By Albert McWilliams,<\/p>\n
If you keep driving like that, you\u2019re going to kill a cyclist. When<\/em> you do, it\u2019s going to suck as much for you as it does for them. When you drive by my head at 50 mph I can\u2019t have this conversation with you, so I\u2019m going to do you<\/em> a favor and talk you through all of your arguments as to why you\u2019re driving wrong (you are) and then you won\u2019t end up killing a human. So read on; you\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not if it\u2019s when.<\/em> <\/strong>You are going to kill or seriously injure someone. You are.<\/em> Someone\u2019s father, brother, mother, daughter – you are going to end their life, forever, like permanently dead.<\/em> You\u2019ll be a murderer.<\/p>\n You can save those lives. You need to do two things<\/em>:<\/p>\n A few facts you might not be aware of:<\/p>\n This law wasn\u2019t made up because the state hates you, or cars, or getting places quickly. This law was enacted because squeezing by a cyclist in the same lane is incredibly dangerous \u2013 to the cyclist. It\u2019s not dangerous to you, unless you don\u2019t like jail, or fines, or being a murderer.<\/p>\n \n NOW YOU MIGHT SAY:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBut, I have places to go and people to do! You\u2019re in my way! Too slow!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [follow the link at the end for his response.]<\/em><\/p>\n …<\/p>\n \n \u201cBut, you ride too far out in the lane, you\u2019re supposed to ride single file, all the way to the right. You\u2019re an asshole!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Legally, you\u2019re wrong…[follow the link at the end for his response.]<\/em><\/p>\n …<\/p>\n \n \u201cBut, I pay taxes\/registration fees\/gas tax.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This one is really dumb….[follow the link at the end for his response.]<\/em><\/p>\n …<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut, Cyclists disobey laws all the time, they run red lights and stuff, so screw them!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Yes, I do. I ride my bike safely.<\/em> The rules say I\u2019m supposed to pretend that I\u2019m a car, but see, that\u2019s dangerous if I\u2019m the only one obeying that rule.<\/em> I\u2019m pretending I\u2019m a car, and you think I\u2019m a bike, and you run over me and kill me with your car. This is bad for both of us. So, the minute you treat me like a car, I\u2019ll start acting like one. In the meantime the difference between when you break the law and when I do is that you\u2019re endangering my life, and I\u2019m endangering your \u2026 wiper blades? Maybe? Probably not even that.<\/em><\/p>\n …<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n