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Re: Driving Pet Peeves

In article <3rq805$o78@gap.cco.caltech.edu> bradley@seismo.gps.caltech.edu (Brad Woods) writes:
>KP (batten@newsserver.rdcs.Kodak.COM) wrote:
>
   big snip of my previous article.
>: crunch, and who gets the verbal abuse???? 
>
>I bicycle and drive.  And where I live there are a fair number of bicyclers.
>I have yet to find an inconsiderate bicycler.  They certainly don't bike down
 
 I am very happy for you.

>the middle of the road for fear of their safety.  Atleast 2 or 3 times a week
>I'll have a close call with a car, or a car will cut me off.
>
   and of course you have never contributed to the above situation in the
slightest have you.

>Also, I have never -- not once in my entire freakin' life, been driving along
>in my car when all of a sudden a bicycler comes whizzing by me and yells
>in my ear "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" or anything like that.

  I am assuming you are trying to make a car horn noise here. If so, I'll 
agree with you, its rude and dangerous (because of the distraction it will
cause). However; I was not complaining about the volume of noise I have had
to endure, it is the language its self. When a bicyclist has to run off the
road or loose control because he has run a stop sign while squeezing between 
the curb and my big bad car just as I make a right hand turn... it is of
course all MY fault and I am deserving of all the verbal abuse in the world.
right??    

>Further, such a biker would have about zero chance of causing me ANY physical
>damage.  The reverse is not true.

  Wrong in many ways. If a fool comes blasting down the road and rams into you
he stands every bit as much chance of being injured as he would if he hit 
a deer. Its not uncommon for them critters to come flying through the     
windshield.. BUT, there are other ways of suffering damage. EVEN if you are
in the wrong (I know thats impossible because ONLY car drivers can be in the
wrong.. right?) if the police blotter says the bicycle was completely at fault,
all witnesses say the biker was at fault, the BICYCLST says he was at fault,
guess who gets to pay the medical bills. Guess who stands the chance of getting
sued... guess who's insurance gets jacked up... and if the biker is killed...
guess who not only suffers all the above but also stands the chance of loosing
their license, or at a min. being harrassed by the state for several years
and forced to take periodic driving tests for no reason.  

  I'm not saying this is gosple in all states, but.. from what I've been told,
while a biker is to be treated like any other vehicle on the road, when they
are in an accident they are treated as a pedistian. From personal experience
I know what our state says about auto vs. pedistrian accidents, even when 
as stated above EVERY one says there was no way possible for the auto to avoid
the accident and it was 100% the pedestrians fault. From the experience of
my ex neighbors mother I know what the results are if the pedistrian in a 
situation like above is unfortunately killed.

>
>In otherwords, I have no sympathy for you car-driving pigs.

  Earlier in this thread someone stated that even if all bikers were to 
become 100% safe responsible drivers you would still have motor vehicle
operators who would find something to complain about. Don't be so blind,
the same is true in reverse.. even if all car drivers became 100% good 
drivers who were totally respectful of the bikers, many of the bikers would
still find something to complain about... resorting to name calling for 
any one who drives a car ("car-driving pigs") kinda drives that point home.

- jim
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