This is why death penalty should be legal. Direct murder attempt on dozens of people. Bastard.:whip:
AnotherWay83
i wanna meet that driver and get his autograph.
on a more serious note - i wonder what was going through his mind the moment he stepped on the gas? what his face must've looked like as he saw the first cyclist landing on his windshield?
i bet he was thinking about giving me his autograph.
EarnYourKeep
no bueno
I'm a cyclist and when I see this all I want to do is stomp this dudes mouth out with my cycling shoes.
Sphere City
serves them right ing ******s
swirve into them and flip the bird when i pass these kunts on the rd
on odd occasions i take out ye old iron bar
:toothless
PivotTechno
quote:
Originally posted by Sphere City
serves them right ing ******s
swirve into them and flip the bird when i pass these kunts on the rd
on odd occasions i take out ye old iron bar
:toothless
BTG
quote:
Originally posted by EarnYourKeep
no bueno
I'm a cyclist and when I see this all I want to do is stomp this dudes mouth out with my cycling shoes.
you.
Vernon Wanderer
@everyone but Earn & Pivot:
You are sick. Really sick. You don't deserve any kind of respect for all I care. Save the planet, and suicide. Don't leave a mess. ing scum. All the worst to you.
Lira
Repost, I even said Fred Mercury was among the victims! :D
(And that's the second repost in less than 24 hours, heh)
igottaknow
ChemEnhanced
more people should be active in riding the earth of protesters
EarnYourKeep
quote:
Originally posted by BTG
you.
don't make me school you in ping pong son...SON
ziptnf
This was on Reddit the other day. One particular poster was very clear that while the driver had absolutely no right to start driving over cyclists, the people on the bikes were being complete dicks.
quote:
Originally posted by Astorial 146 points 1 day ago*
----Edit-----
Good news everyone!! (yes, you read that using Professor Farnsworth's voice)
The motorist will be turning himself in to the police tomorrow morning, as per his lawyer: http://www.correiodopovo.com.br/Not...?Noticia=262543
Before I get into this rant against all the sides, please note the following: 1) I've had a few beers 2) I live in Brasil (expat) 3) I ride my bike to and from work at least 80% of every week 4) I drive at least 3K km per month due to work (after the bike riding) 5) I've had a few beers.
Now that all that is out of the way, let's begin the rant. This is based off of everything I've read and watched via Globo News, Band News, and the Corrieo do Povo (local newspaper in Porto Alegre)....not some 3rd party "beat my chest, I'm right" blog twits.
1) Roughly 150 cyclists take part in the normal "last Friday of the month" Critical Mass ride in Porto Alegre. This is more than the normal amount since they are celebrating the opening of a newly created public space in the city called the "City of Bicyclists" (wtf this is is beyond me, no one has mentioned more).
2) Although the local authorities (the EPTC) that are in charge of traffic and "circulation" in the city were aware of the ride (since it happens every month...with less participants), they were not notified at any time by the Critical Mass group for assistance. 3) The Critical Mass group were taking up the entire road, going below the posted speed limits, and refusing to allow motor vehicles to pass. This removes them from the definition of "traffic", and takes them into the realm of "hazard". They were also using the technique of "corking", blocking intersections to allow the bikes to cross, even when the traffic lights have changed. (mind you, without ANY notification or assistance by local authorities).
4) The motorist in question (yes, who is an ass of astronomical standards), was behind the group. This was not him coming out of no where....he was with all the other cars that were being blocked by the Critical Mass "protesters" from passing. He repeatedly honked his horn and waved them off (per the witness statements). The response by the Critical Mass people was to give him a round of applause and not allow him to continue.
5) Of the 150 people involved, the numbers of those affected are as follows:
Hit (either by the driver or those hit by "flying" cyclists): around 40 (per Globo) Hurt: around 20 (per Globo and Corrieo do Povo) Hospitalized: 9 per Globo (all released after a few hours of observation). Bikes Destroyed: About 40 (per Globo)
6) The police have the car (a VW Golf), but the owner of the car is MIA. The owner is the primary suspect, but since they can't track the person down, they can't say with 100% certainty if the owner was the driver. They are treating this as attempted homicide, not an accident (good on them).
7) The president of the City Council has stated that they will begin work on installing bike lanes in the city...even though those bike lanes were authorized a while back, but without any action.
8) Although the majority of drivers in Brasil follow the laws and are rather passive, there is a large subsection of drivers that are not. Traffic laws are nothing more than a mere suggestion....running red lights, driving 2 to 3 times the posted speed limits, many without licences, playing chicken with other drivers just to pass, chasing fellow drivers who DARE to honk that them, etc. These are the kinds of people who get mad when they're driving 180km/h to 200km/h on a 120km/h interstate....and show it by tailgating people at less than 1m (at 120km/h speeds).
=============================
Now, lets take a look at the situation there:
1) This is Brasil...not the US, Canada, or anywhere in Europe. Although people in those areas may piss themselves on a regular basis on the sight of cop while driving, here is another story. The police don't stop people here for infractions unless they are running a "blitz" (similar to a road block), you hit someone (or something) and actually stop, or do something so spectacularly stupid in front of them that they NEED to stop you. Other than that, people tend to do what ever the they want on the roads.
2) Road rage (at least here in the south of Brasil), is getting more and more common. As I stated in other threads about this case, the people here are afraid. Most won't use their horns unless it's a last resort, due them being afraid that even honking their horn will incite violence. I've personally been CHASED (tailgated at less than 1 meter, lights flashing, the other driver making "gun" forms with his hands, etc) by other motorists for kilometers for doing nothing more than honking at someone who ran a red light. 3) These cyclists, even though their cause may be in the right, did mostly everything WRONG. Yes, in a perfect society everyone follows the laws, but no one, anywhere , lives in a perfect society. Knowing that what you are doing has the chance of provoking the mentally unstable or criminally minded into action means you lack the common sense and responsibility to be an adult.
4) Once they get the driver, don't expect a whole lot. He'll be out on bail within a day with a half-way competent lawyer (just a few weeks ago a drunk driver killed a whole family and walked out of jail the next day). If we are lucky they'll have a trial within a year or so...depending. Also note that the maximum they can serve is 30 years...no matter what. There is no life sentence here...also no death penalty.
=============================
So lets sum things up.....
Driver = who will end up in jail...eventually.
Critical Mass people = knew they were pissing off everyone, provoked a response from a random nut job......KNOWING that there was a good chance of coming into contact with someone that couldn't give a .
No one wants to admit to the fact the common sense and personal responsibility was ignored by the Critical Mass people....and due to that, this happened. If they had FOLLOWED THE LAW and allowed the cars to pass (and stopped being a hazard on roads rather than actual traffic), they wouldn not have "poked the hornet's nest" of this driver.
Yes, this driver is an ....he/she needs to be in jail for what they did (and most likely will be). Let's also take a look at what made this person snap. This person did not wake up Friday morning thinking "I'm gonna run me down a -ton of cyclists today!". No, but even though this person was on the edge of Road Rage 2000, the bike-douches of Critical Mass KNEW they had the chance of causing an event with their actions.
Before the people who will bring up the "rape victim causing the rape" argument on this, let me respond:
If I am walking through an area that I KNOW has a high crime rate, I am NOT going to wave my wallet and valuables around. If I get mugged, yes....the the fault is with the person who stole my things since what they did is against the law....but I have a also have a part to play in this...I knew where I was, and what types situations may happen. By putting myself in a position to be a victim, I have not helped the matter. By going out of my way to provoke the situation, then crying "look what they did, it's against the law!!!!", just makes things worse. Common sense and personal responsibility should also be taken in account.
If I know that 1 out of ever 1,000 people in Brasil don't follow the traffic laws and are willing to break the law....and knowing Porto Alegre has 1.4 million people, then 1400 people are willing to run people down and/or break the laws in a way to me up. Am I going to act like a douche bag and block traffic, not allowing anyone to pass without having the slightest of problems? No....I have a brain.
Yes, what the driver did was wrong, but it would't have happened if the Critical Mass group FOLLOW THE LAW by allowing traffic to pass as they should have. Provoking drivers (many of whom couldn't give a about your "cause") to do bad things doesn't make your cause better, or show that you are "more right".
End rant....and bunches of beer. :)
