jayyo

this is what i worry about all the time when im out riding,being hit from behind,my prayers are with the cyclist and his family,may he rest in peace.

silmarillion

This brings back some very uncomfortable memories for me. The only difference was that my friend went through the windshield, injuring the driver in the process.

It's a hard visual for all of us because it has the tenancy to draw on the "could have been me" fears.

Regardless, of the physical ability, or age of the driver...I feel empathy for them. Being responsible for accidentally killing someone out for a bike ride is a very heavy burden to bear. Unfortunately, I can say I have seen it first hand. I hated the kid at first. I wanted him to do time for taking my friend not only from my brother and I but our families as well.

When you see them, broken and in a situation they can not reverse...I realized that he would bear this for a long time if not for the rest of his days. He was just a kid, doing what kids do. Messing with his darn CD player. In a split second, 3 families were directly changed forever.

This is when nothing but forgiveness can set you free from a tragedy like this. My prayers go out to all those involved. Especially the bereaved.

So this is a pivot point for people like us. What are we to do? What could we possibly change? Why would planners and politicians listen to us?

We are a miniscule majority. Regional and local planners, in cities like Atlanta, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, etc. Are more concerned with moving as many single occupancy vehicles though traffic as possible. In many of the major cities in the US, cycling as a viable mode of transportation to and from work is still an afterthought.

This week, gas prices were $4.00 a gallon. Don't know if this is a national average or not, and it's probably lower...

There are probably many people who would consider commuting to work on their bikes, or even riding them at all if they could do it without worrying that this could be a possible outcome for them.

I feel public awareness is to little. The DMV drivers tests say very little about car/bicycle interaction, or about laws that pertain to bicycle rights to the roadways.

3 Foot Rule is law in Georgia. Ask almost anyone here about it most will tell you they never even heard of the law, much less observe it.

I have never seen a cycling advocacy PSA here.

Local law enforcement lacks in writing tickets when they do observe an infraction, most laws are enforced only when someone is hit, injured or killed.

I'm on a routine on the way to and from work. People going to and from work see me everyday. So it's not uncommon for them to see a cyclist on the road. I have noticed 2 new routine riders beginning to frequent the same roads. So our presence alone is a statement to other road users that there are cycle-commuters in the area.

But there needs to be better communication, public awareness, and yes, law enforcement. If people actually get a ticket for buzzing a cyclist when a police officer sees it happen....perhaps the word will get out.

We can only hope.

hopperja

I'm curious as to which rear light it was. I'd like to NOT use that rear light, in favor of something brighter.

This makes me think of something I've commented on several times in the commuting forum... people pay so much attention to their headlight, the more lumens the better. While, at the same time, they neglect their rear light. The fact is, generally speaking, the headlamp allows you to see and the tail lamp allows you to be seen. Yes, I know there are exceptions, and have almost been hit by my share of left-turners. That being said, I always suggest people invest their money in the best tail light they can afford, then think about the head light. For the past few years, my tail light of choice has been the DiNotte 140L.

silmarillion

I use the Planet Wave Super-Flash. I don't know how many lumens, but my neighbor claims you should be able to see it from space

I just hope it doesn't cause someone to have a epileptic seizure and hit me anyway...

gmt13

I see many cyclists that are using taillight flashers that are really weak, no doubt resulting from depleted batteries. This could have been the case for this incident. Since this has happened to me too, I like to run multiple lights for redundancy in case one light fails. I now have a dynohub with an always on tail light so it's not a big issue any more, but I still run multiple flashers.

-G

dpeters11

I can see using strobe mde during the day, but at night I would definately use steady. Even blinking would cause more trouble than its worth, especially if you happen upon an impaired driver (not necessarily drunk, but also tired etc).

dpeters11

The local cycle club that pit together the ghost ride has the official count of participants as over 550. Quite amazing.

Kurt Erlenbach

Here's the article about tonight's ride. About 540 cyclists participating. A great thing.

njkayaker

???

A flashing small light (pretty-much any bicycle light) will tend to be noticed from a much longer distance than a steady one.

Flashing also uses substantially less power, which would allow a brighter light for the same power or the same brightness for a longer time.

(Note that drunk drivers run into all sorts of things that don't have flashing lights, like trees.)

dpeters11

Old thread I know, but I thought it might be appropriate to update this, as there is new information in this case.

The driver was scheduled to go to trial, and his lawyers were trying to get black box data excluded, which apparently showed that he was speeding at 50 mph or above, early in the morning when it was still foggy. The posted speed limit is 40 I believe.

He decided to plead no contest to one charge of negligent vehicular homicide, and sentencing is next week. It's a first degree misdemeanor in Ohio, which has a maximum sentence of six months and a $1000 fine. The local bicycle advocacy group is asking the judge to impose the maximum sentence, but instead of the fine, that the driver give the $1000 to the Queen City Blinkie program that hands out free rear lights. That had no bearing on this situation, since Andrew did have lights.