Good point

Mayer ray nagin you have every right to get pissed off at cyclists who ride 3 to 4 people wide and take up the whole lane. I get pissed off when fellow cyclists don’t follow the rules of the road. Just please don’t get pissed at those of us who do follow all the rules of the road and ride to the far right as safely possible.

The fact is that Bicycling is a very popular sport, even in developed nations. It takes a truly lazy and insensitive cretin, or just your ” typical lazy-ass American”, to believe that bicycling to stay fit is stupid. The very idea. As soon as you get your driver’s license you sell or scrap your bike… then you start to pack on those pounds, can barely walk or run 50 feet without losing your breath, and just can not socialize well because you are so isolated in your car. Which likely explains the lack of empathy for those who make bicycling part of their lives.

I really don’t see the rational behind the bitching against the Pop-up “airbag” hoods. The more some of you keep crying about it the more moronic you look and make anyone you are supporting look. This, as if, you would have much of a say to effect on the matter.

The auto and health insurance companies, seeking to reduce liability, would likely push to mandate this on all new cars after a certain point. After all, they are not going to be willing to pay for a killer car… but they sure will make you pay for it. It isn’t just what the vehicle costs but also how much the insurance costs as well.

Why is it that some of you fools think it is okay to drive around “Death Race 2000″? You realize that unless you can prove you could not have gone safely around or stopped for a pedestrian or bicyclist, you can be convicted on “vehicular assault” and if the persons dies “Vehicular manslaughter”. There is also “failing to stop and render aid”, better known as “Hit and Run”. It gets better, if it is found you made NO EFFORT to avoid striking a bicyclist or pedestrian and they die, that is “Murder with a deadly weapon (your vehicle)”. They live it’s still “Attempted Murder”.

Try cracking wise about it during your criminal sentencing not to mention to possible civil suits that could follow. Americans love to sue.

I would think you assholes would want this on your cars if only so you had your own sorry asses covered in the likely event you did do something so stupid. So why are you still going on about it?

I will reach would reach nirvana when you become just another driving death statistic but then the democrats would point to your dead corpse and explain to the world that cars are not safe enough and require more safety features for cars. When really we need less safety crap on cars and less idiots on the road driving.

Side note do you really have a 426 street Hemi road runner? or do you just have the 383, or the 440 in it?

BTW, Fuzz, Hemi has a point. I can get a ticket for impeding traffic if I drive too far below the limit and so can you. You are also required to pull over and let cars pass if you are blocking 5 or more vehicles. When you do reach nirvana and become one with the pavement, drivers everywhere will rejoice and laugh at your corpse as it quivers with its lame tour-de-france-wannabee garish shorts and stupid looking shirt.

And it’s only murder if you get caught.

Dodgezilla
Sorry but you get to stay behind myself and other cyclists as we ride 5,10,15…. however many MPH we decided to ride at, until it is clear to pass us safely. I have no problem with cars passing me as long as they wait to pass safely, just like when you are passing a slow vehicle.
Also if you don’t like the paying the highway tax on fuel then there is always the possibility of riding a bike!!!! You where able to do it as a kid why not pick one up now and save some money. It may take you longer to get somewhere but you won’t be having to pay the fuel tax or fuel prices you are complaining about.

Again cyclists have every right to be on the road and I know being right doesn’t matter when you are killed by a vehicle which is why I ride as safely as I can. I follow the laws of the road just like everyone else and if you want to run me over for us over for it, then you can suffer the penalty for it. I have no problem with anyone getting pissed off or hostile with any cyclist that is not following the laws of the road, I yell at cyclists just as much as you do when they are in the wrong. But could you please stop being hostile towards us cyclists who do the right thing and still have to suffer your aggression when we are not doing anything wrong.

1) Having the law on your side is of no matter when you are under my tires or doing a vulcan mind-meld with my bumper, and

2) In response to your statement “unless you believe in injuring or killing ignorant drivers as well” as a matter of fact I would love to see ignorant drivers killed, injured, or tortured, as well as a host of other ignorant bastards that make life difficult for the rest of us on this planet.

Edgeguy, we don’t care if you want to share the road or not, the law is the law and we have every right to be riding on the road. Stop showing your ignorance and read the about laws of the road. Because the roads are also OUR fucking roads as well, but unlike you, I am willing to share them others.

Autonut, since we are going to put airbags on bicycles we should go ahead and require motorcycles to add airbags as well since they are “vehicles”.

Now I know some roadies out their don’t follow the rules of the road and ride where every they please but at the same time I have seen drivers have the same disregard for the rules as some bike riders do. So unless you believe in injuring or killing ignorant drivers as well, maybe you need to reevaluate your hatred of roadies.

Now I am sure most of you people won’t change your hatred of the fact that people will ride their bikes on the road. But could you at least keep your hatred of us roadies to a rude gesture/comment, we are people to and I rather die of old age instead of on the hood of a ignorant motorist. Yea, I said hood, I don’t support this idea of airbags as well.

Problem solved.

That being said, I find this to be an interesting issue. It can be argued that most of the active and passive safety features of a car are designed for the mutual benefit of both people involved in a car vs. car accident (i.e., less energy is transferred into my spine if your bumper crumples, and vice versa). Another example: airbags protect passengers, who, it can be argued, are similarly situated as pedestrians or cyclists–that is, they are not actively involved in the driving process (although pedestrians and cyclists certainly control where they walk/ride), and statistically they are at risk of being injured by an automobile.

My initial reaction is that this whole exterior airbag is bullshit, but that’s also because I can’t fathom how exterior airbags would make a difference. The Dutch Cycling Federation was the group that released the study saying that airbags help, but did they fund and/or conduct the study? Also, it’s probably true that their claims would be true if EVERY car on the road were fitted with the system. Even if airbags go on every car built starting tomorrow, odds are for the next several years the cyclist will be hit by a car without exterior airbags. And the stats in the study will probably be much different in, say, the U.S., where the density of pedestrians and cyclists on car-driven roads may not be as great.

Still, I just can’t believe that a puff of gas and a balloon will prevent a femur from splintering.

But, let’s say exterior airbags are studied, and it can be shown that the Dutch cyclists’ claims are true. Also assume that the systems can be fitted to cars relatively cheaply (say $500) and with relatively little additional weight (say 50 lbs)? At that point, why not put the airbags on?

I’m not saying that personal pedestrian and cycling conduct shouldn’t be the #1 preventative measure, but isn’t adding 1.3% weight for 1.7% more cost worth 60 lives and 1500 serious injuries?

From the very top 1115′s ass mouth statement about protecting people from GMs and FORDs as if getting hit but a “safe and reliable” HONDA or TOYOTA or some such is going to hurt any less. So many other’s have reflected the same relative level of stupidity in their own statements, I find down right disturbing.

The issue is that so many dumbasses out there are behind the wheel and are not paying attention to what is going on outside the vehicle, in some cases not even inside the vehicle. This doesn’t excuse the pedestrian but most hit and run, and pedestrian/vehicle fatalities are the fault of the driver not paying attention or driving in a very dangerous manner… regardless of the make of the vehcile. Getting hit with a FORD or GM is going to run the same risk of killing you as being hit with a TOYOTA, HONDA, MERCEDES-BENZ, et al.

People are hurt severely and killed painfully getting hit with cars, even little econo-boxes. I’m guessing you never saw a person hit with a moving vehicle. It isn’t like a cartoon where the person is thrown into the bushes and gets up as if they were “only” hit but an NFL linebacker. If only…

You, a 170 pound human, gets nailed with a 3800 pound car or heavier truck, made of metal, hardened glass, and plastic, you are not getting up unless you are so lucky as to “only” be clipped. You could still wind up with broken bones anyway. Those cool Hollywood car hits do not happen. Seeing a guy jump at the last second onto a oncoming car in “Jackass” does not count. Like any stunt, it only works if you know its coming and know what to do.

This pop-up hood is meant to protect people how don’t, as the case often is, see it coming and/or know what to do. I doubt you would know what to do if a car or truck came barreling down on you.

If any of you meant your statements to be funny, at least one of us is not laughing. Sometimes you people really do make me sick.

How about pedestrians learn how to cross the streets safely, look before crossing and stop dashing out.