I hope posting such a self-righteous statement feeds your ego, N_C. Personally, I find it very possible for drivers who infrequently pull trailers or haul loads in their vehicles to either misjudge or forget about the added clearance required. Being human is the excuse.

Check out the topic of bike racks on these forums. One of the oft-cited advantages to rear carriers over rooftop units is that it eliminates the possibility of crashing your prized cycle into the house as you absent-mindedly pull into the garage before removing the bike from the roof. I suppose you feel those cyclists should also not be behind the wheel of a vehicle.

The described accident is tragic - but such accidents are a fact of human life. Those of us who so self-righteously affirm that all accidents are preventable are in for a rude character readjustment when accident time comes for us.

Whether or not a helmet would have helped is also an unknown factor. Effective speed of the impact aside, if the cyclist was struck from the rear, then, it is very likely that, unless he was wearing a full wrap-around style helmet, it would merely have been knocked from his head and would have offered no protection whatsoever.

My helmet (a road-style helmet) offers almost no protection from a blow from the rear. If, while on foot, I (absent-mindedly) back into a wall and strike my head while wearing my helmet, it doesn't crush or put a hole in the wall, it falls off my head because its aero design doesn't provide for protection from the rear.


I agree with other posters that the information given is not complete enough for us to draw a conclusion as to who was responsible.

Would it have been dark at this time of day where the accident took place?
Did the bike have reflectors? Without lights or reflectors, it is very possible that the motorist would not have seen the cyclist in time to avert the accident.

Caruso