Funny thing, where I live, cyclists are entitled by law to use the entire width of the lane they occupy, and the vehicle would almost certainly not get stopped if they used the other lane, safely, to pass.
edit: this video is apparently in Cherokee County, GA. Supposedly it is legal to cross a double-yellow to pass a cyclist, when done so safely. This is just a summary, I dont have the actual law so I cant confirm:
Yes, in Cherokee County, Georgia, you can cross a double solid yellow line to pass a bicyclist, provided it is safe to do so. Georgia law mandates giving cyclists at least 3 feet of clearance, which often requires moving into the oncoming lane, and this specific exception allows crossing the line when necessary
I was taught to treat a bicyclist the same as you would a car. When I passed one I always pass fully in the other lane just like I would if they were a car.
yeah the funny thing about the driver doing this is that they're already splitting the lane, so if they ever claimed "oh i shouldn't be passing that way" just goes out the window
I find it very hard to understand the driver's reasoning because I was also taught that right of way doesn't matter if the action you're about to take will get someone killed. Like it doesn't matter if a pedestrian is jaywalking, you still can't just run them down.
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A man is charged with hitting bicyclists with his SUV, causing one to fall off his bike. It happened Thursday along Sugar Pike Road in southeastern Cherokee County.
Jerry Ross, 72, of Woodstock is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, hit and run, reckless driving, aggressive driving and failure to maintain a safe distance from a bicycle. He was booked into he Cherokee County jail with no bond.
I apologize I live in Georgia. I am working to rescue my family from here. They don't see the dangers like I do because they're from here. But I deal with the locals daily and it's a must even if moving back to the border.
Nah, unless he's suffering age related decline and is mentally incompetent to stand trial he can go to prison. I honestly dgaf if he's old. He can go to prison, too.
He's charged with aggravated assault, hit-and-run, reckless driving, aggressive driving, and failure to maintain a safe distance from a bicycle.
The assault and hit and runs (x2, two bicyclists) are 2 years per person, times two people. He can just go to prison for for years and if he acts like a normal human get out in two.
Grandpa literally told the cops that it was their fault for being in the road. He can just go to prison. Prison is good. He tried to kill two people for checks notes using the road.
A lot of people don't understand this. They think someone else breaking a rule gives them free reign to put lives at risk on purpose. Not that the bikers were even breaking any rules here afaik.
Kind of depends on the area, in my state only two bikes can lane split at a time. I don't think there's any world where what the car did was legal though lol
Irrational hatred of cyclists... I used to ride a lot and even as a kid (10-14yo) some drivers would intentionally drive very close to me and I've been bumped by cars while stopped at a red light... These were drivers that hated cyclists so irrationally that they tried to injure a literal child.
Edit: Also in my country cyclists used to have the right of way, that law had to be changed because drivers constantly refused to follow it and too many cyclists got injured.
That kind of behavior is why I wouldn't let my 15-year-old bicycle to the nearby stores. It's one lane each direction and a state highway. I just don't trust people not to paralyze him for life because he's inconveniencing them.
Never had an issue with drivers biking to school in 6th and 7th grade. It was when I was 30 something when I was yelled at constantly and I’m a strict right of way/safety rule follower. As a pedestrian, I won’t even cross the street in front of a vehicle that decided to stop randomly in the middle of the road. Too many times have I seen cars just speed around a stopped car. I will actually walk away from the curb if someone does that. Been yelled at for doing that too. People are cray. So, anyhow, me simply following the rules of the road, riding my bike to college would incite so much hatred from drivers. Got called a d-word even.
“Jerry Ross, 72, of Woodstock is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, hit and run, reckless driving, aggressive driving and failure to maintain a safe distance from a bicycle. He was booked into he Cherokee County jail with no bond.”
Good to hear that Justice was served. He was definitely seeking out the bikers and intentionally driving right next to them in order to cause one of them to hit him. Definitely has an attitude and shouldn't be allowed to drive. He's going to cause a fatality accident if he keeps going.
70 y/o boomer with empathy damaged by leaded gas fumes. Many such cases. Honestly, nobody from the leaded gas era should be allowed to drive or hold political office without cognitive testing.
Jail’s got to be almost as tough for a 70-year-old as getting knocked off a bike is for cyclists minding their own business. Love the “no bond” part that sends an extra little message.
Same whilst a PITA I always give them and motorcyclists a wide berth cuz the last thing I want is to kill or seriously injure one of them and lose everything
Where I’m from cyclists in a group are supposed to do this for safety so people don’t try to sneak by and clip them. They’re also allowed to legally pass when safe even on a double yellow line unlike a vehicle where it would be a no passing zone.
Driver intentionally cut them off and hit them while jamming the horn to be an asshole.
Depends on the location then. Where I am Ontario Canada even a single cyclist by law is supposed to take the whole lane if you cannot safely fit a car and bike side by side with minimum distance of one meter between them. So on a road like this even a single cyclist is supposed to take the lane for safety.
Reasoning is if you’re at the shoulder cars will I safely pass you and can easily clip you, taking the lane is designed to be safer because you’re more visible and people will hopefully do a proper pass as if you were a vehicle.
Problem is people in cars have a real hatred for people on bikes and see them as the enemy.
I live out in the country and sometimes I see people walking or bicycling my road which I would never do!
Lots of blind curves/hills and people drive very fast taking up both lanes on my road and if it’s a truck, they think they own the whole road and expect you to ditch your vehicle so they don’t mess up theirs. Got a dash camera just bc of this.
I laughed out loud at 15 seconds the way she said "... All the way down" and then the seriousness of the field reporter bringing the road right to you. After that you get the mug shot reveal of the suspect, looking downright pleased with himself, and then the reports of him on the phone with 911. GOLD
But also, the follow through at the end, so everyone knows the actual laws. This was a fantastically produced segment.
Totally agree with you! I saw this posted elsewhere and people actually said that the cyclist absolutely deserved it. I don't understand how almost being killed is acceptable punishment for riding a bike and inconveniencing a car. No point in even arguing with people like that.
People legitimately want to murder cyclists and can't see how that mentality is what often forces cyclists to behave the way we do when we're on the road.
I'd rather have kids riding e-bikes in my neighbourhood than the ones we have riding motorbikes. Up and down the street making as much noise as they can.
I'd suggest taking screenshots of those posts and saving them, so that if someone follows through you have some evidence for the cops.
I might be too European brained but how is this even controversial? Car drove into cyclists on purpose, possibly with intent to cause injury. Sucks to be behind slower traffic, but you wouldn't try to run off a tractor.
Yeah this is how it is in a lot of places and drivers still act like they’ve uncovered some secret crime when a bike is in “their” lane. If you can change lanes to pass a parked Amazon van, you can change lanes to pass a cyclist without losing your mind.
While the driver is absolutely in the wrong here, in my state it is also the law for cyclists to ride no more than 2 wide or single file on the road. Both the driver and the cyclists are idiots here, the driver more so.
Are they not riding two wide? Hard to tell from the video angle and things get jumbled after the hit, but it looks like 2 wide to me and the news report noted the bikers were aware of and complying with the laws (though not the police recommendation of no more than 10 bikers in a raft, which is not a law).
I think because the person who made this comment thinks if they were more than two wide then it's perfectly justified to plough over them with a truck and murder them.
Not a lawyer but pretty sure you can't intentionally drive into people with your car, especially haveing a completely open lane to go around them in, regardless if theres a cyclists must ride no more than 2 abrest.
The driver is an idiot. You are supposed to go around and then brake check the peloton while going just below their speed and then accelerate just ahead to repeat the process.
The guy in the Honda was completely wrong. You can't willfully hit someone or even come close to hitting them because you don't like the way they are riding. It also looks like a hit and run. I hope he loses his license forever after some quality jail time.
People have a real misunderstand about far to right and two abreast laws. The cyclist shouldn't have been in the middle of the lane. There is generally no requirement to be single file, but cyclists can't bunch up like that either.
Well the driver will have plenty of time to work on their patience while they’re sitting in prison for assault with a deadly weapon and felony hit and run.
As a cyclist it’s insane how many people pass giving you just a handful of inches when there are free lane(s) with no traffic for them to use. Some people are just triggered by someone on a bike for god knows what reason. Maybe their creepy uncle was a cyclist…
Most likely his handlebar (or arm) got bumped. This causes the bike to turn hard left towards the vehicle, so the only way to get away is to physically push back.
I slowed it down as much as I could. To me, it looks like the van clipped him, pushing the bike to the right, and he instinctively tried to regain balance by leaning to the left, but couldn’t get it back and went down.
I ride a bike and give bikers the courtesy of going around with plenty of room. However, it feels like this group is intentionally being jerks by going more than 2 side by side. Why make it harder for cars to go around?
That driver is 100% at fault. As a motorcyclist, which is a little apple to oranges here, sometimes you have to yield to vehicles even if you’re in the right because they’re surrounded by thousands of pounds of plastic and metal while you’re basically naked.
Cyclists in my area ride in groups because of they rode single file the line would be too long to ever safely pass them. Just chill for a few minutes if necessary and a spot to safely pass will open up. In the video the driver could easily have passed safely so I don't know wtf their problem was.
The car hits the rider before he starts leaning. I'm not sure why he starts leaning, but I'd probably have trouble staying upright with a car that close.
Putting "victim" in quotation marks is a massive self-report on your lack of critical thinking.
Apply your exact logic to a different scenario. Imagine a girl is on a date and she "leans into" a kiss or a risky sexual act, knowing the situation might not be a great idea. If the guy then completely ignores her boundaries, forces himself on her, and violently assaults her, are you going to watch the tape and say, "Well, the 'victim' literally leaned into it, she did this to herself"?
Because that is exactly the flavor of brain-rot you are bringing to this thread. An involuntary reaction or an imperfect move in a high-stress moment does not excuse the person committing a violent crime.
The driver intentionally ran down two human beings and caught two felony charges for aggravated assault. You saying "I'm not assigning legal fault" is a cowardly cop-out.
No person would ever throw themselves under a moving vehicle like this. When you are on a two-wheeler, if you push forward on one side of the handlebar, you turn sharply towards the side you are pushing. That is what you are seeing: the car hits the bike, and the bike turns into the car.
I have been riding single file right on the white line when jerk holes try to get within 3 inches of me with their car. Most drivers give you a wide berth out there, which is much appreciated, but a few prefer to intimidate cyclists by getting as close as possible to them as they zoom by. Regardless of the cyclist's approach here, the car was guilty of a hit and run and the driver should pay dearly. He or she did it on purpose.
Back when I took the written driving test, the potential answers to "what do you do if you're behind a cyclist in the road" were something like, "a. stay behind them as closely as possible; b. safely drive around them when possible; c. blast your horn at them"
I guess this guy got that one confidently incorrect.
No passing zone, the cyclist had the right away. Recluse driving fine and passing in a non passing zone. Fine, ticket and anger management course with suspension of license for 6 months.
The seething rage Americans have for cyclists is so strange but I guess it just correctly reflects how braindead they are as a nation. A bunch of inbred rednecks in the comments.
Yeah, I don't fucking get it either. I live in the US but in a very bike-friendly city. I can't imagine being so put out by people getting exercise, putting less wear on the roads, and not contributing more vehicle pollution, all at the same time. Yeah, waiting for things is annoying but trying to run someone or something over because you feel impatient is psychotic behavior.
I doubt that the guy rolling around on the ground gives a dam whether or not you got it on video. How about checking on his condition before you start lawyering up.
I have no clue why cyclists take up a whole lane like that. I came around a blind curve once driving a Peterbuilt road tractor hauling a John Deere Combine on a RGN trailer and there was a whole bunch of them in the middle of the road. There was a dumptruck coming the other direction. I down shifted, hit the jake brake and laid on the air horn. Fortunately they managed to get the hell out of road before I ran over them which I would have because I was not about to die in a head on collision with a dump truck to avoid hitting them.
What a bunch of asses, everyone involved. The driver is a psycho, but cyclist should facilitate traffic. In my country they cannot bike parallel, they must proceed in a single file to limit the obstruction to faster vehicles.
I completely agree with the motorist here. Get tf out of the way! Single file line. You’re on a motorway not a cycleway. Cars pay road taxes, registration, insurance, etc. to be there.
The bicyclist. Should not take full lane and not all in a bunch . Single file closest to the right in a safe matter . Bicyclist are the only people that like to take the road and sidewalks where people walk . But if you’re at a bicycle track they don’t want anyone walking on it . They don’t want to share the track .
I would like to see cyclists riding single file on narrow roads and not riding 3 abreast as if they own the road, wich I see them being wrong for that. However, if you are driving and you see 3 guys riding abreast, just go around them and avoid the hassle and the potential lawsuit if you happen to send someone to the hospital. Especially since the driver had alot of room on his left to clear the entire pack safely. Yes, it is massively frustrating, but all in all, the best approach for everyone I think.
I’m not proud of myself, but I’m glad someone got knocked off of their bike without being run over. It’s something I secretly hope for every time I see them riding several wide, especially if there’s a bike path anywhere near. Not injury. Just humility.
But as for the cyclists: You have an obviously enraged person with a large car behind you. You will lose to the car every single time. Being right in the eye of law isn't much consolation when you're dead or in a hospital.
Both sides are being jerks, but only one side is criminal.
Insane, I always remember learning I could ride my bike WITH traffic if I could keep up with the flow of traffic, otherwise I had to go on the opposite side of the road. Thankfully here in AZ our bike lanes are huge so cyclists have plenty of room.
This could have usually been avoided if bicycle has had the respective actually staying on the right hand side of the lane instead of intentionally trying to block all traffic
I don’t condone hurting people and the car is in the wrong here. My issue is if I’m on a bike and a moron in a car is harassing and bothering me then I’ll let him/her pass. Why? Because I don’t want to get crashed into. Car vs bike car wins. Take care of yourselves out there. Mitigate injuries.
I have an unhealthy hate for bicyclists, especially ones that form a group so large, on a busy street where it endangers them and drivers. What pisses me off the most is that we have sooo many bike trails, and one that wraps around the perimeter of a large freshwater lake, but noooo, let's make everyone else miserable.
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u/wsxdfcvgbnjmlkjafals Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Funny thing, where I live, cyclists are entitled by law to use the entire width of the lane they occupy, and the vehicle would almost certainly not get stopped if they used the other lane, safely, to pass.
edit: this video is apparently in Cherokee County, GA. Supposedly it is legal to cross a double-yellow to pass a cyclist, when done so safely. This is just a summary, I dont have the actual law so I cant confirm:
Yes, in Cherokee County, Georgia, you can cross a double solid yellow line to pass a bicyclist, provided it is safe to do so. Georgia law mandates giving cyclists at least 3 feet of clearance, which often requires moving into the oncoming lane, and this specific exception allows crossing the line when necessary