably needed to do no harm.
You're right, you have the legal, and ethical responsibly to not hit ANYTHING in front of you...
Be it cows on the road, cyclists, or pedestrians... a driver is to avoid collisions, and overtake with care. Driving should be done in a manner as to be aware and ready for such and this is part of the "basic speed law" that motorists quickly toss out the window while working to exceed the speed limit.
Hell, the smarest smart car we could make would be to simply never allow cars to exceed the speed limit. That would be a start, anyway.