mbailey

Excellent point!!!

GamblerGORD53

So ... The facts here are ...
-- NARROW lanes with no shoulder.
-- 2 bikes in lane, one has his left hand about 1 foot, maybe 2, from the center lines.
-- Cyclist IGNORED the 3 foot rule in respect to the CAR.
-- Cyclist WRONGLY thought the full lane rule negated that.
-- White truck honked horn and made a close pass.
-- Bicycle made no attempt to move over, going 9 mph.
-- Car driver could have also made a close pass but chose to turn a cyclist into a crash test
DUMMY.

They are BOTH in the wrong 100%. End of story. Clueless operation of moving vehicles.
What if the car was coming from head on ??? And this MORON is beside the center lines ??? WTH
They could still be partially beside each other without crowding the lines.
This is NOT A MUP.

Edit: This guy was riding a bike for the first time in years. So he was just plain clueless. If the camera guy was more experienced, then he certainly deserves some of the blame for the recklessly dangerous behavior.

jon c. 

disconcerting to see folks defending sociopathy

Ninety5rpm

If you watch the video slowly you can see that the hit was mostly a sideswipe which is probably why the cyclist fared as well as he did. The driver claims there is no mark on the car, but I think we've established he's a narcissistic sociopath and pathological liar, so no telling whether that's true or not. The police to have asked to examine the car.

Most damning is his wild story when first confronted by the police, and now totally denying even seeing the cyclist on the news. Frankly, it's reminiscent of the behavior of a certain current resident of the White House.

On the lemonade out of lemons side, many are being educated about cyclist rights in general and especially that this particular road specifically allows full lane use for safety reasons. Of course, that presumes motorists are not sociopaths trying to intentionally hit cyclists (in which case it doesn't matter where they are riding).

And if anyone brings up the argument that they shouldn't have been riding there are two abreast because it incites motorists, that's as relevant as bringing up a what a **** [forced sex] victim was wearing or suggesting blacks should stay at the back of the bus to avoid upsetting the whites. Unless you're arguing that there is some merit to not riding there independent of upsetting motorists. If you are, bring it on.

Ninety5rpm

Who? Where?

mbailey

This guy being intoxicated could possibly explain why he hit the cyclist and why he fled. It doesn't do much to explain his story to the police. However, being intoxicated is hardly a defense he's going to raise at trial is it?

An old trial attorney once told me that there is a problem with every case and you just have to make peace with it. The problem in this case is not so much that the drivers were two abreast but that they were so close to the centerline when it does not appear to have been necessary. It may or may not be illegal, but it's not a good idea and gives jurors a possible reason not to like the cyclist and focus on him and not the driver. That said, down the road in MS last year a guy who did much the same (but no video) and caused injury but no death is serving an 18 year sentence.

Daniel4

Why is bad driving acceptable to you?

genec

Not to mention that how is "following" anybody a directive for someone as a motorist to not be responsible for the handling of their own vehicle.

PatrickGSR94

Most of your "facts" are just flat out wrong.

There is no law anywhere requiring a CYCLIST to give 3 feet clearance to a motor vehicle. None, zilch. That law applies ONLY to motor vehicles passing cyclists. The law in both MS and TN where the Natchez Trace goes through, allows 2-abreast riding, AND allows cyclists the use of the full lane when the lanes are too narrow to share safely with a motor vehicle (as on the Trace). Also, crossing a double-yellow to pass a cyclist is specifically legal, when safe to do so (which it was), as the pickup driver did. The pickup did NOT make a close pass at all. That driver made a 100% perfect pass by changing lanes to pass, giving the cyclists plenty of room. There is no law requiring a cyclist to "move over" on lanes that are narrow as was the case here. And where do you get this "9 MPH" business from?

In case you don't know, cars have these things called BRAKES. Car coming from the other direction? The motorist is required to use the BRAKES to slow down and wait until it's safe to pass. But that wasn't even needed in this instance, as he could have easily passed safely in the other lane just like the pickup.

You sound to me like an entitled victim-blaming motorist who wants cyclists to get out of your way. Do you go around hitting other road users as well?

PatrickGSR94

The victim was pretty much centered between the tire tracks in the lane. The pickup driver gave him at least 4-5 feet of clearance.

GamblerGORD53

lol

79pmooney

The law (in this park):



Apparently there are a number of these signs. It's pretty straight forward.

Ben

Dave Cutter

I don't disagree with your observation. But I doubt the violator would fit in as a "classic sociopath". Which BTW is much more UNcommon that most people think.... with only a fraction of a percent of the general population. Functioning sociopaths would be "pretending normal human behavior"... 24/7 from childhood. Successfully making it into a normal appearing adulthood isn't likely.

More likely... excessive drug use... maybe over a period of many years caused the sociopath-like behavior. But... then what difference does it make... drugs caused the illness which caused the crime. Or illness caused the drug use, or behavior (crimes) caused the illness and/or drug use? Chicken or the egg? We will never really know.

And even if we knew... what difference would it make. Humans... are chock full of imperfections and defects. We do awful things. Normal, healthy, bright, and cheerful sons and daughters around the world.... will pick-up arms today for one reason or another and heroically kill each other. We are humans... we behave in strange ways.

We have our social processes. We jail those who's behaviors offend us. And the motorist in question will be jailed. Any illness or addiction he has will...NOT likely ever be cured. And life go on.

Meanwhile..... it is still much more dangerous to do many more things... than it is to ride a bike. And one nut-job... jailed or not... doesn't change much at all. Just MHO.

PatrickGSR94

Don't forget that the guy's son had disowned him and called him a "horrible person" and a drunk. And there were reports that the guy had done this same thing, or similar, previously on the Trace. You're right that we don't know if it was intentional, but everything seems to indicate that it most likely was.

PatrickGSR94

You find something funny about a cyclist being hit by a motorist who then runs off?

Dave Cutter

I agree that is WAS intentional (or most likely so). And the guys son is likely correct also. I see NO upside to any of this. It's lose. lose... sad, sad. I myself... feel no pleasure in knowing the violator will suffer punishment. Nor... do I wish otherwise.

Meanwhile...... cyclists everywhere.... and the spouses, parents, and children of cyclists see these videos and hear these reports. And they wonder about... or even doubt the safety of cycling (as an activity, sport, and/or means of transportation). No one wins from these reports.

berner

https://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Nex.../dp/0767915828 I've read several books on the subject, the first one by Martha Stout and it was a disturbing eye opener. She taught psychology for years at Harvard and is now a clinical psychologist. The other book I read confirms the first book.

That profession has identified seven characteristics of a sociopath. The principal one being no empathy or conscience, followed by compulsive lying, strongly manipulative, engaging in risky behavior, narcissistic pesonalities, a with a compulsion to divert blame and others. The books detail how those characteristics combine to fuel the sociopathic personality. How manipulative? How about David Keresh and Branch Dravidian or the other nut case who moved all his followers to central America to await the mother ship and had those followers, not only drink poison but feed it to their children. There was also a situation in a prison in New York State where two prisoners somehow maneuvered a guard into helping them escape. These are the extremes and there is less extreme behavior. The hit and run driver who does not stop to render assistance is one.

As Martha Stout says, these people are all around us, maybe even next door.

Boondocksaints

I hope he gets convicted of attempted murder. What a complete POS.

Dave Cutter

Yes I am sure she is highly respected in her field. And of course to receive tenure.... was likely was required to publish.

But do remember that even Sigmund Freud (who wrote his disturbing, eye opening ideas in the 1920's).... was also highly respected.... and most his theories are no longer considered relevant.

The world is full of crazies... if the norm is derived from a shallow look inward. If we only look at the publicly exposed and most shallow perspective... we become the only sane people left.

Besides.... how could we in good conscience punish the violator if he is only guilty of being ill. And if nearly everyone is ill (even the neighbor next door).... where do we derive our moral right to punish ANYONE? We are left with the ineffective yet socially accepted system already in place.

What we should worry about is the segment of the population that see's our predicament as normal or desirable.

Dave Cutter

How would an attempted murder charge against this man.... improve your life or the life of others around you? It's true.... life would probability be safer for some... if he is removed from the public... maybe forever. But the act of a conviction holds no value to anyone.

Plenty of laws exist that deter almost everyone from such insane behavior. But apparently those laws had no effect of him. Any 'charge" or punishment against this man... may not have any effect on any other individual like him.

But finding pleasure in another's suffering. That is a sign the mans son saw in him... maybe years before he was too far gone to help.

Boondocksaints

If this guys gets a lesser charge and slap on the wrist, then he will be free to do this again. And there have been indications he's done this before. Who knows how else he will hurt other people in the future? Seems like a sociopath.

Any charge against him may not affect others, but who cares? HE'S not on the streets.

mconlonx

One of my comments in response to the cyclist in the middle of the road went something like this:

When I'm on my motorcycle, riding fast, cars routinely get in my way and slow me down. Most states have "slower traffic keep right" laws on the books, but do these cars move as far right as possible to let me pass? No, they do not. I wish car drivers would obey the law and do me the courtesy of allowing a safe pass when they are in my way, slowing me down.

facial

The perpetrator tries to deny, classic. It kind of reminds me of Brock Turner and his parents' "15 minutes of action" excuse. Some people just never grow up no matter how old they get. And others just don't know how to own up to their own history.

Sad fact is, however, people take their chances because they know they have the possibility of getting away with it (hit and run) like what this bastard attempted. If only there was the certainty of being caught would crimes like this decrease.

Dave Cutter

The video may be disallowed in court. And if the jury never see's the video... but there is evidence that the motorist denied hitting the cyclist [from the beginning].... his denial could help his case.

If people made logical decisions based on actual statistical..... Las Vegas would be a tiny desert town that no one has ever hear of. And if punishment made a difference American states with death penalty laws.... would have NO murders. But Las Vegas has population over half a million, and over a hundred murders a year.... in a state with a legal injection death penalty.

People are not machines. They have faults. They do bad (even awful) things.

Dave Cutter

The charges against him may or may NOT affect his incarceration. Charges against anyone... has little effect on others.