Bicyclist struck by SUV dies
By now I'm sure that everyone knows about the collision where a woman driving a Hummer H3 hit a bicyclist who was waiting at a red light. You can read the Idaho Statesman article for more info.
However, I would like to point out that the fact that the victim was on a bicycle was mostly irrelevant. The victim would have been at risk regardless of if she had been on her bike in the bike lane, a pedestrian on the sidewalk, driving a motorcycle in the traffic lane, or even a passenger in a small car. The important issue here was that the person driving the Hummer failed to keep her vehicle under control. I am sure that we will all hear people telling us that this incident shows how dangerous it is to ride a bicycle (anybody see the Channel 2 news report about it last night?). Please remind them that this incident was not caused because the victim was on a bicycle, and that even if it had been, according to NHTSA, there are more people killed in automobile incidents (around 43,000 in 2006) than there are in bicycle collisions (around 800 in 2006).
Woman charged
The woman who was driving the Hummer has been charged with vehicular manslaughter. The Statesman story is available here.
Work to Live : Live to Ride : Ride to Work
Hummer was straddling sidewalk
My understanding, from the video and news reports, is that the Hummer was straddling the sidewalk/road when the cyclist was struck. So yes -- the actions of the cyclist become irrelevant at that point.
I'm concerned the driver will be let off with no charges. Seems to me that involuntary manslaughter should be a given. I don't know if they have anything like "negligent manslaughter," but that sounds even better.
In a week, the accident will be out of the radar. Maybe we'll have to bring it back up again to find out what happens.
...danielo
Lane position
Agreed, the issue here is with the motorist not the cyclist. The only thing I can think of that the cyclist might have done differently is to take the right car lane while waiting for the light instead of staying in the bike lane. I often do this-- not to avoid being rear-ended but to avoid mixing it up with cars turning right into me. The bike lane many motorists try to confine us to on the open road effectively disappears at intersections, and motorists don't expect us to travel straight through. Or don't see us because they don't perceive there to be another lane to the right of the car lane. None of this is relevant to Friday's tragedy as the cyclist was technically correct to be stopped in the bike lane, but it's something to think about when approaching intersections.
kurt
Destination Positioning Rule
What Kurt is talking about is known in BikeEd as the "Destination Positioning Rule". Basically, at intersections you should be in the right third of the right-most lane that goes in the direction that you are going. If the lane is narrow, you should be more to the center of the lane to discourage motorists from trying to squeeze by you when it is unsafe to do so. In a wide lane you don't want to be more than 3-4 feet to the right of traffic (too far right and you aren't as visible), and you should never be in a Right-Turn-Only lane if you are going straight through. You should avoid being on the right side of a motorist who is turning right, even if there is a bike lane that would put you in that position by continuing all the way to the intersection.
For some really good tips on lane positioning and rule of the road, visit the League of American Bicyclists Rules of the Road page.
/dwight
Work to Live : Live to Ride : Ride to Work
Don't let it drop of the radar
I don't think that the driver will get off with no charges. The Prosecutor's office is probably taking their time in filing to ensure that they have the detail right before filing charges. The driver probably isn't seen as a flight risk, so they weren't concerned with charging her immediately so that they could lock her up.
However, I also don't think that we should sit quietly and wait. If anybody has contact info for the Prosecutor's office, maybe we should keep in touch with them to get status on the case and to let them know of the cycling community's concerns.
/dwight
Work to Live : Live to Ride : Ride to Work
Waiting to press charges
According to the Statesman, Meridian police are waiting until the investigation ends to press charges. So it sounds like charges are forthcoming. Hopefully the press will report the details of the investigation. http://www.idahostatesman.com/westada/story/190613.html
Why has the driver not been cited?
Following is an excellent explanation of why the driver has not yet been cited.
"This is a Meridian PD investigation and the reports are correct that no citation was issued. In less serious accidents, we usually do issue citations at the scene; however this is much more serious and requires more in-depth investigation. We typically will not issue citations because most citations are infractions and sometimes misdemeanors. This incident could rise above that, but that will be determined by the prosecutor’s office. If we were to issue a citation for driving on the sidewalk and striking the bicycle rider, and the driver went in and pled guilty to the charge, the case would be over. If she were found to be DUI or that manslaughter charges were more appropriate, we then would be unable to charge her as such because the Idaho Supreme Court has deemed that to be double jeopardy
I cannot speak to other incidents but I will say that this is still under investigation and if it is deemed appropriate to file charges, they will be filed. Some people may want something done now, but that would be irresponsible on our part, considering someone lost their life. I hope this has answered your questions and concerns. Thank you."
Lt. Bob Stowe
Meridian Police Dept.