Poguemahone

https://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/n...-c-ar-1292792/

So far, looks like three points on the driving record for the motorist. Hope they up this, though I doubt it.

Doing everything right, still taken down. From the metropolitan area that brought you a blind ped and his dog being run down, with no charges at all...

Kurt Erlenbach

One of the commenters said he didn't know that when a driver is turning left, an oncoming cyclist has the right of way. While that explains a few things for me (I always thought the dopes who did that didn't see me - now I know that maybe they think I was supposed to yield to them), it really is a scary thing to contemplate.

unterhausen

I chased down a motorist that right hooked me and demanded an explanation. The motorist explained that they thought I was supposed to yield to them. I informed them I wasn't, but I was too enraged to think to ask how they thought I would know to yield to a car behind me.

CB HI

Yeah, my jaw just dropped when I read the comment.

lubes17319

When will this country ever learn to test before handing out driver's licenses?

Chris516

My condolences to his wife n' children.

When I am approaching a four-way intersection, I look to see if any moron is trying to turn left in front of me, instead of thinking that they should wait. I also stand on the pedals to make myself even more visible, along with all the reflective gear I have.

davehbuffalo

Yeah, pretty unbelieveable. I have to give the guy tons of credit though for being courageous enough to be honest about that. Maybe someone will learn something from his comment.

I was also thankful that I didn't see the usual sociopathic comments.

davehbuffalo

I do the same. I assume people are TRYING to kill me. Sometimes they are.

Bikepacker67

This is why you take the lane at intersections - regardless of any bike lane BS.
Oncoming left turners aren't looking at the opposing far left roadspace.

Chris516

I have done the same thing.

Chris516

(slapping myself in the face) Can you repeat that!!!!

Poguemahone

Common RVA thinking... I was once hit by a driver who blew thru a stop sign. I was the on the thru street. He told me "You saw me coming, you're supposed to stop."

I've been told more than once-- including by an RVA cop-- that cars have ROW over bikes in all situations.

Hope that guy doesn't teach driver's ed at Hopewell High...

I-Like-To-Bike

"Taking the lane" must be like wearing magic hats; makes you invulnerable from mishaps/mistakes. I suppose you believe all left turners suddenly get smart and will yield to know-it-all cyclists like you, eh?

Just because you fabricate the cause of the victim's death as being lack of visibility to the motorist, doesn't make it so.

Doohickie

It is logical, in a way (though incorrect), for a motorist to assume that they have the right of way over a cyclist in the bike lane. The logic goes like this: to a lot of drivers, cyclists == pedestrians. If they would expect a pedestrian to look both ways before crossing the street, and waiting for motor traffic, they expect the same as a cyclist. Logical, but incorrect.

This is why taking the lane is an advantage: It takes the cyclist out of the uncertain (to many drivers) world of non-motor traffic and puts them in the roadway where there is a greater expectation that the cyclist will be seen as traffic. No, it's not 100%, but it increases the odds of a motorist seeing the bicycle as a vehicle and not a pedestrian.

John E

My one-and-only close encounter of the wrong kind w/ a motor vehicle was a similar left-cross incident. I was descending a hill at about 25mph/40kph, and an oncoming motorist abruptly turned into her driveway. I now wear brighter-colored clothing, ride farther from the curb, and use a better helmet than my old Kucherik "hairnet," which was the best of its breed, but not good enough.

Poguemahone

Update: Justice has been done, motorist hit with massive 30$ fine:

https://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2.../bit.ly/n2QMj0

County didn't even bother to have a prosocuter present.

Wake

Riding in the dark, raining, with no lights is not smart. Neither is doing 30mph through an intersection with turning traffic. It's saddening to see another rider down, though. I was hit from behind myself, in the rain, with lights, but I'm ok now.

Paul Barnard

What do you feel like the punishment should be?

dynodonn 

Not so much about the speed of the cyclist, since motorists travel through intersections at 30 or more mph all the time without incident, but more on the cyclist's visual signature to oncoming motorists. The use of any sort of fairly powerful headlight would have greatly increased the cyclist's visual signature considering the conditions that the cyclist was riding in.

sggoodri

NC has a misdemeanor death by vehicle offense that is normally applied in such situations. What does Virginia have?

sggoodri

My bike commute two days ago was a darker than I had expected due to my departure being delayed to 6PM, an earlier fall sunset, and thick cloud cover from an approaching storm. I was mad at myself for not having brought my lights with me that day, but fortunately I was able to stick to quiet roads and be careful at intersections. I'll be keeping my lights with me for the rest of my commutes until next spring.

unterhausen

I think the punishment should be a lifetime suspended sentence. The driver has already killed once, at his age he's probably going to kill again.

gmt13

"Heavy, driving rain, lightning, and near darkness"! Yes the driver is at fault, but I would say that I would have thought twice about riding in those conditions, unless I really had to. And then, I would certainly be as visible as I could be with lights and vest (as well as anticipating that motorists still would not see me).

-G

Paul Barnard

I don't think we should criminalize a simple mistake, especially under the circumstances of this accident. It's plausible that the driver was vigilant but simply did not see the cyclist in the poor visibility conditions. I don't think too many accidents are truly accidents, but this one seems to be.

Chris516

The driver's age obviously had something to do with, not only the driver only getting a $30k fine, but also the prosecutor not being present.