cross country trip on an electric bike ended by cager

[KnightofNi]

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/11/the-short-strange-trip-of-nathan-abbott-a-cautionary-tale/


i really like the idea of what he was doing.
if the range on fully electric cars and bikes was better i would have one.
hope he gets better quickly.

and while i'm not going to call for the girl's head on a platter, i will call for her license. at least for a little while. i'm sure she's all manner of distraught over the accident, but a moments inattention has horrible results sometimes.

[Pedro-bot]

Sucks. Hope he recovers fully, and soon.

[sbrguy]

until more facts come out, from what i read it sounds like the person passee the 18 wheeler and then hit someone from behind.

basically they didn't have the room to move in and they did anyway because they wanted to and didn't care. or they just moved over and never bothered to even look over their shoulder like they should have.

simple as that, its careless its reckless and you should lose your license for years for that. 

sorry but the word "accident" is way overused today, most "accidents" are easily avoided if people actually PAID ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY ARE DOING.

i love how the article says "maybe it was that it was TOO QUIET" (see thread on LOUD PIPES)

[Drjones]

It didn't say what speed he was traveling at the time and it doesn't excuse the person at fault by any stretch of the imagination (unless you're in insurance or a lawyer), but most interstates I know of have a minimum speed limit as well as a maximum.  Traveling outside both ends of the spectrum increases the risk of an accident.  You can tought the Energia as a "not a scooter, because it'll do 60mph!"  but as the article says that isn't practical when you actually want to go somewhere other than the corner store, because it sucks battery power.  I'm sorry, but he stuck his neck way out when he put that "scooter" on the freeway.  45mph on a freeway is asking to get run over in this day and age.

The "too quiet" argument doesn't hold, since I hear road noise more than anything else on the freeway when in a cage.  When was the last time you heard the engine noise from a standard car or light truck; never?

[somegirl]

I thought it said he was going 60 mph?

Hope he recovers quickly.

[corey]

only thing i'm curious on, which is not really mentioned in the article, is whether or not it was dark at the time nathan was hit from behind. The enertia has such a small profile, especially from directly behind. I know there was a person on it, but this screams accident to me. i know all about the "there are no accidents" argument, but this certainly isn't something that someone intended to happen.

godspeed to him

[erkishhorde]

I think the article said it was at about 7pm which would be decently dark. I bet the girl just didn't see him because the brammo is so small. There is no mention of what kind of gear he was wearing besides an expensive helmet. I've nearly gotten clobbered plenty of times riding at night which is why I try to avoid it.

[LowThudd]

It didn't say what speed he was traveling at the time and it doesn't excuse the person at fault by any stretch of the imagination (unless you're in insurance or a lawyer), but most interstates I know of have a minimum speed limit as well as a maximum.  Traveling outside both ends of the spectrum increases the risk of an accident. 

Yep...I have an uncle who got a ticket for driving his VW bus to slowly on the freeway. I think it was irresposable to take a 60mph limit vehicle on a 70mph highway(most go 90mph on I5). But, sounds like the accident is still the cagers fault. I hope he gets well soon.

[Raux]

in europe the vehicle type sets their limit. but their are also minimum limits on roads. 60mph or 100kph is more than legal on a unlimited autobahn. this guy had every right to be on that road.

[erkishhorde]

in europe the vehicle type sets their limit. but their are also minimum limits on roads. 60mph or 100kph is more than legal on a unlimited autobahn. this guy had every right to be on that road.

I don't think that the argument is whether or not he had the right to be there. It's whether or not it was smart for him to be there. Kinda like how pedestrians have the right of way but it's not smart to step off the curb in front of a car that you know is gonna cream you.

[Raux]

that argument basically means that every single one of us don't have the right to share the road with 4 wheel fully enclosed vehicles.

[KnightofNi]

I don't think that the argument is whether or not he had the right to be there. It's whether or not it was smart for him to be there. Kinda like how pedestrians have the right of way but it's not smart to step off the curb in front of a car that you know is gonna cream you.

the guy said he didn't want to ride on the interstate and was trying to avoid it. that was a section that he felt he had to take.

sucks that his fears were realized.

[sbrguy]

i hated the article used the term "accident' that makes it like it was nobody's fault like the person couldn't have avoided hitting someone in any way whatsoever.

sorry vehicle collisions unless there is some sort of mechanical failure is not an accident.  most times its due to driver error plain and simple.  meaning people are at fault its not an "accident" it happened because people are stupid.

[Popeye the Sailor]

sorry vehicle collisions unless there is some sort of mechanical failure is not an accident. 

So if I ignore my bald tires and get a blowout and wreck, it's not my fault?

[rockaduc]

So if I ignore my bald tires and get a blowout and wreck, it's not my fault?

Correct, it is the fault of the tire manufacturer and the maker of the vehicle (if they are OEM tires).