# I found the cyclist everyone thinks of when they think of bad cyclists **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 29, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815 "2014-08-29T00:34:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/61 "2014-09-04T22:29:10Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Pregnant woman vs. bike messenger in Seattle](http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2013/04/pregnant_woman_vs_bicyclist_in.html) > Bare bones: > Car cuts off messenger, messenger kicks car. > Pregnant passenger gets out, confronts cyclist. > PP pulls out stun gun, cyclist attempts to flee, _she chases and catches him, hits him in the face. Twice._. (Seems to not understand how a stun gun works.) > Driver comes on the scene, pulls his own stun gun and beats cyclist with it(also seems to not understand how a stun gun works). Pair gets back in their car and drives off. > [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Well that was entertaining. So, is this supposed to be a good thing…? ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/62 "2014-09-04T23:50:06Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Must be the latter. > > If I live near an area where people hunt and there are frequent near-misses, I’d be smart to make sure my house and self are easy to see, in order to avoid accidental shootings. That’s me taking a reasonable and painless precaution, not me futilely trying to monitor and control whoever happens to be around. I don’t need to tattle to an authority figure any time someone around me breaks a rule, and I take no satisfaction in seeing such people punished. > There are way too many people being chewed up and spit out by the legal system as it is. It’s unfortunate and tragic when an innocent bystander is harmed because of someone’s carelessness, but the person who has made the careless mistake is not automatically a piece of garbage. If no one has been hurt, hurting the rule-breaker is not improving the situation. I’m sorry, but are you being intentionally obtuse? Do you know how far a bullet can travel? A hunter doesn’t have to be particularly close to my home to be a danger to me ([Cite](http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hunter_education/homestudy/firearms/bullets.phtml)) He can’t necessarily see my home, if he’s in the woods a mile away, but his bullet can still get to my house in a big hurry. If a hunter is unaware of his surroundings - i.e. the location of homes or businesses or other occupied places - he poses a serious risk to people’s lives. Just because he hit a tree in my yard this time doesn’t mean that he’ll miss my kid the next time. (I’ve lived in rural areas most of my life. This has happened twice - once when I was 5 or 6, the second time when I was a teenager. The law was called. In both cases, the hunter was warned - not arrested.) Law enforcement has two major missions: Serve and protect. Preventing/mitigating risky behavior is part of the second mission, whether you agree with it or not. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/63 "2014-09-05T01:09:57Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > I’m sorry, but are you being intentionally obtuse? > > Do you know how far a bullet can travel? A hunter doesn’t have to be particularly close to my home to be a danger to me ([Cite](http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hunter_education/homestudy/firearms/bullets.phtml)) He can’t necessarily see my home, if he’s in the woods a mile away, but his bullet can still get to my house in a big hurry. If a hunter is unaware of his surroundings - i.e. the location of homes or businesses or other occupied places - he poses a serious risk to people’s lives. Just because he hit a tree in my yard this time doesn’t mean that he’ll miss my kid the next time. (I’ve lived in rural areas most of my life. This has happened twice - once when I was 5 or 6, the second time when I was a teenager. The law was called. In both cases, the hunter was warned - not arrested.) Law enforcement has two major missions: Serve and protect. Preventing/mitigating risky behavior is part of the second mission, whether you agree with it or not. **Stealth Potato** specifically said the offending hypothetical hunter should “go to jail,” and “probably have their guns taken away,” not that they should be warned. I don’t need a professional go-between with a badge to speak to another person. I can deliver my own messages, without threats of extortion or imprisonment. Plus, what if the hunter is black and the officer “feels threatened”? Too risky. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/64 "2014-09-05T01:19:27Z")
I suppose it’s up to you whether to blindly approach someone you know to be armed and taking shots while entirely unaware of his surroundings, then. Personally, I see a few potential problems with that plan. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/65 "2014-09-05T02:08:07Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > **Stealth Potato** specifically said the offending hypothetical hunter should “go to jail,” and “probably have their guns taken away,” not that they should be warned. I don’t need a professional go-between with a badge to speak to another person. I can deliver my own messages, without threats of extortion or imprisonment. > > Plus, what if the hunter is black and the officer “feels threatened”? Too risky. So you’re standing in your backyard, hear a noise & turn around to see a hole in your siding or your window. Have you ever seen pictures from a crime scene? They have a crime scene tech, who has had some training & access to long dowels to figure out the bullet trajectory. Unless you can do this quickly, you’ve got a pretty wide arc of ground to cover to find Elmer Fudd (the cartoon character, not the SMDB member) when he was hunting Bugs or Daffy. If he’s wearing camo & sitting up in a tree stand, you might not even see him. Even if you do find him & say, “Hey, be careful.” you wouldn’t know he did the same thing to my house last week & a third person’s house the week before. The police would know this when they run his info & look at all of the contacts they’ve had with him. Anyone can have an accident & no harm no foul, but Elmer the serial house hunter shouldn’t be allowed to have his guns anymore because he shows a repeated disregard for life. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/66 "2014-09-05T02:08:36Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > I suppose it’s up to you whether to blindly approach someone you know to be armed and taking shots while entirely unaware of his surroundings, then. Personally, I see a few potential problems with that plan. Not for me. I’d rather get shot than live as a paranoid coward who is part of the problem. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/67 "2014-09-05T02:16:48Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > So you’re standing in your backyard, hear a noise & turn around to see a hole in your siding or your window. Have you ever seen pictures from a crime scene? They have a crime scene tech, who has had some training & access to long dowels to figure out the bullet trajectory. Unless you can do this quickly, you’ve got a pretty wide arc of ground to cover to find Elmer Fudd (the cartoon character, not the SMDB member) when he was hunting Bugs or Daffy. If he’s wearing camo & sitting up in a tree stand, you might not even see him. > Even if you do find him & say, “Hey, be careful.” you wouldn’t know he did the same thing to my house last week & a third person’s house the week before. The police would know this when they run his info & look at all of the contacts they’ve had with him. Anyone can have an accident & no harm no foul, but Elmer the serial house hunter shouldn’t be allowed to have his guns anymore because he shows a repeated disregard for life. I’m not going to chase him down. If the police “know” this guy shot up two other houses, then obviously they aren’t much help, so all the more reason I should take care of this myself – by doing very little. I’d patch up my siding and replace my window when I got around to it. At the local convenience store, I’d mention that it happened, and someone would chime in with other incidents and information if there was any. Even if someone shot up my house on purpose the odds that they’d hit an occupant are slim, so I would not be very concerned. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/68 "2014-09-05T02:20:42Z")
My guess is that he may be doing meth or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/69 "2014-09-05T02:21:51Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Not for me. I’d rather get shot than live as a paranoid coward who is part of the problem. I guess, if your definition of paranoid coward is “someone with enough sense to avoid walking toward someone firing blindly toward my house,” then I’m guilty as charged. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/70 "2014-09-05T02:35:27Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > I guess, if your definition of paranoid coward is “someone with enough sense to avoid walking toward someone firing blindly toward my house,” then I’m guilty as charged. From a stray bullet to a rain of gunfire… Sounds like I should move before my whole house collapses. If only I’d called a cop in time! ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/71 "2014-09-05T02:56:02Z")
Read for comprehension, please. “Blindly: Adverb. As if blind; without seeing or noticing.” Not a numeric description, a literal description of the manner in which the proverbial hunter is firing his weapon. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/72 "2014-09-05T03:07:28Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Read for comprehension, please. “Blindly: Adverb. As if blind; without seeing or noticing.” Not a numeric description, a literal description of the manner in which the proverbial hunter is firing his weapon. Comprehend yourself: “is firing,” as in it is an ongoing action… Originally someone “just fired” a “few” bullets, but now according to you it’s an ongoing situation during which they are continuing to fire blindly in my direction. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/73 "2014-09-05T03:27:29Z")
One who is in the process of hunting has the potential to fire his or her weapon at any point - it’s not as though that round that hit my tree was their one try: “Hey, I shot at that deer and I missed. Time to go home!” “Is firing” does not, in my mind, imply a continuous burst of gunfire; but that the hunter is primed and ready to go and has every intention of firing again as soon as he believes he has a good target. I have no intention of becoming his target by crashing through the brush asking him to please not shoot toward my house. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/74 "2014-09-05T03:35:30Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > One who is in the process of hunting has the potential to fire his or her weapon at any point - it’s not as though that round that hit my tree was their one try: “Hey, I shot at that deer and I missed. Time to go home!” “Is firing” does not, in my mind, imply a continuous burst of gunfire; but that the hunter is primed and ready to go and has every intention of firing again as soon as he believes he has a good target. I have no intention of becoming his target by crashing through the brush asking him to please not shoot toward my house. I have no intention of becoming a target by summoning an armed cop to the scene. Bringing in more guns to stop an accidental shooting sure seems clever, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/75 "2014-09-05T03:40:05Z")
Ah yes. They’re really out to get you, dude. That must suck. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/76 "2014-09-05T03:52:48Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Ah yes. They’re really out to get you, dude. That must suck. No dude, I don’t want _anyone_ to get shot. I am quite certain no one is out to get me, dude. The fewer accidents of this nature the better. Dude. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/77 "2014-09-05T08:45:42Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > So, is this supposed to be a good thing…? No, it was just entertaining, like something out of [The Benny Hill Show.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAiq1xKF38k) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/78 "2014-09-05T09:03:35Z")
Stealth Potato. This is how [quickly](http://wgntv.com/2014/09/04/familys-emotional-video-shows-shocking-fatal-crash-goal-is-to-raise-awareness/) it can end for your friend in your video. Not a bike but a cycle. Same difference. (Note the warning). ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/79 "2014-09-05T09:56:06Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Stealth Potato. This is how [quickly](http://wgntv.com/2014/09/04/familys-emotional-video-shows-shocking-fatal-crash-goal-is-to-raise-awareness/) it can end for your friend in your video. Not a bike but a cycle. Same difference. (Note the warning). Good video. He was riding way, way too fast for the road conditions. If it was empty then okay, but there’s commuter traffic and cagers can be slow to react. As to the OP, maybe having a quick chat with him at the lights would’ve been more constructive? Something like “Hey man, a truck just missed you but you didn’t see it because you were on your phone. Take care.” Shouting “Get off your damned phone” isn’t often going to get you the results you want. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815/80 "2014-09-05T10:23:45Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > Good video. He was riding way, way too fast for the road conditions. If it was empty then okay, but there’s commuter traffic and cagers can be slow to react. > > As to the OP, maybe having a quick chat with him at the lights would’ve been more constructive? Something like “Hey man, a truck just missed you but you didn’t see it because you were on your phone. Take care.” Shouting “Get off your damned phone” isn’t often going to get you the results you want. JustinC. Agreed. Sad all the way around. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-the-cyclist-everyone-thinks-of-when-they-think-of-bad-cyclists/696815.md?page=5)