We lost one in Michigan

[Bike Writer]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...-20101201-wpms

20 year old woman with bad driving record hit and killed 58 year old on a bike in Sterling Heights. So tell me how this person is still driving with 12 points on her license?

[marni]

well at least there is a point system in place, whether it is applied is obviously another question. Here in Texas however, there isn't even the semblence of a point system so it is not uncommon to hear about accidents involving a driver with more than 20 drunken driving convictions.
I hope they jump on her hard- like maybe take her licence for good and make her become a bike commuter by selling her car to use the funds for the bikers' family?

I am obvously feeling vindictive today.

[Charlotte Berry]

One of my best friends was killed by a lady who said she couldn't see over the dashboard. So why then was she even allowed to drive a car? Regulations for driving only require passing these bogus tests at the DMV. There is no checking to see if some cars are really practical or safe for some drivers, especially the elderly. There are so many things missing that makes getting a license to drive such a joke. For instance there are no car simulators for first time drivers, or older drivers to check their refluxes or cognitive skills in situations which can't be duplicated in drivers training or the DMV parking lot.

There are literally millions of drivers out there who are like time bombs waiting to go off because they probably renewed their four-year license by mail. You ever take a serious look at half the people milling around aimlessly at the local mall. Think about that when a car is fast approaching your rear at 60 mph. Riding on busy streets and highways is Russian Roulette for sure when you add in that all the factors including cell phones, texting, music discs, ect. Oh, and don’t forget drugged and drunk drivers, which I had other friends killed by those types. The asphalt frontier truly is a jungle filled with so many variables that can get you, and it’s getting more crowded all the time.

Last time I checked there was roughly 250 million cars being used in the USA, nearly one for every man, women and child. We are car crazy nation for sure, and that doesn’t count big trucks and other various units like buses, etc. I believe I remember reading that around 5 million commute to work by bicycle from the old census. That number doesn’t surprise me, Copenhagen we are not!

[Charlotte Berry]

Seven cyclists killed in head-on crash in Italy. Drugs to blame. Could of been eating a sandwich or doing something else. I remember riding by a car once where they had the lights on inside the car, and the driver was using both hands to play cards, looked like five card to me, and at night too. Some folks...

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/...143/story.html

[emily_in_nc]

Seven cyclists killed in head-on crash in Italy. Drugs to blame. Could of been eating a sandwich or doing something else. I remember riding by a car once where they had the lights on inside the car, and the driver was using both hands to play cards, looked like five card to me, and at night too. Some folks...

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/...143/story.html

This was just tragic. I was alerted to it by a tweet from one @lancearmstrong.

[Charlotte Berry]

This is horrific to be sure and underscores simply that cars and bikes just won't work together, simple physics. I have seen people write for years in forums about deaths and bikes vs cars, blaming drivers and also blaming current laws and politicans, etc. However I just don't believe you can regulate this problem because of human behavior and the simple law of physics. The only answer is to completely seperate the two like other countries have done. 7 deaths on bikes by a car is unprecendented, I can't even remember anywhere near this many riders getting killed all at once. It's a tremendous tragedy for the families of these riders and really underscores that bikes and cars need to be seperated completely from each other.

[oz rider]

I'm not sure they have to be separated, and few countries have the funds to do that - especially in cities without Copenhagen-type population density. But then Copenhagen also has strict liability, which makes drivers far more careful. I don't see why it's such a big ask that drivers take their responsibilities seriously and not kill us and pedestrians in alarming numbers.

[daisylubob]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...-20101201-wpms

20 year old woman with bad driving record hit and killed 58 year old on a bike in Sterling Heights. So tell me how this person is still driving with 12 points on her license?

SHe may have been driving on a restricted license. And just because she may not have had ANY form of a license, does not mean she has no access to a car. She could have been driving a friend or relative's car, or even her own car. Until there is a method to totally 'lock down' any vehicles a non-licensed citizen may have access to, there is no way to keep them from getting behind the wheel.

[invsblwmn]

I was hit by an 80 year old that did not even see the stop light that he ran through. He had a DUI in the past year. I asked the cop to make sure his license was revoked. He told me that that could not be guaranteed. All he got was a ticket for running a red light despite hitting a person in a crosswalk which is violation of a state law in PA.

I was in the hospital and rehab for over 3 weeks and lucky to survive. The laws for motorists whom hurt pedestrians and cyclists need to be tightened. If they commit a moving violation while injuring a pedestrian or cyclist, there should be an immediate loss of license for minimum of one year with a retraining course and huge fines mandatory, no questions IMO.

[bmccasland]

SHe may have been driving on a restricted license. And just because she may not have had ANY form of a license, does not mean she has no access to a car. She could have been driving a friend or relative's car, or even her own car. Until there is a method to totally 'lock down' any vehicles a non-licensed citizen may have access to, there is no way to keep them from getting behind the wheel.

Because there are idiots that rationalize their behavior, or do not take responsibility for it. Have you ever sat in on a DUI trial??? It's never their fault, they had a good reason to why they were driving. And they'll never ever do it again.

I have seen my Dad drive his RV while drinking a martini (he had one in hand while driving up to my house). On another occasion he wanted to have "one for the road" while being a passenger in my car. Since there are open container laws, I told him NO, that I was not willing to go to jail for his need to have another martini, he could wait until we got to the restaurant. But he's responsible... it's someone else's fault.... thank the gods that he hasn't had an accident - which is his rationalization for drinking and driving.

[Emily_A]

Even if she didn't have enough points in general to have her license revoked, it should've been revoked because she had TWO alcohol violations...She's 20 years old! The drinking age is 21! WTH?

If I ran my own country, rule of thumb: Drinking and driving before you're old enough to drink = no driving until the age of 21.

[marni]

as an ironic note to all of this, I saw a billboard in downtown Houston advertising a defense attorney specializing in domestic violence and drunk driving which showed an attorney dressed in a going to court suit complete with earnest looking clean good looks, briefcase etc. The billboard captions was "call 1 800 WASNTME".

[emily_in_nc]

as an ironic note to all of this, I saw a billboard in downtown Houston advertising a defense attorney specializing in domestic violence and drunk driving which showed an attorney dressed in a going to court suit complete with earnest looking clean good looks, briefcase etc. The billboard captions was "call 1 800 WASNTME".

Sick.

[bcipam]

A friend and I had this conversation just the other day... here in California jails are overcrowded to the point they are letting out violent criminals. The last person they have any room for is a drunk or careless driver. So they take away the license, the person can't get insurance, so what? They can still drive and put us all at risk.

I fantasized alot of what can be done (automatic removal of eyes???) but frankly the sad story is these creeps are on the road so bottom line, I must ride carefully. More and more I see the benefits of mountain biking - at least its away from traffic and crazies!

[bcipam]

Even if she didn't have enough points in general to have her license revoked, it should've been revoked because she had TWO alcohol violations...She's 20 years old! The drinking age is 21! WTH?

If I ran my own country, rule of thumb: Drinking and driving before you're old enough to drink = no driving until the age of 21.

But how do you stop someone? The rules are in place, enforcement is hte issue.