_ediri

Sadly this happened this week in Germany. A driver crashed without any reason in a group of road biker! One 61yo died and six were injured two of them severely!

https://www.ovb-online.de/bayern/aut...n-6752658.html

I am not surprised as the the driving skills in Germany are really low.

Thanks to the lobbyists of German car manufactures. They want that everybody gets a driving licences in Germany. And Germans hate road bikes on the main road!

Dan333SP

Really? From what I understand the process to get a license there is far more expensive and complicated than the US, and the testing standards are much higher and more in-depth.

I don't have data to support this but I'd have to think there are more cyclist fatalities per mile ridden in the US than in Germany, there are news stories like your link nearly every day here.

Just 2 days ago a friend of mine shared a story about a young woman being hit head-on and killed in Athens, GA during a group ride that my friend has participated in before. The driver was high on prescription drugs and texting on her phone with a 2 year old child in the back seat, she crossed the center of the road and struck the cyclists going in the opposite direction.

_ediri

Testing is joke, you just need to memorize the questions the day before! The practical part is more than doable. It is just a big con because a whole industry/eco system lives from the driver students (driving schools earn a ****load of money).

Ride one week in Germany your bike on the holy roads and you will get to know finest German road rage.

Dan333SP

I think it's safe to say most places in the world (possibly with the exception of Denmark and Holland) could be much safer for cyclists than they currently are.

Germany probably could use infrastructure and educational improvements to increase cycling safety, I'm just saying it at least appears to be a safer place to ride on average than the US, where most of the forum's users are based.

Also, there is a specific Advocacy and Safety forum where this is better discussed.

seypat

Something that is not talked about that I just thought of:

We talk about how dangerous cycling/motorcycling is. But in this very example, had the driver crossed the line and hit another motor vehicle instead, then we would most likely still be talking about a fatal accident.

MinnMan

I'm sorry to hear about it, but this thread belongs in A&S

RPK79

It's only news because it's uncommon.

Bikeracer123

Are you from Germany? I can't read German and google translator won't translate it.

jordanair45

Man, that's sad. Which is why I only do "crazy" rides on weekdays and early. Also, very defensive. Was riding a nice descent today which you can easily get carried away on. Nope, I was braking and being very cautious around every corner. Sad.

cb400bill

Moved from Road Cycling to A&S.

mr_bill

A car is crashed into a group of racing cyclists. [Racing, as in type of cyclists. Not as in they were racing on the road.] A 61-year-old was killed. Six other men were injured, two of them seriously, police said yesterday. One cyclist was uninjured.

The eight-member group from the region of Salzburg was traveling between Altötting and Burgkirchen an der Alz. Shortly before the municipality Kastl the 33-year old driver of the car approached from behind. For unknown reasons, he collided with the group.

For the 61-year-old cyclist help came too late. One of the other victims was flown by helicopter to hospital, the other injured also were sent to hospitals. The motorist administered first aid until the arrival of emergency services, but was then treated because he suffered from shock. A test showed no evidence of the influence of alcohol.

The road bikes had lights on for the dark and the riders wore helmets. The police confirmed that cyclists were on the road, although next to the road is a cycle track. Legally they could ride on the road. The police are now investigating the cause of the accident. The Traunstein prosecutor is standing by.

-mr. bill

CB HI

Google translate worked for me. Sort of.

Although the above needs cleared up because my translation came out as if the cyclist were required to use the side path.

mr_bill

Sorry, I obviously missed the must. Without the must, the vague remote reference seemed to be talking about the road. (Groucho Marx - "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas.")

So, Germany has two different kinds of bike paths. Optional and Mandatory. Turns out this one is mandatory.

There are two questions still to be resolved:

People on bicycles riding from Altötting to to Kastl would be required to use the two one kilometer bike paths.
It is not clear at all if people on bicycles riding from Altötting to Burgkirchen an der Alz would be required to ride through the center of Kastl. (You aren't required to use paths that are not going where you are going.)

Second, would people on bicycles riding on a fall night be required to ride on the bike path. Leaves or acorns on the path could be reasons to avoid the path day or night this time of year.


I wonder if someone crashed into a group of mopeds if there would be the rush to blame the victims. As far as I understand German traffic law, hitting someone travelling in your direction who is slower than you is a no no. (Even following someone too closely is a no no - and vigorously enforced.)

Tödlicher Unfall bei Kastl: Gruppe hätte auf Radweg sein müssen

-mr. bill

Chris0516

Click on the link the OP provided. The original text is in German. Look at the upper right side of your screen. A message will pop up asking if you want to translate the text.

MMACH 5

Had the driver applied the brakes and waited until it was safe to pass the cyclists, we would not be talking about it at all.

eff-J

Really? I've driven just a few times in Germany (and Austria, if that counts), but I was very impressed with how well everyone drove compared to here in the US.

Although this was mostly on the Autobahn, where the Germanic etiquette of staying in as rightmost of a lane as your relative speed makes practical was a glorious thing to behold. No one passing on the right. No clots of cars riding the same speed right next to each other. You either were passing other cars or you got the heck over. Heaven! (It was the vehicular version of that other wonderful European habit of standing on the right when on escalators instead of blocking all the walkers. I wish that would take root here too.)

I didn't notice anyone driving particularly poorly on the regular roads either, but my experience there is less, so maybe that's a different story?

bobwysiwyg

Boy, I hear you! I recall a time when on multi-lane roads the rule, if not the law, was keep right, pass on the left, and move back to the right. Then the bright heads decided to do away with it. In part because roads became too congested, there was is no slack space to move back to, or use to pass. I'm sure the folks on the west coast see this daily.. I mean twice day

LGHT

give him the chair!

NYMXer

A car is in a group of racing drivers crashed. This was a 61-year-old killed. Six other men were injured, two of them seriously as the police yesterday announced. a cyclist was unhurt.

The eight-member group from the Salzburg region was between Altötting and Alz castle Churches on the go. Shortly before the municipality Kastl approached from behind the car of the 33 years old Unfallverursachers. From unknown causes he drove around 21.30 in the group.

For the 61-year-old came each help too late. One of the other victims was with the helicopter flew in a clinic, the other injured were also in hospitals. The driver provided until the arrival of the rescue forces first aid, but was then cares because he had suffered a shock. A blood collection with him showed no evidence of the influence of alcohol.

The racing wheels were illuminated in the dark, the drivers were wearing helmets. As the police confirmed that the cyclists were on the road, although a signposted trail passes. This way you legally had actually need to use. The police are to the cause of the accident. Also the public prosecutor Traunstein has been turned on.

howsteepisit

If that was supposed to clarify it's a fail.

CliffordK

Was there a bike lane that the cyclists had chosen not to use? I don't see streetside bike lanes, but there does appear to be a nice sidewalk to the right side of the photo, but I can't tell if it is a bike lane or simple sidewalk.

Apparently no drugs in preliminary tests.

Stuff happens. Sometimes the riders can react to conditions, sometimes they can't.

My heart goes out to the riders for a speedy recovery.

NYMXer

Talk about ungrateful..... next time, do it yourself. A program did a "word for word" translation, excuse me for not going the extra mile for you.

howsteepisit

Did you even try to read it? Maybe you could have prefaced the translation with "Here is at X programs translates it to" But no you throw up gibberish with no explanation and expect people to be grateful. Not gonna happen.

NYMXer

A better way to word this is that "I didn't expect people to be ungrateful" but there is always that one person...you

JoeyBike

This just in.......there are CARS on the roadways.

If you CHOOSE to swim with sharks the responsibility for getting bitten is on YOU. It really is.
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