Be careful my bicycle and motorcycle friends

[masonco]

Those of you who are bicyclists...be careful out there. Not sure if I know this person or not since I know several who ride their bikes. Every morning I see one on  Stiles who seems to have no awareness of cars and often swerving in the road.

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2013/04/25/bicyclist-injured-on-u-s...

While I am on the soapbox, as a former motorcyclist, be alert and aware of them as well. Today there are many women driving motorcycles too so give them a break too.

[XLFD]

The report is fairly short., so I will reproduce it here:

AMBER TWP. — A 46-year-old man was injured late Wednesday night when the bicycle he was riding on U.S. 10-31 was struck by a car. Sgt. Oscar Davila of the Mason County Sheriff’s Department said both the bicycle and car were traveling west when the bicyclist entered the traffic lane. The accident occurred east of Stiles Road in front of DTE Energy’s building. The bicyclist was transported non-emergency by Life EMS ambulance to Memorial Medical Center.

Scottville Fire Department and Michigan State Police also responded.

This reminds me a lot of the accident that happened to the young Russian woman last year near the fairgrounds.  I would like to hear some opinions.  Where does the fault lie in this accident?

[Willy]

It really doesn't matter whose at fault. The real issue is the idiotic decision to ride a bike at night on a busy highway.

[XLFD]

That sounds like you're totally blaming the bicyclist, just for doing something they legally have the right to do, as long as they have proper lights.

[Willy]

Did the word "idiotic" have anything to do with your interpretation of my post? Just because someone has the "right" to do something doesn't make it the "right" thing to do. If a person intentionally  puts themselves in harms way knowing the dangers involved, what other word can one use to describe their actions. I could have said stupid or foolish or moronic but I thought idiotic better described the cyclist in this topic. I don't care if he had a right to be there or if he had  a light shining out of his behind, riding a bike on a busy highway in the dark is a dumb thing to do. 

[AQUAMAN]

The article stated is was "late Wednesday night". I can only assume that means around 10pm or afterwards, perhaps later. If the bicyclist had to go somewhere, I believe his choice of roads was in error, perhaps bad judgment is a better politically acceptable word. However, I am also seeing babies being strolled around in similar fashion, and I think that's very unwise too. I think too many out there assume if they have a right to be out somewhere that's not wise, they are entitled to do it. The old saying went that, you could have the right of way, but don't be "dead right". I agree Masonco, bikers both motorized and not need to use good judgment, and drivers need to be wary of bikers at all times, even when it's dark. I respect bikers of all kinds, but in this particular case, with the scant few facts given, it seems logical that you don't bike at this time and place if you intend to travel that way. I wonder what the alcohol reading was on this individual at the hospital. Something doesn't add up here.

[XLFD]

Willy,

I think I interpreted correctly, LOL.  The particulars are still out, but would you feel the same way if he was well illuminated, on the outside of the 'fog line' (effectively off the highway), and swerved merely to avoid running over debris when hit?  In other words, do you feel he is intrinsically in the wrong by doing something that I'll readily admit is fairly dangerous (riding a bike at night).  At what threshold, if any, would you shift the blame away from the cyclist?

Aquaman rightly concurs the road choice was suspect, but sometimes you have to be on the highway if you work at or visit places that are on the highway.  I know several folks that work out on the strip that walk or bike to these places to work or shop, and you can't totally avoid being next to the highway.

[XLFD]

But here is a further update which does seem to show that the bicyclist was likely the cause of the accident due to the use of alcohol and a swerve into the roadway when there was no good lighting:

AMBER TWP. — Timothy Allen Olmstead of Scottville was reported hospitalized at Memorial Medical Center in Ludington today after the bicycle he was riding was struck by a car Wednesday night. According to Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole, Olmstead, 46, was riding his bicycle west on U.S. 10-31 when he was struck by a car driven by Nicholas David Wroble, 25, of Ludington approximately 11:49 p.m.

Cole said the police report stated that Olmstead’s bicycle was not equipped with lights and there were no street lights in the area of the crash, about 1,000 feet east of the Stiles Road intersection. Sheriff’s Sgt. Oscar Davila told MCP on the scene that Olmstead was riding on the curb and swerved into the roadway.

He was transported to the hospital by Life EMS ambulance. Cole said alcohol use by Olmstead was involved in the accident.

In addition to MCSD and Life, Michigan State Police and Scottville Fire Department also responded to the scene.

http://www.masoncountypress.com/2013/04/25/bicyclist-in-hospital-id...

[Lisa O'Brien]

What a very traumatic incident for both the driver and rider.

[masonco]

I feel that if drivers paid more attention to the road especially at night, they would be able to avoid accidents even those who hit deer.  What if that had been a child running into the road? Fault is a bad word. Was the driver distracted that they were not scanning the side of the road? Texting? Making a phone call? Looking down to grab fries? Adjusting Ipod? What speed was the driver going? What happened to the drivers keeping their auto under control at all times?

Yes the bicyclist was impaired, possibly had ear buds on so he did not hear the car, and swerved in front of the car.  Most of the time if we remain alert we can avoid collision at that time of the night by going into the other lane or whatever and avoiding a crash...if we are paying attention to activity along the edge of the road. I believe there would be fewer car deer crashes too.

[Willy]

I have no sympathy for that cyclist. He could have caused a serious multi car accident if the driver would have veered into the adjoining lane to avoid hitting him. Foolish people like the cyclist cause a lot of heartache and grief for innocent motorists. I've hit deer while driving and they're almost impossible to avoid  if they  run across the road suddenly. If they're further down the road and you have time to react then an accident can usually be avoided but when they dart out close to the area your car occupies then as I said it's close to impossible to avoid them. In the dark a running deer will almost always cause an accident when on the roadway. The wrong thing to do is swerve to avoid a deer. It's best to hit them and take your lumps because swerving can cause a person to loose control or run off the road.

[XLFD]

I have some sympathy for the cyclist, and I only want to look at who's to blame, so as to analyze how incidents like this can be avoided in the future.  Technically, riding a bicycle drunk can be determined via the established laws as a crime as bad as driving a motor vehicle while drunk, even though you generally only wind up hurting yourself in most accidents involving a bike.  That the rider was on a bicycle and not a car is probably a good thing if he was at DWI levels. 

This accident stresses a recurring theme that has been looked at concerning the US 10-31 highway between Scottville and Ludington.  Alisa Sidorenko was clipped by a garbage truck when she was off the road, forced close to it by the poor engineering principles used on the highway's side which at first looks like a shoulder or a sidewalk, but has the bad properties of having curbs at almost every driveway entrance's side-- making the operation of road bikes impossible on them, without occasional trips into the road's side.  These curbs make it hard to plow/clear in the winter, making foot travel difficult during that time, and make it practically inaccessible to handicapped travellers all year. 

Removing those curbs on the driveway opening's sides would allow both problems to be solved, and would be fairly inexpensive.  Just knock down those curbs and replace it with a ramp.  These two accidents (and others) would have likely never happened.

[Willy]

How does one avoid poor judgement and bad behavior especially when it's other people who are guilty of it. Here we have a motorist traveling along a busy road and suddenly a drunk on a bike steers into his vehicle. If it wasn't for the drunk, that motorist would have ended up at their destination without  going  thru the traumatic experience of almost killing someone. What if that drunk had been killed and other innocent people would have been injured or killed by his drunken ride into the path of a motor vehicle? I still wouldn't feel sorry for him but I would feel real badly for the motorist and the drunks family. That may sound harsh but I'm sick and tired of innocent people having to deal with the idiots of the World whose negative actions severely affect those around them. There's many ways to improve the right of way along US 10. It would be nice to see a wide pedestrian walkway and bike path located far enough from the road so as to provide a safe foot and bicycle route for those that choose those modes of transportation.