McDave

1. Ok, but my point was it's a good law that other states should consider.
2. You're right. I've since viewed the Youtube version and while the bike ended up in the middle lane, the collision clearly did happen in the left lane, though throwing the cyclist partly into the middle lane.
3. I can see where the 'short' comments could be considered offensive so I'll apologize for that. But my 'woman' comments were merely a statement of fact and no offense was intended. Perhaps you attributed some of the other's comments to me.

cooperwx

As a bike commuter, that was one of the scariest things I have ever seen. I can't talk about whose fault it was or where everybody was when it happened. Truth is it happened, and the cyclist probably wasn't doing EVERYTHING he could to avoid the situation. He should have been riding in the right lane (not saying he wasn't) and made sure everybody saw his intention to change lanes. If he's not sure, he should have slowed even to a stop before going around the traffic stop. And I believe he should have had a helmet on, but that is strictly my opinion.

It does not matter if the driver was at fault or not. The thing we all have to realize is that in any car vs bike collision, we lose. A good cyclist should be able to perceive when a situation might be more dangerous than usual.

Be careful out there.

Helmet Head

That's the bottom line.



And that's the attitude that opens the door for a cyclist to be able to perceive when a situation might be more dangerous than usual. Focusing on motorist fault and blame can sometimes shut that door.

cooker

Good point. By the way, below is a satellite shot of where I think the accident happened. It was on Mission Blvd in Riverside, and in the Youtube version of the video you can read 9945 on a mailbox. You can also see a trailer or portable in a property across the street and a yelow garage somewhat in front of it and these landmarke are visible in the satellite shot (but I cropped them to save space). The cop pulled the red car over in front of the the two buildings (red and white roofs) close to the north side of the street.

John Wilke

All this is why I hate being on jury duty.



jw

Flamingmb

what really pisses me off is that you hear that she is going 45mph..... PAST A STOPPED EMERGENCY VEHICLE! you are supposed to slow way down when passing a stopped cop car, ambulance, or fire truck. She screwed up not the cyclists in this case (other than not wearing a helmet). He had the right to take the lane while his lane was occupied by the cop car. She should go to jail for vehicular assault.

twahl

I browsed the California Driver's Handbook looking for something that indicated that I needed to "slow way down" when passing an police car or other emergency vehicle stopped in an entirely different lane. I wasn't able to find it, maybe you can point it out for me. It might be prudent, and certainly one should be alert and I agree that you might have to slow down to allow yourself time to react to something unexpected, but then again it's all the idiots that "slow way down" that cause rear end collisions next to a traffic stop. It's not in your lane, drive.

On the other hand, you are correct when you say that the cyclist had every right to pass in the other lane when his lane was blocked by the traffic stop. He's still responsible to make sure it's safe to move over before doing so. The first question that should go through your mind isn't whether what you are about to do is legal or not, it should be whether it is safe or not. You can be "dead-right" if you make a stupid decision.

tomcryar

It's not the "idiots" who slow down that cause the wrecks--it's the "idiots" who don't.

sgtsmile

It is also the idiots who change lanes in an unexpected manner who cause crashes. The thing is, in any crash, both bear some burden of responsibility for it.

Helmet Head

And the crash is his responsibility if he doesn't look back first and moves left in front of an overtaking vehicle, regardless of whether that vehicle is speeding.

R-Wells

Jeez I am stupid!!
I didnt need to see that video.
I didnt realize it was, car hits biker, video
I thought some one ran over a bikers video.
I just clicked on it because I have been considering a VCR or VHS player on my bike and thought I could get some ideas on how to mount it.

You folks or morbid.

Cheshire

umm...to the "should've been wearing a helmet" comments:

not knocking helmets, but a helmet would have done nothing for the biker in this situation.
I hope he turned out alright and healed okay.

sgtsmile

A helmet would have.

It would have reduced the extent of head injuries by reducing abrasions and slightly lessening concussive damage.

Now quick, run to the helmet thread before "whats his name from vancouver" (no offence meant, I forget his name!!) jumps in,....

Cheshire

For my logic for stating a helmet would have done nothing, I'm going to shamelessly use my brother as an example when we were kids. He used to have a bicycle-run paper route, and one day on deliveries he looked to the side to toss a paper into a driveway while cresting a hill. He looked back just in time to see the bumper of the car that was parked on the side of the road as his face went through it.
He was wearing a helmet: properly, inspected, and uncompromised.
The helmet was undamaged...never hit. He got a concussion, 16 or so stitches from his chin through his lower lip, broken eyeglasses, and a bike with several inches of the metal in the top- and downtubes folded into itself.

The way he looked like he rolled onto the car (and flew off) it made me wince...I really hope he's alright. He would have had to be wearing a motorcycle jacket to get protection from being rear-ended.

John Wilke

Does it really have to be written down someplace for you to slow down?

C'mon now ... do you have to get to the grocery store THAT quickly that you can't slow down for 30 seconds ???

Slowing down for 30 seconds one day might save you 30 days laying in a hospital bed.

jw

sgtsmile

You are right, in that circumstance, a helmet would not have helped (not looking to the side as he crested a blind summit would have though, as well as people NOT parking there..... oh man, now I will get slimed by other readers!!!) since helmets are not typically worn on the chin. (you can get your brain concussed by simply tumbling from your mtn bike and jarring your shoulder hard - your body stops, and your brain splashes on the inside of your skull. oooch that hurts...)

However, had the part of his head covered by the helmet hit the car, there would have been a reduction in the severity of injury - likely less concussion damage, and less skin trauma. No one but the most ideologically blinded would ever argue that helmets are a pancea for eliminating head injury, but they can help reduce it.

alwayssummer

First,

I don't see how you can possibly argue based on one single incident that a helmet is useless as a piece of safety equipment (which you imply, although you didn't state it outright) and that it would not have helped in a completely different situation. The statistics on helmet use are incontrovertible--helmets save lives. It should be no surprise that a helmet won't protect the face (or any other part of the body that it does not cover). BUT, the number one cause of two wheeled death is head injury caused by the cyclist (or motorcycle driver) hitting their head on a hard surface AND helmets protect against that type on injury.

I'm sorry that the helmet didn't help in this one situation, but that does not in any way reduce their effectiveness as life savers. Perhaps you should lobby instead for full faced helmets for cyclists.


Second,

Anything smaller than a car is invisible to a car. Studies on motorcycle accidents show that in the majority of accidents involving motorcycles and cars the car simply does not see the motorcycle. That is not because all car drivers are idiots, that is because car drivers only expect to see cars. We have a lot of trouble seeing things that we don't expect to be there. It's human nature (read the article above). Now, remember: you are NOT a motorcycle. You are a bike. You are smaller, lighter, slower, and as a result you are much much more vulnerable in the event of a collision. As stated before: in car vs. bike collisions the bike always loses.

This is a terrible fact of life--BUT you MUST accept this as a fact of life if you wish to survive on the road as a two wheeled vehicle. You should assume that you are invisible to every car. A car driver can look right at you and still not see you.

The only thing I can imagine that will improve a car driver's ability to see a bicycle is to learn to expect it--that means many many more riders need to take to the road and gives the cages experience in sharing the roads with us (and not ride like idiots--as I am also guilty of doing at times).

banerjek

Whenever I am aware of cops, ambulances, fire trucks, or any other emergency vehicle, I go into full alert. Whenever people see flashing lights or hear sirens, they start rubbernecking and quit paying attention to the road. This is EXTREMELY dangerous when you are riding because it means that if an emergency vehicle is approaching by behind, you can count on motorists to pull over to the right while looking in their rearview mirrors. If the vehicles are in front, count on people to stare at them and miss everything else.

Whenever you see an emergency vehicle, be prepared for people to come down on you and get ready to bail.

mac

Has anyone found out how the bicyclist is doing? Since it was a taped episode for COPS, I assume it happened at least a month or two ago. Is there any news article on his condition? From the look of the windshield, it appears he got hit pretty damn hard. But then again, the Steelers QB "Big Ben" smash his m/c into a car at the beginning of June and he's okay now.