# Hit a cyclist. Brag about it in your tweet. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 22, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037 "2013-05-22T16:51:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/41 "2013-05-22T18:50:23Z")
I expect it might have something to do with “Bicyclist Struck By Car, Police Report Filed In Proper and Timely Fashion” not making a very interesting headline. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/42 "2013-05-22T18:53:20Z")
From the sound of things one would get the idea _that_ would be the newsworthy item. “Bicyclist struck by car, driver’s day ruined.” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/43 "2013-05-22T19:00:51Z")
Anyone else picturing the hit biker in the story as [this guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsM0CwqGrBs)? I mean, he got hit by a fucking car and didn’t tell anyone because he didn’t want his girlfriend to worry. “Oh it’s just a flesh wound. Nothing to write home about, honestly!” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/44 "2013-05-22T19:08:04Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > I > > In the 80+ collective years of vehicle claims experience on my team, nobody here can recall a case where the police refused to complete a report on a vehicle vs. pedestrian/bicycle/motorcycle. " Got news for you then. It happens. ---
**Author:** ![Bilbo1967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@Bilbo1967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bilbo1967)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/45 "2013-05-22T19:08:35Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Correct on all counts. > > It’s properly known as the Vehicle Excise Duty. Except that very little of it is actually spent on the roads. Oh, and cyclists don’t pay it (not that that’s a reason to run them over of course). ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/46 "2013-05-22T19:26:43Z")
Well, I have a friend, former boss actually, who was/is an avid cyclist in the Denver area. (location added to show US police involvement) He was struck by a car turning across his lane in front of him. Okay, technically he struck the car, because, you know, it was now right the fuck in front of him. Rather inconsiderate of him, IMHO. Anyways, driver drove off like nothing happened, police were summoned, James (the cyclist) was bandaged up, and his now mangled bike tossed into the trunk of the police car. A full report was taken, and the cop gave James and his newly modified bike a ride home. A witness had scribbled down a license plate number, and James was contacted as the investigation/charges filed/court date worked its way through the justice system. Driver was charged/convicted and had to pay restitution for damages and such. So, now we have at least one anecdotal story of a personal acquaintance experiencing a bike crash and the police giving a shit and treating it like a real incident. My one positive personal anecdotal = your one negative personal anecdote. All the rest of your posts are just crap you dug up from the interwebs. You ask: > [@](#): > > You think US police would even care about this woman hitting a cyclist? I say, yes, some will. You can really only say that “some won’t.” Guess what? There are some police departments in the US that don’t treat (insert crime here. Domestic battery is a good example) as serious. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/47 "2013-05-22T19:35:44Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Got news for you then. It happens. Well, people kidnap young girls and keep them locked up as sex slaves despite the occasional police visit, too. Sometimes the cops get it wrong, but I hardly think that’s the norm. If it is then I’m pretty pissed off–we never had a slavegirl when I was growing up. :mad: > [@leftfield6](#): > > Well, I have a friend, former boss actually, who was/is an avid cyclist in the Denver area. I’m also in Denver. If it weren’t for their “shoot first, ask questions later” attitude I’d suggest maybe we have an unusually competent police culture in Colorado. On a more serious note, this is a pretty bicycly state, especially Boulder, and it’s conceivable the cops here are more sympathetic to two-wheelers than they would be in more “look-after-yourself” places like the East Coast. Maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/48 "2013-05-22T20:27:32Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Got news for you then. It happens. No it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/49 "2013-05-22T20:39:19Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > The hell is “road tax” ? > I know, I shouldn’t be paying attention to the stupid rantings of a random British internet psycho. But still… WTH is “road tax” ? I followed some links from the story in the OP, and concluded that it WAS a thing, but hasn’t been for quite a few years. Hence, my little snarky bit in Post #8 (supposing that some chappie had been “collecting” the road tax from her, promising to deliver it to the authorities, and now he’s going to find he can’t, in future). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/50 "2013-05-22T20:46:34Z")
Per the above: [Too late for a cite?](http://ipayroadtax.com/no-such-thing-as-road-tax/bring-back-the-road-fund/) Dangit, I suppose it is. Ah, well, another missed edit window. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/51 "2013-05-22T21:20:07Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > No it doesn’t. [Go away troll.](http://bicycleaustin.info/justice/jaywilliams.html) ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/52 "2013-05-22T21:29:26Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I followed some links from the story in the OP, and concluded that it WAS a thing, but hasn’t been for quite a few years. Hence, my little snarky bit in Post #8 (supposing that some chappie had been “collecting” the road tax from her, promising to deliver it to the authorities, and now he’s going to find he can’t, in future). There is indeed no road tax in the UK. But there is a Vehicle Excise Duty, which almost everyone (IME) calls the road tax. But it doesn’t pay for the roads. Clear now? 🙂 In other news; the driver in the OP is a cock-end. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/53 "2013-05-22T21:42:45Z")
The driver in the OP now [claims she isn’t anti-cyclist.](http://jalopnik.com/girl-who-hit-cyclist-tweeted-about-it-says-she-isnt-509360551). As the article notes, it seems to be more an apology for the tweet that for being an arrogant life endangering douchewaste. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/54 "2013-05-22T22:55:13Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Well now that **Mr. Miskatonic** has brought it to your attention and provided cites showing the existence of said attitude, do you still have no reason to believe that police in the US behave differently than police in other parts of the world? Or do you think that all police are disrespective towards bicycling accidents, regardless of country? What cites from reputable sources are you talking about? Did she list them and I missed them? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/55 "2013-05-22T23:02:43Z")
Anyway, hopefully she gets the book thrown at her. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/56 "2013-05-23T05:45:09Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > The driver in the OP now [claims she isn’t anti-cyclist.](http://jalopnik.com/girl-who-hit-cyclist-tweeted-about-it-says-she-isnt-509360551). > > As the article notes, it seems to be more an apology for the tweet that for being an arrogant life endangering douchewaste. So not only is she not anti-cyclist she has now shown that sometimes cyclists do pay ‘road tax’, unless she is the only cyclist in the UK who also owns a car. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/57 "2013-05-23T09:00:39Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I followed some links from the story in the OP, and concluded that it WAS a thing, but hasn’t been for quite a few years. Hence, my little snarky bit in Post #8 (supposing that some chappie had been “collecting” the road tax from her, promising to deliver it to the authorities, and now he’s going to find he can’t, in future). Some confusion here… ‘road tax’ is just a nickname for vehicle excise duty. If you have a vehicle on the road, you have to pay an annual tax and display a '[tax disc’](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tax+disc&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB503GB504&aq=f&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=TtqdUeGPOMjF0QWy-IDYCQ&biw=1699&bih=1252&sei=ftqdUaWuC6770gXM-4HIAw) in your vehicle window. The Government colloquially refers to it as ‘[car tax](https://www.gov.uk/tax-disc)’. It doesn’t apply to bicycles. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/58 "2013-05-23T10:15:03Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > So not only is she not anti-cyclist she has now shown that sometimes cyclists do pay ‘road tax’, unless she is the only cyclist in the UK who also owns a car. Points worth stressing: 1. Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is not a road tax. Since 1937, it’s gone into the general tax pot, and gets dished out on everything. 2. The vast majority of adult cyclists in the UK are also car owners. Of all the abuse I get thrown at me as a cyclist, the one about not paying my road tax really is the one I find most laughable. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/59 "2013-05-23T10:18:39Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > The driver in the OP now [claims she isn’t anti-cyclist.](http://jalopnik.com/girl-who-hit-cyclist-tweeted-about-it-says-she-isnt-509360551). > > As the article notes, it seems to be more an apology for the tweet that for being an arrogant life endangering douchewaste. Don’t you just love how she sees the tweet as being stupid not because of the crime she admitted in it but because the tweet has impacted her career and personal life? Hmmm…I think I know what kind of impact she should have on her personal life. The UK does still incarcerate people for short stints, don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037/60 "2013-05-23T11:22:29Z")
Vehicle Excise Duty sounds a lot like the Car Registration Fee in the states. It is often thought of in the same by some US drivers : they think that and gas tax are what give them unique rights to the roads. In reality the roads are paid for by general funds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-a-cyclist-brag-about-it-in-your-tweet/659037.md?page=4)