Bicycle Austin forum

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Pedicab hit-and-runs car; KXAN tars pedicabs in general

KXAN reported that an Austin pedicabber struck a car and took off.  That's wrong, of course.  But is it news?  There are 12,000 hit-and-runs in Austin per year, almost all of which are caused by drivers, but the media doesn't report any of those UNLESS SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED.  Otherwise they'd be reporting over thirty driver-caused hit-and-runs a day.

KXAN's lead quote says it all:

Austin Police say they rely on pedicabs to help transport intoxicated people from major events like ACL. But, some drivers and festival-goers say they’re witnessing pedicab drivers breaking traffic laws.

Oh the horror, they've witnessed pedicab drivers *breaking traffic laws*!  Because motorists *never* break traffic laws, right?  As I said in my letter to the Chronicle in 2008:

...Law-breaking motorists are responsible for more than 30,000 collisions per year in the Austin area, and in nearly half of those a vehicle has to be towed away or someone has to be hospitalized. Nationwide, drivers who run red lights injure about a quarter million people and kill nearly a thousand people every year. I've personally been hit on my bicycle five times when motorists broke the law by running stop signs or failing to yield right-of-way. Guess who hit me by pulling into the bike lane without looking? One of the personal injury attorneys on the back of the phone book....For several years when I tracked the stats I found that half the serious bike-car collisions in Austin were hit-and-runs. So you'll pardon me if I don't get all teary-eyed about motorists seeing cyclists walking stop signs when I know that half those motorists, if they hit me, are quite willing to leave me for dead.

dougmc

Administrator

Registered: 2008-06-01

Posts: 631

Re: Pedicab hit-and-runs car; KXAN tars pedicabs in general

In most serious collisions between two motor vehicles, one or both cars cannot be driven and need to be towed.

I suspect that if this were not the case ... car on car collisions would probably have a similar hit and run rate as that of car collisions with pedestrians and cyclists.  It's not that cyclists and pedestrians are not cared about (often, people don't care about anybody else, especially if they're drunk), it's that they don't damage the guy's car enough to force him to stay.

It's a lot easier to just take off and leave everybody else injured when your car is only lightly damaged (because it hit a squishy human) than when it'll barely move (because it hit another big heavy car.)

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: Pedicab hit-and-runs car; KXAN tars pedicabs in general

I didn't say that drivers are more willing to hit-and-run cyclists than other cars.  I said that half of drivers, if they hit me, are quite willing to leave me for dead.  That they might be also willing to leave drivers for dead in similar numbers if they were able to get away with it, is no comfort.