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"Until you get cyclists to obey the laws, you are going to have continued difficulties as drivers and cyclists fight for the road."

Who is fighting? Well, drivers apparently. I just want drivers to share the road, but I certainly don't question or oppose their right to use it, despite the fact the feeling tends to not be mutual.

Regarding the Darnestown crash, as I pointed out in the BikeArlington forum, one of the articles has this quote: Our Collision Reconstruction Unit is on the scene there and will begin their investigation in the event the bicyclist dies, but we still don’t know his condition right now

This seems to imply that MoCo only investigates bike/car collisions if there is a death. So if the cyclists dies, they'll see if maybe someone did something wrong. If he/she makes it, they'll just assume that both driver and cyclist shared fault evenly and call it a draw.

The article about bicycle helmets has possibly the worst statistics I've seen all year:

> According to the NHTSA’s 2009 Traffic Safety Facts, there were 630 cyclist fatalities involved in traffic accidents during that year in the US. This accounts for less than 2% of all traffic fatalities.

Can anyone really read this and not realize what's wrong with her reasoning?

A Montgomery County school bus has passed me unsafely on Sligo Creek Parkway between the Beltway and Colesville a couple of times over the last several months. Both times the driver crossed over well into the oncoming lane with oncoming traffic approaching, in one case going around a blind curve. And, of course, both times i caught up with the bus at Colesville.

I think Monkey County may need to do a bit of remedial training.

The USA is the most backward of all the western nations in many ways. It's lack of infrastructure bicycle is one. The traffic laws,care another which in Germany, Netherlands and Denmark all give the cyclist the way of way and presumption of fault for the motorist , rather than the cyclist as is the case here. Further the so called legal system does not take reckless drivers off the road much less punish them. The bus hit the cyclist there were many witnesses , the kids on the bus, yet there is doubt about what happened. If it were not a cover up in progress then we would have heard from the witnesses. I have no doubt that even if the cyclist dies the bus driver shall not go to jail .

@MM/David: I agree, I'm not opposed to sharing the road with cars. I just know that I have more at stake if a collision occurs.

WJLA's reporter has already decided the cyclist is at fault in his report, in which he states: "[The Accident Reconstruction Team tries] to piece exactly what went on here. But, at this point, it does look like this bicyclists somehow or another pulled in front of the school bus. "

I know exactly where this happened. I was driving through there a few weeks ago. They are repaving the road and that one area is VERY ambiguous as to where the shoulder/lane is because of lack of lane striping, but there is a "bike lane" sign right there.

I am STILL laughing about how MD SHA has put signs on MD routes 193/650 to "share the road" Oye. No thanks!

Stay safe out there!

@BoB Smith if the cyclist "pulled in front of the bus" then the bus driver should have taken action to avoid a collision, if he wasn't going to fast which it appears he was from the skid marks.American motorist will say or do anything other then drive like they respect the lives of other people on the road and take responsibility for their actions. I do not believe the states Accident Reconstruction Team as they have an interest in avoiding liability for the state. I my self was hit from behind , thrown more then 50 ft., had a light on my bike rear rack, the driver told the police he had 5 or 6 beers and the Montgomery country court let him off scott free. If you do a little research you will find that my case is no exception. The courts are a joke.

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