A friend's dad was hit and killed yesterday.
#26
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Thank you, this went on from the intersection west to the roundabout. After entering the roundabout they were headed towards Tyrone Square Mall. There are several residential blocks between 30th Ave. N. and Tyrone Mall. And I was in the area around 1630 or so. So given that they were either headed home or to the mall I can't help but wonder why they were in such a hurry that they couldn't slow down and wait just a couple of minutes for the road to open up where it is safe to pass a slower moving vehicle?
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Very sad. My condolences to the victims family.
Unfortunately, Florida is apparently the most dangerous place on earth to ride. In our local Tampa Bay region, there have been 15 bicycle fatalities since July 2010. I've had some close calls just on residential streets this past year, and now only ride on dedicated bike trails or back roads with little to no traffic. There are just too many drivers not paying attention these days.
Unfortunately, Florida is apparently the most dangerous place on earth to ride. In our local Tampa Bay region, there have been 15 bicycle fatalities since July 2010. I've had some close calls just on residential streets this past year, and now only ride on dedicated bike trails or back roads with little to no traffic. There are just too many drivers not paying attention these days.
#28
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I'm not sure I'd buy into the logic that the road's condition had any effect on the driver's inability to problem solve and realize that his cell phone falling to the floor was not a priority over driving his F-250 until the condition was safe enough for him to pull over and retrieve it.
Really, the crime here is that we are even discussing validation for the driver's behavior in the first place. He failed to operate his vehicle in a safe manner, as mandated by the state law. He killed someone due to this negligence. At the very least, negligent homicide with the understanding that he will see a wrongful death lawsuit filed. While it would be nice to believe that he learned his lesson, the responsibility he took when accepting that he was licensed to operate a vehicle, regardless of the road conditions, dictates that he understood the consequences of failure to do so.
We live in such a simple society - all you do is try to shift the amount of responsibility away from 100% and you win.
Really, the crime here is that we are even discussing validation for the driver's behavior in the first place. He failed to operate his vehicle in a safe manner, as mandated by the state law. He killed someone due to this negligence. At the very least, negligent homicide with the understanding that he will see a wrongful death lawsuit filed. While it would be nice to believe that he learned his lesson, the responsibility he took when accepting that he was licensed to operate a vehicle, regardless of the road conditions, dictates that he understood the consequences of failure to do so.
We live in such a simple society - all you do is try to shift the amount of responsibility away from 100% and you win.
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Very sad. My condolences to the victims family.
Unfortunately, Florida is apparently the most dangerous place on earth to ride. In our local Tampa Bay region, there have been 15 bicycle fatalities since July 2010. I've had some close calls just on residential streets this past year, and now only ride on dedicated bike trails or back roads with little to no traffic. There are just too many drivers not paying attention these days.
Unfortunately, Florida is apparently the most dangerous place on earth to ride. In our local Tampa Bay region, there have been 15 bicycle fatalities since July 2010. I've had some close calls just on residential streets this past year, and now only ride on dedicated bike trails or back roads with little to no traffic. There are just too many drivers not paying attention these days.
#31
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Thanks everyone. It's upsetting to know that it was all caused by a cell phone (as it is all too often), but even more so in that he had been there for a cycling event. Stay safe out there everyone.
#32
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