Stop u-turns on Pennsylvania Ave!

[jrenaut]

Bike is totaled. The rear fork is out of alignment, and both the bike shop’s Giant rep, and, more importantly, the Giant legal team say it’s totaled.

So, at least I have the silver lining of being able to build a new bike.

[dcv]

@jrenaut 37849 wrote:

Bike is totaled. The rear fork is out of alignment, and both the bike shop’s Giant rep, and, more importantly, the Giant legal team say it’s totaled.

So, at least I have the silver lining of being able to build a new bike.

You get to keep the parts AND shop for a new bike, right?

[jrenaut]

@dcv 37852 wrote:

You get to keep the parts AND shop for a new bike, right?

Not sure. I’m calling the insurance company today, so I’ll see what they say. I suspect for $1000 they won’t even bother investigating anything, or care what happens with the bike, but I’ll have to see what they say.

[DaveK]

@jrenaut 37858 wrote:

Not sure. I’m calling the insurance company today, so I’ll see what they say. I suspect for $1000 they won’t even bother investigating anything, or care what happens with the bike, but I’ll have to see what they say.

Did your helmet hit the ground? You need a new one. Do you have a way to get to and from work? You need transit or taxi fare or costs for a rental car. Don’t let them skate on your real costs.

[KLizotte]

@DaveK 37860 wrote:

Did your helmet hit the ground? You need a new one. Do you have a way to get to and from work? You need transit or taxi fare or costs for a rental car. Don’t let them skate on your real costs.

I agree. If you were in a car accident, the other party would have to pay for rental car, medical fees, repairs/replacement, etc. Definitely get a new helmet just in case. You’ll be able to keep the old bike. When your car gets smashed, the insurance company doesn’t keep the busted parts. Ordinarily, when a car is totaled the insurance company looks at the tires and gives you a pro-rated amount but it is highly unlikely that will occur for a bike because they cost so little. Just don’t try to fix anything on the bike till you get the check in hand. Photos and documentation are your friends. If you have to take time off from work for medical appointments you can be reimbursed for that too.

The total cost would be a good thing to mention in your email to the DC council folks. I think they underestimate the real costs associated with bike accidents (I’m excluding bodily harm here). Makes me wonder if we couldn’t get the insurance companies on our side in terms of lobbying….

More importantly, I hope your body didn’t get hurt.

[jabberwocky]

@KLizotte 37878 wrote:

When your car gets smashed, the insurance company doesn’t keep the busted parts.

This is actually not normally true. If your car gets totaled, the insurance company cuts you a check to replace it and keeps the totaled car (usually parting it out or selling it to a junkyard to recover some of their costs). I’ve never heard of someone keeping a totaled car.

[KLizotte]

@jabberwocky 37881 wrote:

This is actually not normally true. If your car gets totaled, the insurance company cuts you a check to replace it and keeps the totaled car (usually parting it out or selling it to a junkyard to recover some of their costs). I’ve never heard of someone keeping a totaled car.

Huh, years ago when my car was totalled the auto body shop asked if I wanted to pay to have it towed home or have them take care of it. I chose the latter since I didn’t know what I’d do with a smashed up car. Perhaps the rules have changed….

[jabberwocky]

@KLizotte 37891 wrote:

Huh, years ago when my car was totalled the auto body shop asked if I wanted to pay to have it towed home or have them take care of it. I chose the latter since I didn’t know what I’d do with a smashed up car. Perhaps the rules have changed….

It perhaps varies by insurance company (and/or car value). I know when my brother totaled his, as soon as the body shop declared it totaled the insurance company cut a check and told him to get over there and get anything he wanted to keep out of the car.

Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/auto-insurance/a-total-loss.html) seems to imply that the insurance company generally keeps the totaled car, though you can arrange to get it back if you really want it.

[Dirt]

@KLizotte 37891 wrote:

Huh, years ago when my car was totalled the auto body shop asked if I wanted to pay to have it towed home or have them take care of it. I chose the latter since I didn’t know what I’d do with a smashed up car. Perhaps the rules have changed….

That would be a very rare thing. When a car is totaled, it is sent to a salvage yard. You have the option to buy it back, but that is something that you negotiate. The insurance company doesn’t really care who it gets the salvage price from the car from… you or a salvage yard. There is usually a set price for the vehicle and you get the option to pay it.

Since there really isn’t a bicycle salvage marketplace like there is for automobiles, it will likely work differently.

[jrenaut]

Another cyclist hit by a u-turning car on PA Ave this morning.

[KLizotte]

Oh no! I hope WABA is able to keep track of all these accidents (actual hits and close hits) so they can show data to the appropriate officials that this is a SERIOUS problem.

[Greenbelt]

Do any of the cabbies or other illegal uturners get prosecuted? At the least lose their licenses?

My kid lost his license for a long time (deservedly) for a serious speeding/reckless infraction on I95. Fair enough, because he was driving dangerously and deserved a serious penalty. But at least no one was hurt — there was no crash, he just got pulled over.

These guys in DC seems to hurting people with impunity. I mean, if illegal uturns were being seriously fined or suspended, nobody would still be doing this, right?

[jrenaut]

MPD and the DC Council keep making excuses for why there is no enforcement. First it was that the DMV wasn’t interpreting the law the same way any reasonable human being would, so all the tickets got overturned. They fixed that. Then they repaved for the inauguration (BTW, the first President who takes the money wasted on his or her second inauguration and donates it to charity instead will be my hero) and took off the stripes, so they couldn’t start enforcing then. When the stripes were in but not every single bit of paint was re-applied, it is apparently still the opinion of Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham and MPD that no enforcement is appropriate because the lanes, while CLEARLY A BIKE LANE, are not complete.

I’m not sure what the acceptable number of cyclists per week who can be hit without MPD caring, but it seems that we haven’t reached that number yet. Perhaps if all of us arrange to be hit next week, someone might actually do something.

[Dirt]

Enforcement Starts Thursday
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2013/01/29/officials-will-patrol-pennsylvania-avenue-bike-lanes-wednesday/

WABA and others will be out from 11-1 to show solidarity and help educate folks. I’ll be out from about noon to 1pm. Come ride with us!

Pete

[americancyclo]

Wait, Wednesday is the warning day, and Thursday is the ticketing day? Which day will WABA be out in the lanes? Wed or Thurs?

[Author]

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