In the midst of all of our discussions about conflict between bicyclists and motorists I caught wind of this story from the West coast. Looks like a L.A. doctor has been translating his frustrations with bicyclists into action and is taking the laws of the road into his own hands. As one would suspect his lashing out has come at the expense of bicyclists' safety, most recently and notably the two who suffered series injuries seen in this recent run-in with Christopher Thompson.
One might be consoled by the words of the doctor's lawyer who stated, "We regret the incident," however, all compassion is rescinded in the following statement, "we regret that charges have been filed." Well thats no surprise, nor is the fact that related charges have previously been filed against Thompson as the piece reports. All I can say is that thus far we are lucky that our conflicts have remained within the insulated walls of the Topix discussion boards.
A more complete description of the incident can be found here.
Drivers can kill or maim bicyclists much easier than vice versa. Drivers have heavier responsibility. Be responsible or lose your license/go to jail.
ReplyDeleteIts a challenge to argue responsibility when a large proportion of drivers don't think bicycles even belong on the road. The question first must be how we instill this mentality, however if you think reciprocally perhaps increasing the responsibility of drivers regarding bicyclists' safety would be a good way to awaken their consciousness.
ReplyDeleteride safe y'all
ReplyDelete