Duragrouch

I'm new to this thread, read the beginning, and recent events. I am not aware of the road conditions at the accident site. This is just general comments, for constructive purpose.

Wide paved smooth shoulder that bikes can ride on? Great.

Wide paved smooth shoulder with line of rumble strips between bikers and cars? Even better.

Narrow shoulder with only rumble strips, that's a problem. Rumble strips bang the heck out of bikes, you cannot ride on them more than a very short distance. So in this case, bikers are always on the right edge of the smooth pavement. Drivers may perceive that the bikers should be on the shoulder, but that is impossible. Drivers should be better educated about this. And road design should change in this respect, no rumble strips on narrow shoulders, unless a very narrow strip of them, or Botts' dots instead.

Roadway with no shoulder, seems just as bad, but at least drivers know that there is no other path for bikers, especially in rural areas, but even in urban areas, biking on the sidewalk is too hazardous, with pedestrains, people quickly coming out of shops, etc, which is why in many such areas, biking on the sidewalk is prohibited. My point being, drivers need to be educated on showing due caution when passing bicyclists. I don't recall bicycle-specific questions in my driver's license renewal tests. There should be.

As with dangerous behavior by police, increased use of video cameras by bikers may help. Decades ago I was biking on the edge of roadway, a car passed, someone in it threw a bottle at me. I was able to get the car model and three digits of the license plate, called state police, they were easily able to look up the car, and they paid the vehicle owner a visit. I don't think any charges, as I was never called to testify, but I'm sure a stern warning. Small video cameras (generic version of GoPro) are cheap now, and I should get one for my bike, and a second mount for my car on the rare occasion I drive. If people know there is a high likelihood that they are being videoed, they may behave differently.