And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
That guy will, after he loses the tort lawsuit, culpability for which he totally owns. And I say this as someone whose normal default setting is that cyclists are @$$holes, based on every experience I've had with them, and nearly every video of their behavior. That cab passenger would be just as guilty if he'd flung the other door open and a car had taken it out. You break something (including people), you bought it.
When your only defense is "Because everybody does it", you lose.
If it was a jury trial I would vote to dismiss because there is no way in Hell that the passenger can see what is coming up behind him. At the age of 7 or 8 I learned that the damned car doors will open without warning and left plenty of room for them. Having a bike lane doesn't obviate the bad things from happening it just confines it to one smaller stretch of pavement. Bike don't belong in traffic with cars.
I've been riding and driving cars for well over half a century. I have never yet, not even once, seen one fly open all by itself, except with a loose nut pulling on the handle.
The passenger in the video had multiple ways to avoid injuring someone. He could have tried a) rolling down the window and looking, or b) asking the cabbie to check his mirrors to see if it was safe to get out before opening the door, or c) waiting until the cab was at the curb to open the door.
If someone isn't willing to do that, or at least turn around in their seat, or stick their head out the window and freaking look first, (which is definitely four more ways in hell you never thought of), then they probably shouldn't be flinging the door open blindly and Trusting The Force either (unless they're certified morons), should they?
And not for nothing, people who think like you on jury pools are why courtrooms are a circus, the system itself is the punishment, and lawyers are a-holes. Btw, jurors don't get to dismiss cases. Only judges can do that. All you'd do is generate a mistrial, forcing another trial, and wasting everyone's time - including your fellow jurors - until they could find someone smarter to sit for the retrial.
It's also why there should be robust soundproofing, and a supply of stout cudgels, in all jury rooms.
Bikes are in traffic with cars, and wishing it weren't so doesn't obviate the responsibility of a passenger not to fling their door open as if they owned the entire goddam road anymore than if they did the same thing while speeding down the highway.
Your legal argument is that "I was too lazy to check first" is an adequate defense. If someone tried that claim against you when your ox (or kin) was gored, I suspect you'd be whistling another tune.
My cousin was killed riding a bicycle on the road. Proof positive that you shouldn't ride a children's toy like an asshole in traffic. If I'm driving and rear-end someone it is my fault. Clearly, he was operating his vehicle too fast for conditions and failing to maintain a safe speed, bike lane or no. A lesson that hopefully the Lance Armstrong wanna-be learned, but probably not.
Hell I'm a cyclist (some of the time),and like Aesop, my default position is that cyclist are at least gonna act like assholes. But I ride motorcycles as well, and its just saving yer life to assume everyone else is a Volvo, whoops, Tesla driver, or an old guy wearing a hat. IYKYK.
Please tell me again why these bike lanes are a good idea. I just don't see it.
ReplyDeleteI have watched this for almost 15 minutes
ReplyDeletea feel good video for the day
Soul Satisfying
ReplyDeleteGET OUT OF THE CITY!
ReplyDeleteWhy do they insist on putting bike lanes anywhere but curbside ?
ReplyDeleteWhere else, master planner
DeleteWell, I'd suggest curbside.
DeleteI think bike lanes would be OK if they ran opposed to vehicular traffic. Who looks behind when turning right or opening doors?
ReplyDeleteThat guy will, after he loses the tort lawsuit, culpability for which he totally owns.
DeleteAnd I say this as someone whose normal default setting is that cyclists are @$$holes, based on every experience I've had with them, and nearly every video of their behavior.
That cab passenger would be just as guilty if he'd flung the other door open and a car had taken it out.
You break something (including people), you bought it.
When your only defense is "Because everybody does it", you lose.
If it was a jury trial I would vote to dismiss because there is no way in Hell that the passenger can see what is coming up behind him. At the age of 7 or 8 I learned that the damned car doors will open without warning and left plenty of room for them. Having a bike lane doesn't obviate the bad things from happening it just confines it to one smaller stretch of pavement. Bike don't belong in traffic with cars.
DeleteI've been riding and driving cars for well over half a century. I have never yet, not even once, seen one fly open all by itself, except with a loose nut pulling on the handle.
DeleteThe passenger in the video had multiple ways to avoid injuring someone. He could have tried
a) rolling down the window and looking, or
b) asking the cabbie to check his mirrors to see if it was safe to get out before opening the door, or
c) waiting until the cab was at the curb to open the door.
If someone isn't willing to do that, or at least turn around in their seat, or stick their head out the window and freaking look first, (which is definitely four more ways in hell you never thought of), then they probably shouldn't be flinging the door open blindly and Trusting The Force either (unless they're certified morons), should they?
And not for nothing, people who think like you on jury pools are why courtrooms are a circus, the system itself is the punishment, and lawyers are a-holes.
Btw, jurors don't get to dismiss cases. Only judges can do that.
All you'd do is generate a mistrial, forcing another trial, and wasting everyone's time - including your fellow jurors - until they could find someone smarter to sit for the retrial.
It's also why there should be robust soundproofing, and a supply of stout cudgels, in all jury rooms.
Bikes are in traffic with cars, and wishing it weren't so doesn't obviate the responsibility of a passenger not to fling their door open as if they owned the entire goddam road anymore than if they did the same thing while speeding down the highway.
Your legal argument is that "I was too lazy to check first" is an adequate defense. If someone tried that claim against you when your ox (or kin) was gored, I suspect you'd be whistling another tune.
As Eric Idle once said- "HOWLS! Howls of derisive laughter!"
ReplyDeleteNot smart to trust random taxi drivers.
ReplyDeleteLike lane splitting on the 405.
ReplyDeleteThe truly funny thing is that that is legal. Suicide, but legal.
DeleteMy cousin was killed riding a bicycle on the road.
ReplyDeleteProof positive that you shouldn't ride a children's toy like an asshole in traffic.
If I'm driving and rear-end someone it is my fault. Clearly, he was operating his vehicle too fast for conditions and failing to maintain a safe speed, bike lane or no.
A lesson that hopefully the Lance Armstrong wanna-be learned, but probably not.
Karma since the bicyclist almost ran over a pedestrian?
ReplyDeleteYou mean the one who was jaywalking through traffic? LOL
DeleteIf I were on a jury, I just assume the bicyclist is guilty
ReplyDeleteHell I'm a cyclist (some of the time),and like Aesop, my default position is that cyclist are at least gonna act like assholes. But I ride motorcycles as well, and its just saving yer life to assume everyone else is a Volvo, whoops, Tesla driver, or an old guy wearing a hat. IYKYK.
ReplyDelete