Stuff I found while surfing the web

I do a lot of web surfing after I post my daily Feed to this blog, because, well I don’t have much else to do, except run errands on my bike for family, and currently “family” is drinking margaritas by the pool in Upstate NY. I still managed to get in a short ride tonight to go get my dinner. Some days you just don’t feel like cooking, you know?

First up was an interesting post on another blog where he actually looks at the data instead of just reading the words alongside. Pedestrian and bicycle safety data analysis Egads if people were to actually read the data, they might have to get real jobs! Of course being a Gov’t document the data is miserably hard to pull out into relevant comparisons, but hey you want it all done for you? Oh, yeah that’s what we pay for as taxpayers isn’t it.

Ever wonder just how effective a suspended license is as a punishment? Not very. Drivers With Suspended Licenses Still Drive, Kill, And Speed Yep, get drunk and lose your license? No problema dude, just keep on keeping on, doing what you’re doing, ain’t nobody gonna actually check to make sure you have a valid license. That would be too much like doing real work, man. and don’t even worry about stopping drinking, it was just a fluke you got caught unless you ran into something or somebody.

By now you probably have heard this yourself, but the Gov’t has had data showing cellphones as bad as booze behind the wheel since 2003, and just sat on it. U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving The only national study of distracted driving and instead of getting the information out to state legislatures (which would have been handy in TX this year) it was hidden away because some powerful Congresscritters like to gab on their cellphones while they drive. Find out which Critters, then shoot them. I’m getting tired of paying someone more in one year than I made in my 2 best years, combined, to have them place my life at risk every time I get on the roads for any reason whatsoever, let alone because they have to talk while they drive. Hey, if you have to talk, take public transit.

I keep saying that motor vehicles are WMD, but is anybody listening? Helloooo? [crickets chirping] Hit-and-run driver kills mother of two in Harlem with SUV Note that the vehicle hit the woman so hard that she was knocked out of her shoes in a 30 MPH zone. How fast do you need to get somewhere, and why couldn’t you leave earlier?

Multiple hit-and-run dominates the Feed

That 5 cyclist hit-and-run up there in Ottawa dominated the Feed this morning. It has been a very long time since I lived in Canada (LBJ was president in the US the last time I set foot on Canadian soil) but I’m sure this is a really big story up there.

Since this is the biggest story in the Feed… Police try to piece together horrific collision that injured five cyclists and Nothing cyclists could do, enthusiasts say also A cyclist’s nightmare As the editorial said, getting hit from behind with no warning is a nightmare, and as the second article said this was an unavoidable wreck, which I also posted here yesterday. Other than the additional links I have nothing new here to say, so on to the next story.

I’m hoping this did not directly affect any of my readers at my blog or on BikeJournal. Freak crash during Vineman when tree falls on cyclists Apparently this has been happening to other roads users in the area but there is no way to know if a tree is affected until it decides to fall on someone without expensive testing on each individual tree, or the indiscriminate felling of every tree of the affected species within falling distance of a road or sidewalk.

What makes this sad was the cyclist was riding against traffic, and had the driver stopped then there would have been no charges. Sad for the driver, I mean. Arrest made in hit-and-run that killed cyclist in Dorchester County Yeah, don’t ride against traffic, but if you read my blog I would hazard a guess that you are already an informed cyclist and ride with traffic, if not as a part of it.

Not a wreck, but still a death on the road involving a bicycle. SONOMA CO.: WINDSOR MAN DIES AFTER SUFFERING MEDICAL PROBLEM DURING ANNUAL BIKE TOUR and Cyclist who died in Saturday ‘Harvest’ race ID’d At this time it isn’t known if the medical issue that led to the cyclist’s death was pre-existing or was something that affected him while on course. And why is every bike ride with a number pinned to your jersey a “race”? Sometimes the numbers are just so the people at the rest stops know who paid for the goodies and who are the freeloaders.

Another report on the cyclist killed in FL while crossing a street. Cyclist Killed Almost no information in this report, good thing we had all that information from yesterday’s reports.

A report from CO on a cyclist that “strayed”. Telluride cyclist killed after straying into traffic; 2nd bike fatal in a week Translation, the driver didn’t pass at the required 5 foot distance so when the cyclist wobbled a foot over to while looking behind, the driver hit him with a WMD. There, all fixed, the report is now corrected.

Another cyclist is killed in MN, they’re having a busy summer up there. 74-year-old bicyclist killed near Mankato and Bicyclist, 74, dies when hit by semi in Nicollet County Another SWCC wreck, but I have reason to believe that this wreck happened as stated in the reports. This is one of my pet peeves about drivers, and as most cyclists are also drivers that includes you too. You have to look out in front of you and be aware of what is coming your way. As cyclists we should be more aware of our surroundings, inlike drivers who are encased in tons of steel, plastic, and soundproofing.

A post-ride report on the ride Sunday for Bruce Rosar. Rally honors dead cyclist

A ride for the surviving relatives of deceased police officers. COPS bicycle ride commences As dangerous as being a LEO is there should really be better support for surviving dependents.

And that’s the whole thing today. Be watching for bonus posts later, maybe.

Billed @$.02, Opus