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By riceowlguy (Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 10:53:42 AM EST) (all tags)

What does Emily Post have to say about what you should do if you hit somebody riding a bicycle with your car?

I imagine it would go something like "park the car, get out and see if the person needs medical attention...apologize profusely and offer to pay for any damages to the bike."

What do you do, though, if the guy on the bike immediately gets up and starts flipping you the bird and screaming obscenities at you through your car window?

This didn't happen to me, it happened to the person in front of me in the line of cars trying to get out of the parking garage after choir rehearsal last night.

Furthermore, the guy on the bike was riding the wrong way down a one-way street, at night, with no lights or helmet, wearing dark clothing. In his "defense", he was by all appearances homeless, which would probably help explain the insanity.

Talk about your uncomfortable situations. In the end the car in front of me just drove of, and I drove off as well once crazy dude picked his bike up and rode off.

Let's imagine that the guy was actually hurt, though? What would the law say? Would the driver be ticketed, or liable for the damages? Or would it be the cyclist's fault? I'm one of those guys who believe in "give bikes the right", but I also believe that cyclists better follow the rules if they want that right.

Update [2008-3-20 12:51:4 by riceowlguy]:Interestingly, this was on MetaFilter this morning.

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Ettiquette | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

Civil, or criminal? by ammoniacal (4.00 / 2) #1 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 11:04:25 AM EST

1. Never apologize in that kind of situation.

2. I'm abstaining from the Flame War which is sure to follow this entry.

Irony: ammo says it's time. Tom is blocked.

If someone yells obscenities by komet (4.00 / 1) #2 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 11:22:18 AM EST

it means that person has no serious injuries. So I would have told him I'll replace his bike if he STFU or else drive off. In case of minor injury I think I'd drive off about 100 yards and then phone the police for further instructions.

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<ni> komet: You are functionally illiterate as regards trashy erotica.

: There's actually some doubt in my mind by riceowlguy (2.00 / 0) #5 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 12:08:05 PM EST

as to whether the guy actually got hit by the car, or just swerved so violently that he fell over. I don't think his bike was damaged at all. The car couldn't have been going more than two or three miles per hour at that point anyway.
I'm usually extremely careful about nosing out of the garage because there's a lot of foot traffic in the area, and while you instinctively look to the left to look for oncoming traffic because you want to make a right turn, you need to look right too because of pedestrians. And apparently crazy homeless guys too.

[ Parent ]

INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER by Rogerborg (4.00 / 2) #3 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 11:29:33 AM EST

Was anyone involved late for an interview, or packing heat?

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Metus amatores matrum compescit, non clementia.

: It's Houston, the restaurants have signs asking by georgeha (4.00 / 1) #4 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 11:42:02 AM EST

patrons not to bring guns in, of course they were packing heat.

[ Parent ]

Sounds familiar by ucblockhead (2.00 / 0) #6 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 12:31:21 PM EST

I was involved in an almost identical mishap with one exception: I was walking, not driving.

In that situation, I'd have gotten out. 'Course I'm 6' 3", so YMMV.
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_{ウセーバラケダ}

It seems to me by ad hoc (4.00 / 1) #7 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 01:17:44 PM EST

if you're wearing dark clothes, have no lights, and riding the wrong way, you're asking for trouble. And he got it. I doubt very much that the driver could (or should) be held responsible, beyond the usual reporting that an accident happened as you must do in every case of possible injury (bicycle or not).

btw, whether he was wearing a helmet or not is entirely irrelevant.

Read this
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The three things that make a diamond also make a waffle.

Who hit who by duxup (2.00 / 0) #8 Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 02:46:01 PM EST

My mother lives in a townhouse where to exit the community you have to drive across a sidewalk that is part of a very popular bike path. To safely exit you actually have to pull out and stop on the sidewalk to see the street.

There are actually pedestrian warning and even a pedestrian stop signs there to get people to pay attention. Still that hasn't prevented the case where she was stopped looking to pull out into the street and then a bike actually ran into her. I've had several similar close calls there myself. The actual path has very few spots where cars cross so folks just chug along on their bikes without paying attention. Dude hurt himself fairly bad and the cops called an ambulance.

It's a good thing that happened in the small town where she lives. Here in the Twin Cities some of the bikers are downright militant. There are of course good bikers too but there are plenty of jerks who act as if every path is supposed to be bikes only and anyone in a car is evil incarnate or something.
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Ettiquette | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback