Saw a guy on a bicycle get hit last night
 

I say "guy on a bike", because I would hesitate to call him a "commuter" or a "cyclist". It was just a guy riding his bike. No helmet or anything that would lead me to believe he was a regular cyclist.

Plus, he was disobeying a few traffic rules. Against traffic, and riding through a red light. He rode ride in front of the motorists turning left and got clipped. He went down, and busted his head open. He'll be alright, though. But the poor guy who clipped him will need some bodywork on his '60s Corvette :twitchy:

Seeing people flagrantly disobey traffic laws really irks me. It's knuckleheads like this yahoo that make motorists think that all of us are irresponsible.

Ouch that hits close to home. Not because I occasionally disobey traffic rules or because I don't always wear a helmet....but because I have a 60's corvette!

Any way the guy in the car can collect damages from the cyclist?

If it was me in the car I'd be suing regardless of if my insurance would cover the damages or not. Any claim will result in higher premiums every year and that would be HIS fault as well as the damages.

The guy may or may not have liability insurance, but if he's going to use public roads he needs to do so in a manner that lets other people use them safely too.

Only if the guy on the bike (he's a cyclist) has any assets. The motorist's insurance company will likely be going after payment from the cyclist, assuming there was a police report and blame has been assigned. Depending on local laws.

Yeah, that driver has to live in a life of fear and worry now even though he really did nothing wrong. The problem, most of us live like that every day if you commute or even ride on the roads.

Poor car!

You can't fix stupid, or so they say.

I think the only asset the guy on the bike had was the 40 oz beer that broke when he hit the deck...

Ouch. Hope everyone is safe but that is tough. It is a a bummer that a few cyclists can hurt the view of the majority too.

If there was a police report and information was exchanged, the vette guy can tender a claim under the bikers homeowners or renters insurance liability coverage (assuming he has any) without having to file a claim under his own auto policy.

I bet the guy on a bike was probably riding how his parents told him to.

Are you guys really going to play the ' homeless drunk guy on a bike' give ALL cyclist a bad name?

Does that work only with cyclist or does it work for pedestrians as well - see a drunk homeless guy walking down the sidewalk, so all pedestrians are just like that?

MY commute is partly through town and I see this sort of thing all the time. Can't fix stupid.

Heart aches for the 'Vette. Hope it's okay.

My theory is that a dumb driver is probably dumb no matter what he drives.

When I drive anyone going slower than me is stupid (and anyone going faster is a moron)

I don't care what motorists think.

Yes you do. If you're stopped at a red light far to the right, and an SUV pulls up next to you - maybe or maybe not making a right-hand turn - it's time to care what a motorist thinks. I'm trying to outguess these people all the time and do every thing I can to "care" what they're thinking! If you live in a town where motorists look down on cyclists, then you may need to ride differently based on what they think. In El Paso, I am pretty much invisible to cars, because we are not a bicycle city - therefore I ride side streets more than main streets (generally). I'm suggesting that if you really don't care what they think, it might be time to start.

Cyclist, noun, a person on a bike.

Yeah seriously. Poor and ignorant people on bikes are still called cyclists.

Yes, of course. But I consider a "cyclist" & a "commuter" as someone who regularly uses a bicycle for transprtation or fitness, regardless of the actual definition. YMMV

And that's exactly the kind of attitude that gets cyclists in trouble and gives us all bad name. I drive too, and I see too many idiots on bikes.

Saw my first accident ever back in Sept '11 and it was a car hitting a cyclist and I was walking back from a LBS to work. The car just hit right into the guy and he was dressed just the same as the OP but the guy was not homeless drunk he looked to be in his 50s but probably could not afford a car. The guy hit him pretty hard but he did get up and walk away from it but he was about an inch away from being crushed from the waist down. The car ran over his entire bike and proceeded to drive another 100ft before actually stopping, when the motorist got out he looked old enough to be my great grandfather (I am 28). It was pretty shocking to see and was definately a motorist fault on this one the guy was riding on a MUP that crossed over, however if he had been on the road I think this would have never happened.

I live in a city that looks rather down on cyclists in general which is odd since I am about 20 minutes south of Minneapolis (rated #1 in '10 I think). When I go into the city I have much more faith in motorists there then I have ever had in any suburban city where 90% of people are on their cellphones or yelling at their kids driving these giant vehicles. A place were I see more drivers at the gym then I do at the bus stop.

A former co-worker of mine rides the same way he rides against traffic, I told him it will get him killed doing that but he refuses to listen to me. Most people pulling up to a intersection look left first and that is what we are all tought left right left, and most pull well past the crosswalk.

Play stupid games; win stupid prizes.

+1! :thumb: