Originally Posted by
mcours2006
No one is blaming the victim. It is absolutely 100% the driver's fault. What folks are saying is that since there's little we can do to influence driver behaviour, we can only choose what we do ourselves to keep from being hit. Most are saying that the they would have chosen to ride further right.
I was struck from behind once by an intoxicated driver. I know it was 100% the driver's fault, yet I still analyze the collision and ask what I could have done differently to have a another outcome. Am I blaming myself? Of course not. I ask it to learn from it.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. First my condolences to you being struck by an intoxicated driver. I hope you made a complete recovery. I've never been hit so I can't imagine what it felt like.
You're right, no one is directly blaming the rider. Victim blaming is more subtle than that and it stems from our fears that bad things happen randomly to people and that the world can be a dangerous place. When we, including myself, say "he could've been riding on the shoulder " or "she shouldn't have been jogging at night" or "he should not have pushed the other guy", we are engaging in subtle victim blaming. We all mean well, and we should learn from others comments to help make better decisions for ourselves. That being said, a cyclist who chooses to ride erratically in heavy traffic while ignoring traffic signals definitely bears some responsibility should something happen to them. The rider in this video was not one of those guys.
There are numerous articles and published studies by professionals whom explain victim blaming more eloquently and authoritatively than I.