Interesting Hit and Run Story out of LA

[KelOnWheels]

Wow, there’s a whoooole lotta victim-blaming in the comments.

[DaveK]

@KelOnWheels 40248 wrote:

Wow, there’s a whoooole lotta victim-blaming in the comments.

Kel? Hi, this is the internet. I don’t believe we’ve met.

[Riley Casey]

Can’t just like that reply, gotta ROTFL like it.

@DaveK 40252 wrote:

Kel? Hi, this is the internet. I don’t believe we’ve met.

[KelOnWheels]

@DaveK 40252 wrote:

Kel? Hi, this is the internet. I don’t believe we’ve met.

I blame the plague for wearing down my natural charming cynicism.

[arlrider]

@KelOnWheels 40248 wrote:

Wow, there’s a whoooole lotta victim-blaming in the comments.

Well, some of the victim-blaming seems to be coming from other cyclists, and I don’t know the LA cycling community, so it seems there might be at least a discussion to be had. The guy certainly is painted as a bit of a renegade, and the article makes it seem like he got famous by toying with the law. But, from his personal comments below (under “roadblock”) it seems that he is reformed in his ways.

I DO NOT think that anyone is blaming him for what happened on that night – where he was clearly in the right and was hit by a driver who was drunk with at least power, if not alcohol as well. However, I do think that some are pointing out that this individual, at least in the past, had championed a breed of cycling behavior which was likely to lead to issues with safety or the law.

[consularrider]

Roadblock kinda looks like Dirt?

[TwoWheelsDC]

What resonates with me is the growing normality (?) of hit and run behavior. The article notes that 48% (!!) of all car accidents in LA are hit and run. I don’t know if the DC area is that high, but I’m sure it’s creeping up that way quickly. While I’m of course concerned about getting hit, I’m more concerned about that person speeding off with zero accountability and me and my insurance company being stuck with the bill…and there’s very little disincentive to doing it. I mean, if you’re unlikely to get caught in the first place, and the penalty if you do get caught is equal or less than the penalty you get if you’d stuck around, lots of people are going to flee the scene. Hit and Run should be a felony, regardless of the nature of the accident.

[mstone]

@arlrider 40263 wrote:

However, I do think that some are pointing out that this individual, at least in the past, had championed a breed of cycling behavior which was likely to lead to issues with safety or the law.

But why point that out and then keep beating on it? What in his past behavior could have changed the incident in question one way or the other?

[arlrider]

@mstone 40266 wrote:

But why point that out and then keep beating on it? What in his past behavior could have changed the incident in question one way or the other?

I did not write those comments and do not necessarily agree with them, I was more just pointing out that the “victim bashing” being mentioned by the original poster in this thread was not of the typical “he shouldn’t have been out on a bike at night” sort, but of a more nuanced type highlighting that this individual had a history of promoting potentially dangerous behavior. I’m not saying I agree with those comments either, just bringing up a point that this wasn’t your typical wholesale anti-cyclist slant.

[mstone]

@arlrider 40270 wrote:

I did not write those comments and do not necessarily agree with them, I was more just pointing out that the “victim bashing” being mentioned by the original poster in this thread was not of the typical “he shouldn’t have been out on a bike at night” sort, but of a more nuanced type highlighting that this individual had a history of promoting potentially dangerous behavior. I’m not saying I agree with those comments either, just bringing up a point that this wasn’t your typical wholesale anti-cyclist slant.

Well, except for the “he uses up a whole lane” posts. Has anyone else noticed that most cars also use a whole lane?

[jrenaut]

@mstone 40273 wrote:

Well, except for the “he uses up a whole lane” posts. Has anyone else noticed that most cars also use a whole lane?

Not when they’re infringing on the bike lane they don’t. Then they leave plenty of room on the opposite side of the lane. Room enough for, dare I say, a bike lane?

[KelOnWheels]

@arlrider 40270 wrote:

I did not write those comments and do not necessarily agree with them, I was more just pointing out that the “victim bashing” being mentioned by the original poster in this thread was not of the typical “he shouldn’t have been out on a bike at night” sort, but of a more nuanced type highlighting that this individual had a history of promoting potentially dangerous behavior. I’m not saying I agree with those comments either, just bringing up a point that this wasn’t your typical wholesale anti-cyclist slant.

Except for the “THEY WEAR JEAN SHORTS & CYCLING CAPS! THEY WERE ASKING FOR IT!” bit

[DaveK]

@KelOnWheels 40276 wrote:

Except for the “THEY WEAR JEAN SHORTS & CYCLING CAPS! THEY WERE ASKING FOR IT!” bit

Now now, let’s not try and act like wearing jorts is okay.

[jrenaut]

Isn’t biking in jean shorts already punishment enough?

Honestly, I can’t get upset anymore over people commenting on news articles online. No one ever has anything intelligent to say, so I just assume it’s either morons or trolls. Either way, nothing to care about.

[vvill]

Sad state of affairs there in LA it seems. I’ve read quite a lot of bad press about cycling safety there. Sure the guy sounds like he had a bit of a tearaway cyclist past but the incident was clearly 100% the driver’s fault. I wonder how much the private settlement $ was.

Though it reminds me a bit of a incident I had last year, and even though I gave a full description of the driver, car and all but one digit of the plates the Fairfax County police couldn’t do anything because the driver didn’t actually hit me and it was in a (private) parking lot, not a public road.

[Author]

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