Driver Attempts Hit and Run, Gets Blocked in By Other Drivers


(Video Link)
On Monday, a teen driver rear-ended a bicyclist in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He then attempted to flee. A quick-thinking bus driver immediately stopped his bus across both lanes of the road. Another driver cut off any escape to the rear, boxing in the assailant's car.

As I watched this video, I was particularly impressed by the bus driver's skill. He observed an incident from the rear and promptly, but safely, maneuvered his massive vehicle in a completely effective way.

The two drivers, Richard Gubish, Jr. and Judson Smull, have been given the official thanks of the city for preventing this criminal from escaping justice.

Link -via reddit

I have been driving since I was 16 years old . I am also a bicyclist and have had my M1 motorcycle permit since 1974. When I ride a bicycle or a motorcycle I imagine that everyone on the road is trying to kill me, I ride as though I was invisible. It has kept me alive in spite of the overall very low skill level and psychological instability of people in cars.

The bicyclist in this case was correct. Taking the whole lane (look at the sign) was legal and trying to stay all of the way to the right is just an invitation to be crushed between a car and that wall.

Surferdude69 : You rock!

[Content removed by editor. No name-calling, please.]
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
I'm fine with sharing the road with cyclists. Some people can't afford a car and it's often faster, cheaper, and healthier than public transportation. But! Stay out of the way. There was no reason for the cyclist to be riding in the middle of the lane. Stay to the side. He was being a douche. And if one more cyclist blows a stop sign and flips me off like I'm supposed to give them right of way I might chase them down and hit them on purpose. Not really, but WTF? Follow the rules.

And don't even get me started on that watch out for motorcycles BS campaign. Stop driving like a lunatic. Watch out for cars. Idiots.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
@Ted

"Is the spandex so tight on their nads it makes them nasty?"

No, it's more like the lack of nads while wearing spandex is the problem. They feel they must compensate for their shortcomings by being asses on the road.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
@Daniel Kim
From what I see the black car moves into left lane at 0:27 (3:06:25 timestamped) to overtake the silver car behind the bus, and perhaps also the bus, all in the right lane. Then suddenly (3:06:33 TS) the bus is in the left lane, the black car has hit the bike in the right lane and the silver car is a few lengths behind. Maybe the bus hid the bike from view when it changed lanes. The black car must have zig-zagged lanes. It looks like a plausible accident.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
I noted the "full lane" sign the poster of the video added to it, but does PA have such a law and is it applicable to that stretch of road? I find many of the "share the road" campaigns as offensive as the bike riders who do not seem to think it goes both ways and that the rules do not apply to them.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
The road looks to be a bridge or overpass, not a regular part of the roadway. Since it is an exceptional type of roadway, it has exceptional rules and signage. The sign stating that bicycles may use the entire width of the lane probably applies only to the length of the overpass, whose width is constrained and which does not have any provision for a shoulder or other bicycle-safe lane.

Since there are two lanes, an automobile may use the left lane without encountering a bicycle. At the point of impact, shown at about 0:30 into the clip, the left lane was clear, so the driver could have changed lanes if he wanted to drive faster. Instead, he drove into the back of the bicyclist.

I was initially shocked to see the bicycle in the middle of the traffic lane, and was all set to condemn the cyclist's carelessness to be in that vulnerable location, and for interfering with the smooth flow of motor traffic. The sign and the exceptional roadway makes all the difference.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Wow, according to the time stamp, the police were there in less than 30 seconds. That's a new record.

I like the sign at the end: "Bikes may use full lane". Is it saying that it's permissible for a bike to use the full lane, or is it indicating a possibility, like "Container may explode when heated" or "Bridge may be icy"?

That's a pretty busy road - with that barrier up, I would have probably taken my bike on the sidewalk. There's a reason why the barrier is there, after all.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Funny, I'm the first person to mention that the bus driver is endangering the lives of his/her passengers by placing them directly in the path of a desperate driver in the act of committing a crime.

Cosmo, did you even read Sandy's comment before your knee-jerk condemnation?

As for occupying an entire lane, when I ride a bike, I'm not an ass about it. I keep to the right and am polite as I can be. Many cyclists, especially the ones in spandex, are not so considerate.

Is the spandex so tight on their nads it makes them nasty?
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Sandy, I can only hope you are being sarcastic, since there are truly people who think it's better that a cyclist would be killed by a truck, than the truck guy checking mirrors, and actually looking both ways before rolling through the stop sign. Trust me, I've seen way more trucks and auto drivers not stopping at intersections than I have cyclists. Do you not think the cyclist had a family too? You don't know the cyclist, so don't make idiotic generalizations of that person, or cyclists in general.

BTW - for those of you ignorant, or just ignorant of the law, cyclists actually have the lawful right to occupy the entire lane.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
I only see two problems here. 1- The guy on the bike wasn't hit hard enough, I can see that he pops right back up afterwards and 2- the driver didn't receive a free banana split or key to the city for his uncanny ability to hit the cyclist just hard enough to knock him down while leaving enough room for himself to turn into the other lane and continue driving.

I can't stand these cyclists who think that they own the streets or are above the rules of the road. Just the other day as I was driving in downtown Chicago, another one of these "I ride a bike therefore I'm better than you" jerk-store cyclists flew through a 4 corner intersection without even slowing down- God forbid they actually obey the "Stop" signs posted on each corner- and guess what happened? He was squashed like a bug by Bread Truck! Awesome.

The unfortunate thing is the innocent Bread Truck driver, the guy that followed the rules, made a complete stop, and looked both ways before accelerating through the intersection will probably loose his job, be thrown in jail, taken to court, and sucked dry by the cyclist's lawyer. The Bread Truck driver will have to spend every penny he has just to avoid a longer jail sentence and forget about finding another driving job.

Let's say that Bread Truck Guy has a few kids or a sick or elderly relative that he is financially responsible for- what happens to them? Their lives are irreversibly changed for the worse all because of this idiot, know it all, spoiled, etc cyclist who thinks he owns the damn street!

I'm sick of it!

Thanks for reading and if you'd like to reply, you can find me cruising the streets of Chicago in my Black and Chrome '71 440-V8 Plymouth Fury with the license plates-"ICECAPKLR"
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Wow... Bike vs. car... can we discuss religion next? There are as many denominations in each debate I think...

I drive, bike, and run. So I'm fully versed in the nuances of each and the combinations. When I run on a bike trail I curse the cyclists and when I bike I curse the drivers and when I drive... I leave plenty of room for others...

In all three, distractions are the problem, not the activity. And my biggest complaint is the number of cyclists with headphones on these days. Bikers: no headphones and stay off the damn sidewalk! Drivers: look both directions before turning, there may be a jogger crossing from the other side...

Overall: just respect each other... the roads, paths, sidewalks etc are to be shared, not maximized only for your personal needs and convenience. Get over yourself.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Speaking of teen drivers, Judson Smull is 17 too himself. :)

"@ robin, i totally agree. not sure why he had to take the WHOLE lane. move over a bit and try to accommodate the vehicles. however, i’m sorry he got hit and im so glad that the guy didn’t get away!"

Sharrows. Some cities paint these signs on lanes to (a) encourage cyclists to take up the whole lane so they're more visible and (b) let drivers know the "bike lane" is essentially in the middle of the lane. Apparently roads are more dangerous when one lane gets used as two lanes (such as when a bike and car are side-by-side within in the same lane).
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Just because you don't want to share the road with a bike is no reason to run someone over. The cyclist had every legal right to take up the full lane on the road. Those who blame the cyclist are pathetic.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
@ Artor "Am I a bad person for riding my bike on the sidewalk when the bike lane goes through traffic"

no! as i'm sure you take as much care biking pass people as you did asking that question. if you don't feel safe on the road, move slower on the sidewalk and build your confidence. just make sure to yeild to peds.

@ robin, i totally agree. not sure why he had to take the WHOLE lane. move over a bit and try to accommodate the vehicles. however, i'm sorry he got hit and im so glad that the guy didn't get away!

i bike most of the week... and i HATE bicycle elitists
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
As a Dutchie, I'm used to biking in traffic, and I have to say - what the hell is up with cyclists thinking they have the whole lane? The rule over here is that as a cyclist, you stick to the right side of the road as closely as possible. This makes it far easier for cars to pass you and makes you much less of a nuisance.

Of course, we have bike lanes in most places, but where there are no bike lanes, we solve it by staying out of the way of faster, more massive traffic. You should NOT block cars like this guy did. Stick to the side as a cyclist, leave a good 2 feet between you and the cyclist you're passing as a driver.

So yeah. Glad they boxed the driver in and all that, but that wasn't what stuck out for me.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
i am a professional driver and in my opinion if you are a good motorist you should never come close to hitting a cyclist and they should never slow you down. the only thing which slows me down is old people who shouldn't be allowed to retain a license given their quickly debilitating motor skills and senses. if you think cyclists are annoying on the road it just means you aren't a good driver. if you hit a cyclist it means you are a terrible driver and shouldn't be allowed to drive. if you hit a tree it means you are a terrible driver and shouldn't be allowed to drive. if you don't use your turn signals because you can't be bothered to exert the effort required to flip them on when rounding a bend...you should be hung and quartered.

driving is serious business and i am consistently disappointed in how many unqualified humans beings are given the right to engage in that activity.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
The bike rider shoudn't have been there. People pay a lot of money for their vehicles and unsurance etc...This moron was going too slow. I do not agree with driving away. Should stay and give your side of the story. But you will most likely get a fine and be sued by the moron bike rider. Sorry, but I can't stand cyclists and I don't drive; but I watch how they slow down traffic and are just a pain.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
I'm with you John.

And since I cycle at about 15 MPH, it's high time motorists be limited to that speed, such that I can keep up with traffic. Not by signs and random cop-stops, but with GPS and automatic computerized peed governors. Cars kill more Americans under age 30 than all other causes you know, and speed is always a contributor.

Thanks for solving a big problem with transport bigotry.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
@Artor: Yes. Pedestrians have been badly injured and even killed by cyclists riding on sidewalks. In many cities, cycling on the sidewalk is illegal for this reason.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
I'm glad the cyclist seems to be okay, and the asshole driver was caught, but I think it's insane to ride a bike in traffic. I know you're supposed to instead of cycling in the pedestrian lanes, but there's so many more inattentive drivers than this one, and the results are often so much worse. Am I a bad person for riding my bike on the sidewalk when the bike lane goes through traffic?
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Click here to access all of this post's 23 comments




Email This Post to a Friend
"Driver Attempts Hit and Run, Gets Blocked in By Other Drivers"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More