Bicyclist Stabs Motorist in Northwest D.C. Confrontation

NBC ^ | Friday, Dec 7, 2012 | Jackie Benson

[Morgana]

A bicyclist who apparently was angry at being cut off in traffic fought with and stabbed the motorist he believed to be responsible.

D.C. police officers were called to the 1600 block of Massachusetts Avenue NW about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a stabbing. Witnesses told investigators that a bicyclist struck the driver's side mirror of a Smart car with a heavy bike lock.

According to the police report, the driver then got out of the car and asked, "Why did you do that?"

That's when it escalated into a fight, which ended, according to witnesses, when the bicyclist stabbed the driver in the ribs and fled the scene.

More bikes and cars are sharing the road than ever before in the District, and it can, at times, make for an uneasy co-existence. Gregory Billing of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association said it’s important for both motorists and bike riders to observe the rules of the road. He noted that the time of year when the days are shortest is the most hazardous.

[Rifleman]

Don’t try that where I live and ride. If you don’t get me the first time I will arrest you if you survive.

I have driven maybe 300,000 miles and ridden my bikes 20,000 over the past several decades. I own, insure and pay taxes on four motor vehicles.

In my experience, there are many times as many careless and stupid drivers as there are careless and stupid riders, excluding little kids. I suspect that most of the indignant drivers here are the same half wits who roar past my elbow, with inches of clearance, when I am riding on the fog stripe.

[bmwcyle]

You will live if you follow the rules of the road. If you don’t, I do not give way to bicycles.

[Ditter]

I heard a report on Houston radio about bicycles in the city. Kiosks where you can rent/borrow a bicycle to ride to your destination then turn it in to another Kiosk. It was something like that.

All I could think of is the number of people that would get killed every week with this idea. Maybe people who had never ridden a bike in heavy traffic before would be the first to get run over.

Houston traffic is heavy and there is always some drivers that are in a big hurry and they cut in and out of traffic trying to get a car length ahead. Bikers and these speedy people are in conflict more than slower drivers but it is still easy to NOT see a bike that comes up quickly on your blind side.

A few years ago a bike lane was put on my extremely busy city street. This ‘bike lane’ was nothing more than a stripe painted down the side of the existing pavement. The first week 2 bicycle riders were killed riding in that bike lane.

[Rifleman]

Do you know the rules of the road?

By how many feet must you clear a rider when you pass? In what part of the lane must the rider stay? Is “but I never saw him!” a defence if you kill a bicyclist?

It varies from state to state of course. But in all of them, there is a requirement to operate the vehicle safely. Running down a biker because he violated your right of way doesn’t meet that requirement.

[bmwcyle]

Yes, I know the rules. After you are dead, I will be on my way home.

[jaydubya2]

If you view the uncropped picture of the crash, you'll see that the police escort that was in front of the pack veered to avoid the drunk driver and exposed the pack to a head on with the driver.