"“We do not know of a single case of a cyclist fatality in which the driver was prosecuted, except..."

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“We do not know of a single case of a cyclist fatality in which the driver was prosecuted, except for D.U.I. or hit-and-run,” Leah Shahum, the executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, told me.

Laws do forbid reckless driving, gross negligence and vehicular manslaughter. The problem, according to Ray Thomas, a Portland, Ore., attorney who specializes in bike law, is that “jurors identify with drivers.” Convictions carry life-destroying penalties, up to six years in prison, Mr. Thomas pointed out, and jurors “just think, well, I could make the same mistake. So they don’t convict.” That’s why police officers and prosecutors don’t bother making arrests. Most cops spend their lives in cars, too, so that’s where their sympathies lie.

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Is It O.K. to Kill Cyclists? - NYTimes.com (via michaelikesit)

I used to ride a lot… I’m slowly getting back to it, but it used to be a lot a lot. Anyway, cyclists… Follow the fucking rules. Is the light red but no one is coming? Wait, just like a fucking car.

Is there a stop sign? (In a city like St. Louis which has the most stop signs in the U.S.) at least slow down enough to SEE if there is oncoming traffic and either STOP or be ready to stop. Cars, is there a cyclist riding on the ROAD?! Guess what? THE CYCLIST KNOWS THAT YOU’RE THERE and/or ASSUMES that you’re there. Don’t hover just behind the back wheel and honk to let them know that you’re tailgating them, you asshat. Also, the cyclist is prepared and totally ok with you driving past them, again no hovering behind the back wheel going “what the fuck bike dude?” JUST GO THE FUCK AROUND.

A lot of cyclists, myself included, are terrified of cars … because 9 times out of 10, the driver isn’t paying attention to anything at all. Nothing. They’re oblivious. Riding up to an intersection and pointing at a driver to make sure that they actually see me or looking through their window while stopped at a red light with the hope that in ;5 seconds they’ll remember that I’m next to them is about all I can to to be seen.



Drivers are dangerous and erratic, but running red lights and not even trying to obey the rules of the road on a bike is also dangerous. Wear a fucking helmet. I don’t care about your hair or your look. Buy a helmet that fits. Use the chin strap. Your skull hitting the pavement at 30 miles per hour on your stupid hipster 1980’s 10 speed is not going to come out in the same shape it was before.



And riding with headphones in the city, are you brain damaged or just hoping that you get hit so you become brain damaged?”

via Tumblr http://thenelsontwins.tumblr.com/post/66708906105