BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Years from now, possibly, a President will respond to a scene of tragedy, carnage, and senseless child fatalities by calling for an end to the mindless pursuit of the car culture. Automobilists will respond that freedom of transportation is implicit in the Bill of Rights, that mobility is essential to preventing the ascendence of tyrants, that stripping away cars is the first step on the slippery slope of subjugating the populace, and that they can have my key fob when they pry it from my cold dead fingers. Twitter will see a rising trend of Hashtag-ComeAndGetThem. Parents will blog stories of how their parents taught them to drive and how they passed on the tradition to their own children. Family farmers will post YouTubes explaining that freedom to drive is essential for their agrarian way of life and that people in cities don't understand; it's a matter of choice. The American Automobile Association will point out that since Thelma and Louise found their salvation in a car, driving is a feminist issue; and that also, a lot more Americans have been born in cars than on bicycles, and maybe what we need are more good guys with cars. sigh. See the USA in a Chevrolet. I think tombstones should list the type of vehicle involved.

Hm. "Breaking local news" in the age of the internet leaves a lot to be desired. This coverage is so thin, it begs more questions than it answers, and appears to paint a really incomplete picture. The victim and suspect were seen "arguing" before the driver hit the guy with his car. Hm. Ok. So what's that all about? The driver "left the scene" then stopped "nearby" to call 911. Apparently he waited for police to respond because the story says he was interviewed by homicide detectives - not just traffic cops. Interesting. Is that SOP when a death is part of the scene, or do the Police believe this is more than an "accident"? He was not arrested, nor is the "investigation" complete. So I guess that means he still could be arrested. But why didn't they arrest the guy based on the condition of the vehicle, his own testimony and that of witnesses? So. IMHO: this story is incomplete. I'll wait to pass judgement. I will pass judgement, however on local media: two thumbs down. Where's the follow-up? Where's the reporting?

One of the Socialist countries (Denmark?) presumes that the driver is responsible in all car/bike/pedestrian "accidents". I like that law, but the penalty for hit-and-run would have to be multiple times the penalty for hitting-and-stopping or no one would stick around. No easy answers for sure.

Can you imagine if other killings were reported the way car attacks are? In a cut and run incident, a knife ran into a cyclist, killing her. Police are still looking for the person who was holding the knife when the accident occurred. The cyclist was not wearing a helmet.

I wonder if the driver is a cop or is related to a cop or some other important person.

Joanne! ^ +++

"In a cut and run incident, a knife ran into a cyclist, killing her. Police are still looking for the person who was holding the knife when the accident occurred. I think in a case like this, the wielder of the knife could use a Look-What-You-Made-Me-Do Defense against the Cyclist, who would in all likelihood be pedaling with reckless abandon, with a shit-eating grin, to boot. In other words, it would be entirely justified. Perhaps even a Crime of Passion, if Jealousy counts...