So far from home
Carhead, Our eternal quest for Platinum Status, Preapocalyptic technological dystopia, TPD shortcomings, safety April 30th, 2009
People have been sending me this and I ought to post it but I am afraid that in Tucson it won’t make sense to anyone.
I got a call the other day from a fellow whose daughter had been hit from behind so hard she smashed the driver’s windshield. On the way to the hospital she was ticketed for riding in front of the car. Frankly she and her family are so grateful that she is alive and (mostly) unhurt that they aren’t all that concerned about the traffic ticket. But still. It’s a police culture that is a very, very long way from this:
I don’t know if this is merely an advertising stunt or if the police really were handing out helmets and hugs, but it hardly matters. Remember this?
–Erik Ryberg
April 30th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
haha i posted that same video earlier today on my website, erik.
April 30th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
…”she was ticketed for riding in front of the car.”
Well, cuff me now. We’re all guilty of that.
Then we’re guilty of riding beside the car, then
guilty of riding behind the car.
Cops enforcing their opinion?
April 30th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
how can you be ticketed for riding in front of a car?…that’s absurd.
erik, isn’t this very similar to the woman who was hit by a car pulling an illegal u-turn…her leg was broken, and then the cops had the nerve to write her a citation (for what i can’t remember)…it’s illogical.
April 30th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Hi Lauren,
I’m surprised you remember that one. It took me a second.
In that case, a driver pulled into the right hand turn lane as if she was going to make a right turn. Our client moved to the left of the car to pass her. But instead of turning right, the driver turned left, directly into the client. The driver had only moved to the right in order to give herself room for her big useless SUV to make the full U-turn. She ran over the client and broke her leg.
So, in that case, the client was ticketed for riding next to the car. I don’t think I have any cases yet where a cyclist was ticketed for riding behind a car.
EBR
April 30th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
The police in Tucson are this corrupt??
April 30th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Well that’s it – the NYPD officer just wanted to give a cyclist a big ol’ hug, but none of them would stop for one.
That explains everything.
May 2nd, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I spoke with the father–gave him your info actually when he called our shop. If I recall correctly, the individual who hit the girl was an off-duty firefighter. Perhaps that has something to do with this offensive citation?