Scary Road Rage Incident

Cops: Enraged motorist swerves into bicyclists, injures one

By Steve Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune

Jason Barto, A 41-year-old man who allegedly used his truck to swerve
into groups of bikers on Mirror Lake Highway over the weekend has been
charged with third-degree felony aggravated assault and a pair of
misdemeanors.

*** Alexander Jason Barto allegedly tried to run Shane Dunleavy
off the road and violently swerved into the biker as he was training
with a team of cyclists near Kamas on Saturday.

*** Dunleavy, 44, said the truck bumped him, and he narrowly
escaped being run over.

*** Barto's misdemeanor charges stem from failing to register his
truck and improperly passing a vehicle.

*** The defendant is scheduled to appear before Judge Bruce Lubeck

Shane Dunleavy's bicycle lay crumpled in pieces after a pickup ran over
it as Dunleavy and other cyclists trained Saturday. (Courtesy Shane
Dunleavy )
in Summit County's 3rd District Court on Monday morning.

*** Dunleavy, who detailed the collision in an e-mail statement to
friends, wrote that he was riding next to another cyclist, tight against
the right side of the highway, when Barto pulled up, rolled his window
down and yelled at the bikers to get off the road.

*** "I responded, not sure exactly what I said, but it further
enraged him, and he swerved into me," Dunleavy wrote. "His door bumped
my knee, and his mirror was right in front of me, so I pushed down and
away from it, and it broke off."

*** At that point, Dunleavy said the driver became "absolutely
psychotic" and "gunned his motor."

*** "He steered into me, hit me with the front wheel and fender,
forcing me off the road into the dirt," Dunleavy wrote. "He continued to
push me off the road, and I started to go down as my bike began to go
under the wheel."

*** Dunleavy said he only just avoided being run over. He said he
was dragged for a moment before he managed to get unclipped from the
pedals, push off the bumper and curl up as the bike went under the truck
wheel.

*** When Barto stopped and got out of the truck, one of Dunleavy's
fellow riders grabbed the man by the hair and hit him a couple times.
Other motorists who witnessed the event called police.

*** As Barto tried to get back into his truck, Dunleavy and his
friend grabbed the man and threw him against the truck to prevent him
from leaving.

*** A second group of cyclists stopped and told police that the
truck had almost hit them as well.

*** Dunleavy escaped with only minor injuries - road rash, sprains
and bruises - but his bike was destroyed. He said he counted 20 pieces.

*** Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Cameron Roden said the incident
"could have been real severe." A vehicle swerving around a group of
cyclists could result in multiple impacts, he said, or force bikers into
the road in effort to dodge the car.

*** There were numerous bikes on the Mirror Lake byway Saturday
taking part in the 2008 Felt Tour de Park City race. The bikers involved
in the incident were not in the race.

*** Troopers arrested Barto, who posted bail and was released from
jail Saturday.

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"Pat" wrote in message
...

I think you nailed it, Tom. Scarcity of resources, whether money, gas,
or
room on roads, fosters competitive behavior. I don't think this is
unique to Western society, but it's certainly much more prevalent in our
mindset in that we tend not to share as well as other, less competitive
societies.

Like nearly everything, this competitiveness can be good and bad. It can
drive innovation and lead to more available resources for everyone... it
can also encourage malignant, misanthropic, anti-social behaviors, which
result in these senseless "road rage" incidents.

brink

I asked a driver about this once, and she fumed that the cyclists were
"taking up my time."
I told her it was just seconds, after all, until she passed them, but she
was indignant about being delayed even for one second.

Sounds about par for the course... different situations = different "Rules
Of Decorum" for people. It's amazing how long and patiently people will
wait in line at a bank... compared with how long and patiently they'll wait
when delayed on a road somewhere.

I really enjoy watching hidden camera social experiments and reading about
studies on social behavior... I find it fascinating how different controls
affect human perception, relation, and behavior.

Certainly an automobile is a potent "control" that tends to affect human
beings -- unfortunately -- in a way that fosters anti-social behavior. And
I include myself in that -- it has the same effect on me, though I try very
hard to be a courteous driver...

brink

Pat wrote:

I have never been on a mass ride where there wasn't a lot of violation of
the law with respect to riding abreast. From that perspective, charity
rides could be called "lots of cyclists breaking the law for a good
cause", and other mass rides "lots of cyclists breaking the law for fun".

I have seen this, too, but sometimes they aren't breaking the law because it
is a special event with lanes coned off, cyclists being escorted by law
officers, law officers directing traffic at intersections, etc. In a normal
day it would be violation of the law, but not on a mass ride which is a
special event.

I have never seen a group ride with lanes "coned off" or police escorts.
I have seen a few with cops at some intersections. Obviously, if the
course is fully or partially closed, the rules don't apply, nor does the
issue of driver provocation come up. The OP was describing mass rides
where this was not the situation, and my remarks were in that context.


My conclusion: the biggest source of motorist
hostility and cycling lawlessness was group rides. So I just quit doing
them.

BUT, I think the biggest source of motorist
hostility comes from the kids, teens, and other adults who aren't part of a
group but just do as they please riding on sidewalks, against traffic,
through red lights, etc. Motorists see those people many more times a week
than they do the club rides.

This is the kind of attitude I see. The belief that it's always the
"other" cyclists that generate driver hostility. Drivers who think
cyclists shouldn't be on the road usually would like them on the
sidewalk. I have no doubt that many believe that cyclists should ride
against traffic, too. While it's not a scientific poll, I (like many
here) have been yelled and honked at by drivers. It's invariably a "get
off the road" or "get out of my way" message, either explicit or
implicit. It may happen, but I've never been honked or yelled at for
running a red or stop. Your attitude is wishful thinking.

On Aug 9, 2:16 pm, "Pat" wrote:
BUT, I think the biggest source of motorist
hostility comes from the kids, teens, and other adults who aren't part of a
group but just do as they please riding on sidewalks, against traffic,
through red lights, etc. Motorists see those people many more times a week
than they do the club rides.

I'd suggest you chat with other motorists about this. I believe you
are wrong here. One of my closest friends and I argue often about the
road/cyclist issues. His attitude is that the normal people on bikes
are not so bad, but it’s the “groups of spandex clad warriors” that
cause him issues and **** him off. I’ve had the same thing expressed
to me numerous times over the years.
“Oh, you ride one of those road bikes?” with a look on their face
like they just drank sour milk”.
“Yeah, all the time. It’s fun, a good way to get around, get to work,
get some exercise, whatever. I ride a real lot.”
“Oh, so you’re not one of those guys that dresses up in spandex and
goes out in big groups blocking the road”
“Nope. Not a once.”
“Oh, thank god. I thought I was going to have to stop liking you for
a minute there” or some other variation.

I notice myself when in cars that group rides tend to be a lot more
annoying in regards to blocking the road. In my area it’s not
uncommon to see a line of bikes 2-4 wide absolutely refusing to fall
to single file and yield the road, instead making traffic wait until
there’s enough of a break to gun around the whole pack at least half
in the other lane. With how twisty and woodsy the roads around here
are, that can mean being stuck behind the “peleton” for quite some
time. Even as a cyclist it’s frustrating, I can imagine how people
that don’t ride feel. It also seems that the groups in matching kits
are the worst, by far.

For a general feeler as to what annoys motorists more between average
folks riding as you described and pack or club rides, you could ask
over at rec.autos.driving.

brink wrote:
Tom Keats wrote:

So maybe how people behave on the streets & roads isn't
totally about how people behave on the streets & roads.
It's about how people behave. All too often: badly.

I think you nailed it, Tom. Scarcity of resources, whether money, gas,
or room on roads, fosters competitive behavior. I don't think this is
unique to Western society, but it's certainly much more prevalent in our
mindset in that we tend not to share as well as other, less competitive
societies.

While we're playing psychologist/cultural anthropologist, I'd have to
say that I believe cars are a special case, even in the decadent West.
People behave more badly in cars than just about anywhere else,
including closing time at bars. Cars always have been sold as personal
freedom/power accessories. There is an implicit promise in that, but it
is a delusion. Cars are sold by pandering to infantile emotions, so it
should come as no surprise that drivers are prone to tantrums.

The thing that distinguishes Americans is the extent to which they've
been sold the fantasy and accepted the notion that a car is part of
one's image. American cars in particular are over-sized, over-powered
and wildly impractical. These carefully inculcated attitudes have led to
societal engineering that presumes the eternal dominance of the private
car as primary transportation. The solution has become the problem.

I can't speak for every region, but around here (MA) we've seen more
sprawl in the last decade than the prior century. People are frustrated
that their commutes are becoming onerous. Having moved into the sticks,
they are now impatient with the charming bucolic roads that attracted
them to the area in the first place. In many cases these roads have been
popular for cycling for decades. In the city, parking and auto commuting
is being discouraged, leading to less accommodation of the auto. A
sensible thing would be to go with the flow and ride a bike, or at least
have a "one less car" epiphany, but motorists it seems would rather
scapegoat and take out their frustrations on a more vulnerable group
(**** rolls downhill). I have little tolerance or sympathy, and cyclists
don't need apologists for road rage tantrums.

wrote:

His attitude is that the normal people on bikes
are not so bad, but it’s the “groups of spandex clad warriors” that
cause him issues and **** him off. I’ve had the same thing expressed
to me numerous times over the years.
“Oh, you ride one of those road bikes?” with a look on their face
like they just drank sour milk”.
“Yeah, all the time. It’s fun, a good way to get around, get to work,
get some exercise, whatever. I ride a real lot.”
“Oh, so you’re not one of those guys that dresses up in spandex and
goes out in big groups blocking the road”
“Nope. Not a once.”
“Oh, thank god. I thought I was going to have to stop liking you for
a minute there” or some other variation.

MTB'ers have more than their share of denial, too. Plenty of guys
ripping around hiking trails on fullies with long travel forks -- my
favorites are the guys who show up on family rides in body armor (I did
trail patrol & lead rides for years). Roadies have no monopoly on
discourtesy or visual blight.

I notice myself when in cars that group rides tend to be a lot more
annoying in regards to blocking the road. In my area it’s not
uncommon to see a line of bikes 2-4 wide absolutely refusing to fall
to single file and yield the road, instead making traffic wait until
there’s enough of a break to gun around the whole pack at least half
in the other lane. With how twisty and woodsy the roads around here
are, that can mean being stuck behind the “peleton” for quite some
time. Even as a cyclist it’s frustrating, I can imagine how people
that don’t ride feel. It also seems that the groups in matching kits
are the worst, by far.

Rides like that are common, but I don't understand why they're so
popular. I've done tons of pace line riding and, without exception, the
only enjoyable way to do it is with a small, well-matched group (4-7
riders), smoothly rotating. Rather than a peloton, fast group rides
should go more like team time trials, with staggered starts, fastest to
slowest teams, so that the groups will not merge on the loop. Such rides
offer the least possible disruption to other traffic and maximum safety.
Of all the regularly held (weekly) club rides around here (Boston, and
there are many), there's only one I have participated in that did a good
job riding this way.

"Peter Cole" wrote in message news:ORZnk.604$mP.14@trnddc03...
brink wrote:
Tom Keats wrote:

So maybe how people behave on the streets & roads isn't
totally about how people behave on the streets & roads.
It's about how people behave. All too often: badly.

I think you nailed it, Tom. Scarcity of resources, whether money, gas,
or room on roads, fosters competitive behavior. I don't think this is
unique to Western society, but it's certainly much more prevalent in our
mindset in that we tend not to share as well as other, less competitive
societies.

While we're playing psychologist/cultural anthropologist, I'd have to
say that I believe cars are a special case, even in the decadent West.
People behave more badly in cars than just about anywhere else,
including closing time at bars. Cars always have been sold as personal
freedom/power accessories. There is an implicit promise in that, but it
is a delusion. Cars are sold by pandering to infantile emotions, so it
should come as no surprise that drivers are prone to tantrums.

The thing that distinguishes Americans is the extent to which they've
been sold the fantasy and accepted the notion that a car is part of
one's image. American cars in particular are over-sized, over-powered
and wildly impractical. These carefully inculcated attitudes have led to
societal engineering that presumes the eternal dominance of the private
car as primary transportation. The solution has become the problem.

I can't speak for every region, but around here (MA) we've seen more
sprawl in the last decade than the prior century. People are frustrated
that their commutes are becoming onerous. Having moved into the sticks,
they are now impatient with the charming bucolic roads that attracted
them to the area in the first place. In many cases these roads have been
popular for cycling for decades. In the city, parking and auto commuting
is being discouraged, leading to less accommodation of the auto. A
sensible thing would be to go with the flow and ride a bike, or at least
have a "one less car" epiphany, but motorists it seems would rather
scapegoat and take out their frustrations on a more vulnerable group
(**** rolls downhill). I have little tolerance or sympathy, and cyclists
don't need apologists for road rage tantrums.

I think (going on my own observations) that the UK is rapidly catching up with most of that Peter (I blame Margaret Thatcher ... mostly)


--
Colin N.

Lincolnshire is mostly flat ... But the wind is mostly in your face

On Aug 11, 1:38 pm, Peter Cole wrote:
wrote:
His attitude is that the normal people on bikes
are not so bad, but it’s the “groups of spandex clad warriors” that
cause him issues and **** him off. I’ve had the same thing expressed
to me numerous times over the years.
“Oh, you ride one of those road bikes?” with a look on their face
like they just drank sour milk”.
“Yeah, all the time. It’s fun, a good way to get around, get to work,
get some exercise, whatever. I ride a real lot.”
“Oh, so you’re not one of those guys that dresses up in spandex and
goes out in big groups blocking the road”
“Nope. Not a once.”
“Oh, thank god. I thought I was going to have to stop liking you for
a minute there” or some other variation.

MTB'ers have more than their share of denial, too. Plenty of guys
ripping around hiking trails on fullies with long travel forks -- my
favorites are the guys who show up on family rides in body armor (I did
trail patrol & lead rides for years). Roadies have no monopoly on
discourtesy or visual blight.

No doubt, but I don’t see the direct correlation between my statement
and your response. I’m more of a MTBer than a roadie, and have done
the patrol/family ride thing myself. I too have seen 6” of travel and
body armor on trails my grandmother could walk, and I could ride on a
touring bike. Shin pads with clipless pedals are one of my
favorites. I can understand this when dirt jumping or freestyling
(and have quite the scar on my shin that such pads would have
prevented from my 20” only days) but for MTBing when clipped in?

However, what I was talking about is non-cyclists perception of
cyclists, not cyclist on cyclist stereotyping.


I notice myself when in cars that group rides tend to be a lot more
annoying in regards to blocking the road. In my area it’s not
uncommon to see a line of bikes 2-4 wide absolutely refusing to fall
to single file and yield the road, instead making traffic wait until
there’s enough of a break to gun around the whole pack at least half
in the other lane. With how twisty and woodsy the roads around here
are, that can mean being stuck behind the “peleton” for quite some
time. Even as a cyclist it’s frustrating, I can imagine how people
that don’t ride feel. It also seems that the groups in matching kits
are the worst, by far.

Rides like that are common, but I don't understand why they're so
popular. I've done tons of pace line riding and, without exception, the
only enjoyable way to do it is with a small, well-matched group (4-7
riders), smoothly rotating. Rather than a peloton, fast group rides
should go more like team time trials, with staggered starts, fastest to
slowest teams, so that the groups will not merge on the loop. Such rides
offer the least possible disruption to other traffic and maximum safety.
Of all the regularly held (weekly) club rides around here (Boston, and
there are many), there's only one I have participated in that did a good
job riding this way.

I’m north of Boston myself, SE NH & NE MA to be more specific. I have
never done a “group ride” on the road, but most of the ones I do see
fall into that “we’ll ride however many abreast, on twisty roads, well
under the speed limit and to hell with any ‘cager’ that doesn’t like
going our speed until we get to a long enough straight for him to pass
us all, as we continue to ride x riders wide. I find there’s more
courtesy in the woods, and from single roadies, outside of the pack.

wrote:

No doubt, but I don’t see the direct correlation between my statement
and your response.

However, what I was talking about is non-cyclists perception of
cyclists, not cyclist on cyclist stereotyping.

Sorry, you're right. I mistakenly took the context of your message to be
an MTB'er bitching about roadies, I misread it.

I have
never done a “group ride” on the road, but most of the ones I do see
fall into that “we’ll ride however many abreast, on twisty roads,

I've done hundreds. The fast rides are really races. Things really bunch
up at the start (where everyone is chatting, much like social rides) and
at hills, where faster climbers move out to pass, blocking still faster
climbers, who move further out, etc. etc. Eventually you get a bell
curve of climbing strength spread out across the road. With a large
pack, even one or two abreast, it's still very hard to pass since there
are no gaps. On the flats there's often a lot of jockeying as the poor
climbers try to get to the front so as not to get completely dropped on
the next climb, ditto for lights and stops. There's really just no way
that narrow roads can accommodate both cars and riders gracefully once
the pack size gets over 6-7 riders.

On Aug 11, 4:44 pm, Phil W Lee phil(at)lee-family(dot)me(dot)uk
wrote:
" considered Mon, 11 Aug 2008
06:34:00 -0700 (PDT) the perfect time to write:

I notice myself when in cars that group rides tend to be a lot more
annoying in regards to blocking the road. In my area it’s not
uncommon to see a line of bikes 2-4 wide absolutely refusing to fall
to single file and yield the road, instead making traffic wait until
there’s enough of a break to gun around the whole pack at least half
in the other lane.

You mean that their behaviour forces you to take account of their
presence, wait for a clear overtaking opportunity, and pass them with
a reasonable safety allowance?
How very annoying.

No, I take account of the presense of any cyclist, and wait for a
clear and safe passing opportunity. Riding many abreast well below
the posted SL causes traffic to back up behind these inconsiderate a-
holes, and is really a MFFY move. It's one thing when there's no
traffic, and another to consider to ride multiple abreast on tiwsty
roads for mile after mile while traffic builds up behind you. It's
inconsiderate, it's a prick move, and it's illegal.


I bet you find the delay in getting to the next traffic queue very
frustrating.

Not at all. Further, on the type of roads I described, there are very
few to no traffic queues.

You sir, as kindly as I can put it, are an asshole. Go forth and
multiply with yourself.