"Ruben Safir" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news
[email protected]...
> On Fri, 01 Oct 2004 04:12:17 +0000, Pete wrote:
>
> > Often, but not *always*.
> > Dark sweatshirt, jeans, no lights, no reflectors, riding against
traffic,
> > going through a red light at a badly lit, but non-rural, intersection.
>
> There is no excuse for Car to hit a bike, ever. Drive slower
>
You misunderstand me. I'm not saying it is an excuse. I ride daily.
However!
There are instances of cyclists bringing it upon themselves, no matter how
carefully a motorist (or other cyclist!) drives. When a completely black
object, on a dark night, appears right in your path, in violation of basic
traffic rules...the laws of physics take over. Doesn't matter if it were a
cyclist, or another car, or a pedestrian.
If a flat black car, with no headlights and no reflectors were driving the
wrong way in traffic, at night...who would be at fault in the resultant head
on collision? Why should a 'flat black' cyclist get a free pass? I almost
hit one of these clowns over the weekend, on my bike. Drive slower? Not an
issue in this case.
A moving object (bus/car/bike/ped) can easily cause a crash, by violating
basic rules, such as visibility, lane discipline, etc. Cyclists don't get a
free pass just because we'd like them to.
Unless of course you desire a 3mph national speed limit. Which might not be
bad, but that's not what we have, and not going to happen.
Pete