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Doctor gets 5 years for road rage against cyclists

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5 years sentence for brake testing cyclists?

The bicyclists were dumbasses for getting that close behind a car. It irks me to no end to be tailgated especially by smaller vehicles like bicycles or motorcycles
 
Nitemare said:
5 years sentence for brake testing cyclists?

The bicyclists were dumbasses for getting that close behind a car. It irks me to no end to be tailgated especially bysmaller vehicles like bicycles or motorcycles
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FFs

READ THE GODDAMN THREAD

FFA
 
Total dick move for sure, but I think terming it as assault with a deadly weapon is bogus. Aggravated assault would seem more fitting
 
Venix said:
A driver swerves around another car, intentionally slams on his brakes and then admits to the responding police officer that he was "teaching the other driver a lesson." That would be the victim's fault? Are you serious?

Nevermind, I see you're just another one who didn't bother to read or comprehend the thread or the linked articles. Hopefully this is clear enough:

The cyclists were not following the car. The doctor passed the cyclists, then intentionally cut in front of them and stopped.
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In CA, it's always the rearending guy's fault. However, if you get witnesses who testify otherwise, you might be OK, but remember you're fighting an uphill battle unless there's pretty clear cut evidence the totally screwed you over. I wrote to my local newspaper to ask about this because I have been brake-checked before (no collision). Harsh that we have to fight an uphill battle with this still.
 
JulesMaximus said:
Really? I was thinking it was kind of light...
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Damn...I dunno...I got sent into San Francisco on Friday to work a few years back...I got caught in the "Critical Mass" bike ride. Took me a couple of hours to go a couple of miles to get on the freeway...I'm not so sure it wouldn't have been justifiable homicide...😛
 
Anyone who attempts to justify what this guy did is a moron. Justice was served through this sentence. By all accounts he was totally arrogant during the trial and acted as though he was confident he'd be acquitted - presumably this didn't endear him to the judge. By the time he was sentenced, he had spent a bit of time in county jail and he was crying like a little girl. I imagine he won't find a state prison much more hospitable, and as far as I'm concerned he richly deserves a few very uncomfortable years behind bars.
 
DLeRium said:
In CA, it's always the rearending guy's fault. However, if you get witnesses who testify otherwise, you might be OK, but remember you're fighting an uphill battle unless there's pretty clear cut evidence the totally screwed you over. I wrote to my local newspaper to ask about this because I have been brake-checked before (no collision). Harsh that we have to fight an uphill battle with this still.
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The guy admitted to the cops what he did so I imagine it's pretty hard for him to get out of it.

5 years might sound like a lot, but how long is it till he's out on parole. Smacking people with 4000 pounds of steel is not something that should be taken lightly either.
 
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BoomerD said:
Damn...I dunno...I got sent into San Francisco on Friday to work a few years back...I got caught in the "Critical Mass" bike ride. Took me a couple of hours to go a couple of miles to get on the freeway...I'm not so sure it wouldn't have been justifiable homicide...😛
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The people who participate in those "critical mass" rides are idiots. As a cyclist, I do not agree with what they represent at all. The only thing they are doing is alienating the motoring public and breeding contempt against cyclists.
 
Why where the cyclists so damn close that they couldn't break in time? They shouldn't have been tailgating.
 
AyashiKaibutsu said:
The guy admitted to the cops what he did so I imagine it's pretty hard for him to get out of it.

5 years might sound like a lot, but how long is it till he's out on parole. Smacking people with 4000 pounds of steel is not something that should be taken lightly either.
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I believe he is required to serve 85% of his adjudged sentence since he was convicted of a three-strikes-eligible violent crime.
 
JulesMaximus said:
The people who participate in those "critical mass" rides are idiots. As a cyclist, I do not agree with what they represent at all. The only thing they are doing is alienating the motoring public and breeding contempt against cyclists.
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I imagine the Bike Lobby loves doing these kinds of things, so maybe that was their desired result? Just reading the Wiki entry on "Critical Mass" makes me lol.

Wow...corking sounds especially disruptive:
from Wiki entry said:
Corking
Detail from the November 20, 1992 flyer by Joel Pomerantz which introduced the concept of corking.

Because Critical Mass takes place without an official route or sanction, participants in some cities have sometimes practiced a tactic known as "corking" in order to maintain the cohesion of the group. This tactic consists of a few riders blocking traffic from side roads so that the mass can freely proceed through red lights without interruption. Corking allows the mass to engage in a variety of activities, such as forming a cyclone, lifting their bikes in a tradition known as a "Bike Lift" (in Chicago this is referred to as a Chicago hold-up), or to perform a "die-in" where riders lie on the ground with their bikes to symbolise cyclist deaths and injuries caused by automobiles, very popular in Montreal. The 'Corks' sometimes take advantage of their time corking to distribute flyers.

Critics argue that the practice of corking roads in order to pass through red lights as a group is contrary to Critical Mass' claim that "we are traffic", since ordinary traffic (including bicycle traffic) does not usually have the right to go through intersections once the traffic signal has changed to red. Corking has sometimes led to hostility between motorists and riders, even erupting into violence and arrests of motorists and cyclists alike during Critical Mass rides.[19]
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Originally Posted by from Wiki entry
Corking
Detail from the November 20, 1992 flyer by Joel Pomerantz which introduced the concept of corking.

Because Critical Mass takes place without an official route or sanction, participants in some cities have sometimes practiced a tactic known as "corking" in order to maintain the cohesion of the group. This tactic consists of a few riders blocking traffic from side roads so that the mass can freely proceed through red lights without interruption.Corking allows the mass to engage in a variety of activities, such as forming a cyclone, lifting their bikes in a tradition known as a "Bike Lift" (in Chicago this is referred to as a Chicago hold-up), or to perform a "die-in" where riders lie on the ground with their bikes to symbolise cyclist deaths and injuries caused by automobiles, very popular in Montreal. The 'Corks' sometimes take advantage of their time corking to distribute flyers.

Critics argue that the practice of corking roads in order to pass through red lights as a group is contrary to Critical Mass' claim that "we are traffic", since ordinary traffic (including bicycle traffic) does not usually have the right to go through intersections once the traffic signal has changed to red. Corking has sometimes led to hostility between motorists and riders, even erupting into violence and arrests of motorists and cyclists alike during Critical Mass rides.[19]
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How is this legal?
 
BoomerD said:
and bicycle "driving" licenses to ensure that they know the proper rules of the road.

Cars are due a greater right-of-way by bicyclists, not only because the auto is larger, heavier, and can inflict more damage, but also because we auto drivers, whether by our license fees/taxes or fuel taxes, pay for the roadway. bicyclists, by any property/sales taxes might pay a portion...but a much smaller portion of the costs of building and maintaining the roadway.

Yes. We DO own the road. 😛
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Ah, that old chestnut. You're ignoring that

1) cyclists are often also drivers,

2) a bike causes far, far less wear and tear to road surfaces,

3) bikes require less room on the road,

etc.
 
oboeguy said:
Ah, that old chestnut. You're ignoring that

1) cyclists are often also drivers,

2) a bike causes far, far less wear and tear to road surfaces,

3) bikes require less room on the road,

etc.
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Very true. And what the cagers seem to ignore is the fact that by cycling we are reducing the congestion on the roadways by one car per cyclist.

I used to commute by bicycle 2-3 days a week and could just breeze through traffic. One day just for kicks I checked my wife's car to see what her average speed was in the car, it was 20mph. There were days when I could average 17mph on my commute by bicycle.
 
JulesMaximus said:
Very true. And what the cagers seem to ignore is the fact that by cycling we are reducing the congestion on the roadways by one car per cyclist.

I used to commute by bicycle 2-3 days a week and could just breeze through traffic. One day just for kicks I checked my wife's car to see what her average speed was in the car, it was 20mph. There were days when I could average 17mph on my commute by bicycle.
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How do you breeze through traffic without breaking traffic laws? Bike lanes?
 
TheVrolok said:
JulesMaximus said:
Very true. And what the cagers seem to ignore is the fact that by cycling we are reducing the congestion on the roadways by one car per cyclist.

I used to commute by bicycle 2-3 days a week and could just breeze through traffic. One day just for kicks I checked my wife's car to see what her average speed was in the car, it was 20mph. There were days when I could average 17mph on my commute by bicycle.
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How do you breeze through traffic without breaking traffic laws? Bike lanes?
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He's one of them! KILL HIM WITH YOUR SUV.
 
lupi said:
so, if it was another car behind him they would have been ticketed for following too close, but since it was some dumb asses instead the guy in the car gets ail time?
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No I'm pretty sure it's always illegal to intentionally cause car crashes.

Very true. And what the cagers seem to ignore is the fact that by cycling we are reducing the congestion on the roadways by one car per cyclist.
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You're saying that cyclists moving 20mph in a 40mph zone reduces congestion? I just want to make sure I'm understanding this.

Why where the cyclists so damn close that they couldn't break in time? They shouldn't have been tailgating.
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How the hell can you tailgate someone on a bike? Maybe you're the strongest human on earth but I've never been able to ride my bike at 40mph or faster.
 
ShawnD1 said:
You're saying that cyclists moving 20mph in a 40mph zone reduces congestion? I just want to make sure I'm understanding this.
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Do all roads have 40mph speed limits now? I missed that memo. Also, there are bike lanes, or at the very least areas where it's safe to pass cyclists, especially those who are curb-huggers (which is dangerous in itself...). I also find that many cyclists take alternate routes to avoid heavy-traffic roads, at least in my city.
 
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