# Driver swerves to hit motorcyclist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050 "2015-10-18T21:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/41 "2015-10-19T13:54:36Z")
The only thing that would mitigate this, would be a fucking actual wasp sting on the car driver. He claimed he was stung. He better have a wasp sting. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/42 "2015-10-19T14:01:21Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > depending on the speed limit, it may not be long enough of a straight to make it a worthwhile passing zone. I looked at the area in Google Earth. The roads going into Granbury are straight for 2-3 miles. And you can see in the video there’s a long ways to a slight rise in the distance. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/43 "2015-10-19T14:44:14Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > That’s because every driver on the road actually can kill you. Usually by accident, but every now and then, they just lose it for some reason. > > And then they kill your wife and kids. And then, this fucking complete asshole horror of the world never sees the inside of a jail cell, much less any civil damages. > > Because that’s how the world works. Your **Smapti** impersonation is spot-on, kudos. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/44 "2015-10-19T15:01:17Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > The video does not show why the “accident” happened. That’s the legal problem. If a bee flies in your window and you swerve, that’s not a crime. If somebody is illegally passing you and gets hit, it may not be a crime either. Civil cases are preponderance of the evidence. There’s no fucking way a jury is going to believe him, especially with him saying “I don’t care!” afterward. [QUOTE=Beware of Doug] Strange to think of slow drivers as the ones likely to flip their shit and do something reckless. [/quote] I guess it’s a holier-than-thou complex? ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/45 "2015-10-19T15:08:34Z")
Just saw the story on the TODAY show. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/46 "2015-10-19T15:24:54Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Side note: Who the hell thought a dead straight road of that length needed double yellows? If you watch the car that was just ahead of the motorcycle and the driver that hit him you’ll see it disappear down into a draw shortly after the accident. He didn’t slow and was quickly out of sight. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/47 "2015-10-19T15:32:23Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > If you watch the car that was just ahead of the motorcycle and the driver that hit him you’ll see it disappear down into a draw shortly after the accident. He didn’t slow and was quickly out of sight. How dare you question my conclusion based on a Google street view! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/48 "2015-10-19T15:34:32Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > If you watch the car that was just ahead of the motorcycle and the driver that hit him you’ll see it disappear down into a draw shortly after the accident. He didn’t slow and was quickly out of sight. I’ll look again. I was watching the biker tumble at that point. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/49 "2015-10-19T15:38:32Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > If you watch the car that was just ahead of the motorcycle and the driver that hit him you’ll see it disappear down into a draw shortly after the accident. He didn’t slow and was quickly out of sight. Took another look. The offending driver was in sight the whole way. There are other cars ahead that disappear over a slight rise but well ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/50 "2015-10-19T15:46:17Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > the comments on that Jalopnik article are an utter shitshow. I can’t believe how many people are sitting there saying “well, they were _both_ assholes” as though crossing over a double yellow line is somehow just as bad as actively trying to kill two people. As usual, jz is a voice of reason when it comes to automobiles. Thank you Rant: Motorcyclists seem to illicit a huge amount of “well, they were asking for it” no matter what happens to them. Had this sentiment echoed many times, especially online. My theory is that the demographic most likely to comment on an online article skews towards the nerdy, shut-in types who are terrified of motorcycles. But I do get otherwise completely sane people tut-tutting me in real life for riding a motorcycle while being a father. Infuriates me that people assuming I’m selfishly planning on making my wife a widow because of my hobby. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/51 "2015-10-19T15:56:14Z")
I honestly don’t see what the painted lines on the road have to do with the car driver’s assault. He’s less culpable because of the rider’s disregard for them? He might not have swerved had there been no lines? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/52 "2015-10-19T15:56:45Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > The motorcyclist should be cited for unsafe passing - The double-yellow line means the pass was illegal, but unsafe is an independent issue. From what I could see in the video, the road was straight with good visibility. No-passing zones are established with “typical” cars in mind, which can do 0-60 in perhaps 9-10 seconds, whereas a typical motorcycle can accelerate twice as quickly, allowing them to execute passes much more rapidly. And safe or not, a car driver is not permitted to murder someone in response to being passed in a no-passing zone. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/53 "2015-10-19T15:59:51Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I honestly don’t see what the painted lines on the road have to do with the car driver’s assault. He’s less culpable because of the rider’s disregard for them? He might not have swerved had there been no lines? Along with what **Machine Elf** said, in some states, if you have any tiny percentage of fault ( even 1%-99%), you collect _nothing._ ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/54 "2015-10-19T16:03:38Z")
I would think that most sane rational people would, if it turns out he did it on purpose, wish for a long painful death in prison for the car driver. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/55 "2015-10-19T16:15:01Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Along with what **Machine Elf** said, in some states, if you have any tiny percentage of fault ( even 1%-99%), you collect _nothing._ I could see that if (theoretically) the motorcyclist made the improper pass then was struck by an _oncoming_ vehicle. In that case, the collision would be a foreseeable outcome of ignoring the “no passing zone” warning. in this case, where you have a deliberate malicious act by another driver, I’d have to hope that in no case could the motorcyclist be assigned any fault. oh, and the old guy is lucky he didn’t do this to a bunch of 1%-ers. There’d have been no camera, and they’d have _made_ him care for the rest of his life. All 30 seconds of it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/56 "2015-10-19T16:16:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Senior DPS Trooper Dub Gillum Dub Gillum? _Dub_ Gillum? Dub _Gillum_? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/57 "2015-10-19T16:26:26Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > Except they would have bullet proof glass, Kevlar armor and a much bigger gun on them. > > That’s why it’s not legal. You’ve been playing [Car Wars](http://www.sjgames.com/sjgames/car-wars/), haven’t you? ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/58 "2015-10-19T16:28:25Z")
I don’t play any games, except chess. And Borderlands. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/59 "2015-10-19T19:49:52Z")
1%'ers riding in a pack will never have a single rider out in front with a passenger make any kind of pass on the open road. Two 1%'ers riding together won’t have one do something like that rider did unless he was way drunk or high. I have had a pickup truck on a busy city street deliberately knock me, on a bicycle over the curb with much force. I had a car at a stop sign pull out and drive over my bicycle. I jumped off quick enough to miss getting hit. That was with full eye contact as I crossed in front of him. My wife in the chase truck has blocked many people trying to kill bikers while coming up from the rear on single riders & packs. My bad wreck that gave me a steal upper right arm bone, the young female driver had to really work at hitting me. The cop said & wrote that in no way was I in any way responsible for the accident. ( She did not do it on purpose but that did not save me from injury. What happened if you are curious. [http://dragon43rdr.blogspot.com/2008/10/adventure-terror-in-retrospect.html](http://dragon43rdr.blogspot.com/2008/10/adventure-terror-in-retrospect.html) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/60 "2015-10-19T20:16:37Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > It was not an accident. That’s what I said about my father’s death, but so far as we know the guy who killed him was never charged with anything. Not that we were told about anyway. He took his eyes off of the road to put in a CD, and when he looked up he was just about to strike my father on his motorcycle. Dad was propelled into another vehicle and dies of his injuries, whille the ass who struck is is walking around alive and free. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050.md?page=4)