Bicyclists Usually *NOT* At Fault

Jym Dyer wrote:
[I have removed rec.bicycles.rides from the discussion.]

90% of the time the Bicycle is AT FAULT. 890 0f the 900
caused their own deaths! look it up!

=v= If you'd spend some time away from the CAPS LOCK key and
look things up, you'd find that you've got it backwards. Take
a look at the reports on this site:

http://www.rightofway.org/

There's a good summary and link to the pdf report he
http://www.transalt.org/features/goodcyclist.html

Oh, what the heck, I'll paste in some of the summary:

The Only Good Cyclist is an analysis of fatal bicycle
crashes with motor vehicles in New York City. It refutes
police officials' claim that bicyclists, not drivers, are
responsible for most cyclist deaths.

Bicycle fatalities in New York City doubled last year to an
all-time high of 35. When this news hit the media, Mayor
Giuliani reacted with a promise to protect cyclists (and
pedestrians) from dangerous drivers. This promise has proven
empty.

Police officials justify their inaction with the unsupported
claim that "cyclist error" has been the "primary
contributing factor" in three-fourths of recent fatal
bicycle crashes with motor vehicles.

To test this claim, and to better understand how cyclists
are being struck and killed on our streets, Right Of Way
obtained and analyzed police accident reports for 71 fatal
bicycle crashes during 1995-1998 (data for 1999 were not
available). Here are our key findings.

1. Traffic-law violations by motorists are the main cause
of fatal bicyclist accidents in New York City. We were able
to assign responsibility in 53 of the 71 fatal bicycle
crashes during 1995-1998 for which we obtained police crash
reports. We determined that drivers were highly culpable in
30 cases, partly culpable in 11 cases, and not culpable in
12 cases. Driver misconduct was thus the principal cause in
57% (30 out of 53) of the cases and a contributory factor in
78% (30 plus 11, or 41, out of 53).

Thus, although police blame cyclist error for three-fourths
(75%) of cyclist fatalities, in fact, driver error was the
principal cause in 57% of recent fatal bicycle crashes and
at least a contributing cause in 78%.
--
Steven O'Neill

Steven M. O'Neill" wrote in message
...
There's a good summary and link to the pdf report he
http://www.transalt.org/features/goodcyclist.html

Oh, what the heck, I'll paste in some of the summary:

The Only Good Cyclist is an analysis of fatal bicycle
crashes with motor vehicles in New York City. It refutes
police officials' claim that bicyclists, not drivers, are
responsible for most cyclist deaths.

Bicycle fatalities in New York City doubled last year to an
all-time high of 35. When this news hit the media, Mayor
Giuliani reacted with a promise to protect cyclists (and
pedestrians) from dangerous drivers. This promise has proven
empty.

Police officials justify their inaction with the unsupported
claim that "cyclist error" has been the "primary
contributing factor" in three-fourths of recent fatal
bicycle crashes with motor vehicles.

To test this claim, and to better understand how cyclists
are being struck and killed on our streets, Right Of Way
obtained and analyzed police accident reports for 71 fatal
bicycle crashes during 1995-1998 (data for 1999 were not
available). Here are our key findings.

1. Traffic-law violations by motorists are the main cause
of fatal bicyclist accidents in New York City. We were able
to assign responsibility in 53 of the 71 fatal bicycle
crashes during 1995-1998 for which we obtained police crash
reports. We determined that drivers were highly culpable in
30 cases, partly culpable in 11 cases, and not culpable in
12 cases. Driver misconduct was thus the principal cause in
57% (30 out of 53) of the cases and a contributory factor in
78% (30 plus 11, or 41, out of 53).

Thus, although police blame cyclist error for three-fourths
(75%) of cyclist fatalities, in fact, driver error was the
principal cause in 57% of recent fatal bicycle crashes and
at least a contributing cause in 78%.
--
Steven O'Neill


Problem is that "Right Of Way" did this determination, which is obviously
biased and came out with a result they wanted.

Even so, the percentage of accidents caused by bicyclists is somewhere in
between 60% to 75%.

Which is 2/3 to 3/4 caused by Bicyclists.

"Jym Dyer" wrote in message
...
= Jorma Myers

Problem is that "Right Of Way" did this determination, which
is obviously biased and came out with a result they wanted.

=x= Their techniques and data are right there for all to see.
As are the many consistently inaccurate (and, understandably,
completely unsupported) assertions made in the last week of
Usenet posts from Jorma Myers.
_Jym_


60% to 75% caused by bicyclists is much higher than I expected, I thought
it was more like 20%,
No wonder the cops have a bias.

On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 09:23:03 -0500, Thinker wrote:


60% to 75% caused by bicyclists is much higher than I expected, I thought
it was more like 20%,
No wonder the cops have a bias.


That's redicules. I've riden a Bike for years in the city and accross the
country. Cars are responsible for almost ALL accidents with Bikes.

Let us count the ways!

1 - Right hand turns without looking
2 - Speeding
3 - Opening Doors without looking
4 - failing to obey signal control adequately
5 - cutting too close on roads to the bike from the passanger side of the
door
6 - failure to heed bike right of way
7 - Suddenly stopping (one of my favorites)
8 - suddening changing direction to get off a road without warning
9 - failing to STOP before turning
10 - Malicious intent!

Can you think of more.

Here is the fact. I god damn car should NEVER EVER hit a bicycle. There
is no damn excuse to use that 2 tons of steal, metal and plastic is any
way which can jeopadize ANYONE, Bike pedestrain or otherwise.

People are just too selfish when they are driving. If it was there damn
necks in the noose, they would never pop that door open.

And I'll tell you another thing that contributes to the accidents is the
bicycling laws and bike lanes. The ***MOST DANGEROUS*** place for a bike
to be is on the right hand lane between the parked cars and the traffic.
Put your darn bike INTO the lane and make the cars around you respect your
space.

Ruben

Jorma Myers wrote:

Thus, although police blame cyclist error for three-fourths
(75%) of cyclist fatalities, in fact, driver error was the
principal cause in 57% of recent fatal bicycle crashes and
at least a contributing cause in 78%.
--
Steven O'Neill


Problem is that "Right Of Way" did this determination, which is obviously
biased and came out with a result they wanted.

Do you have a study that contradicts it?

Even so, the percentage of accidents caused by bicyclists is somewhere in
between 60% to 75%.

Which is 2/3 to 3/4 caused by Bicyclists.

Cite?
--
Steven O'Neill

"Jorma Myers" wrote in message ...

Problem is that "Right Of Way" did this determination, which is obviously
biased and came out with a result they wanted.

Even so, the percentage of accidents caused by bicyclists is somewhere in
between 60% to 75%.

Which is 2/3 to 3/4 caused by Bicyclists.

Citation, please.

On Wed, 29 Sep 2004 12:25:51 -0700, Eric Struckhoff wrote:

"Jorma Myers" wrote in message ...

Problem is that "Right Of Way" did this determination, which is obviously
biased and came out with a result they wanted.

Even so, the percentage of accidents caused by bicyclists is somewhere in
between 60% to 75%.

Which is 2/3 to 3/4 caused by Bicyclists.

Citation, please.

This is not what has been found in New Zealand.
Our Land Transport Safety Authority has found that motorists are in the
wrong about 67% of the time, bicyclists about 28% of the time, and unknown
or both at fault in the rest.

Peter

--
If you are careful enough in life, nothing bad -- or
good -- will ever happen to you.

"Ruben Safir" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 09:23:03 -0500, Thinker wrote:


60% to 75% caused by bicyclists is much higher than I expected, I
thought
it was more like 20%,
No wonder the cops have a bias.


That's redicules. I've riden a Bike for years in the city and accross the
country. Cars are responsible for almost ALL accidents with Bikes.


That is obviously stupid. Time to fess-up now, boys, how do Bicyclists cause
accidents?

1 - failure to yield to car's Right hand turn
2 - Speeding - riding faster than conditions support
3 - riding too fast or failure to see Opening Doors
4 - Running Stop Signs and Red Lights
5 - failure to stay next to curb
6 - failure to stay in bike right of way
7 - Suddenly turning in front of a car (one of my favorites)
8 - suddening changing direction to get off a road without warning
9 - failing to STOP before turning
10 - Malicious intent!

And I'll tell you another thing that contributes to the accidents is the
bicycling laws and bike lanes. The ***MOST DANGEROUS*** place for a bike
to be is on the right hand lane between the parked cars and the traffic.
Put your darn bike INTO the lane and make the cars around you respect your
space.

Use Hand Signals so they (cars) know what you are going to do.

Ramon Shultz wrote:
That is obviously stupid. Time to fess-up now, boys, how do Bicyclists cause
accidents?

1 - failure to yield to car's Right hand turn

This was posted in NYC and in Australia, I'll assume USA.
What bicycles need to yield to right turning cars, the
bicycles turning left?
In Australia, I'd say no vehicle needs to yield to right turning cars.

3 - riding too fast or failure to see Opening Doors

You mean "riding too close to parked cars"

5 - failure to stay next to curb
6 - failure to stay in bike right of way

Are you saying "failure to stay out of my way"?

7 - Suddenly turning in front of a car (one of my favorites)

I think that passing the cyclist unsafely is the true cause of
most of the claims of "cyclist swerved in front of me".

Use Hand Signals so they (cars) know what you are going to do.

Yep.

"Zoot Katz" wrote in message
...
Wed, 29 Sep 2004 23:41:55 -0400, ,
Mitch Haley wrote:

3 - riding too fast or failure to see Opening Doors

You mean "riding too close to parked cars"

I mean failure to check for conflicting traffic before opening doors.

No, You mean Your failure to see the driver opening the door. You are in his
blindspot.