It is now illegal to throw objects at CO Cyclists

[Cackalacka]

Good news everyone,

Apparently it is now illegal to throw objects at bicyclists in Colorado.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-08-03-bikes_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Which begs the question, was it ever legal to do so?

 

[mikefish]

hats off to Wisconsin!!!:

"Wisconsin lawmakers in June eliminated a requirement that bicyclists ride 3 feet away from parked cars. The law also prohibits motorists from opening car doors without checking for cyclists."

also, it was only illegal if the cyclist was hit. now they can be fined whether the projectile makes its mark or not.


this guy sounds like a real jerk:

Not everyone supports the new laws. Larimer County, Colo., Sheriff James Alderden, who testified against Colorado's 3-feet-to-pass law, called them "basically impossible" to enforce and said he thinks some bicyclists, "cop an attitude" when it comes to following traffic laws.

what i imagine jerk face might look like:

what dumbass fails to realize, is that these laws might be hard (oh darn, might have to work) to enforce, but if they are broken, and a serious injury happens from one of these laws being broken, it will help the cyclist more in the end, and as other drivers hear of these cases, it may help give that protection these laws are trying to create. over time of course.



"he thinks some bicyclists, "cop an attitude""

so ticket those people ass munch! what about the rest of us? f#@k 'em? thanks sheriff. let see, a few cyclist piss you off, so screw them all. what a prick.

well, using his thinking, now i hate all Sheriffs.

 

[Lock]

LOL... Seriously, that is what Sheriff Alderwhatever looks like?

Yah, you know yer in trouble when he hoves into view just by looking at him...

anywhooo...

Apparently it is now illegal to throw objects at bicyclists in Colorado.
Which begs the question, was it ever legal to do so?

...probably OK to add layers of laws in this area, but yah I'd have said that "assault w/a weapon" would have covered throwing stuff in the first place. Don't know CO laws but guess that "A w/a W" is pretty generic...

tks
loCC

 

[mikefish]

LOL... Seriously, that is what Sheriff Alderwhatever looks like?

nah, i was just imagining some lard ass that cant even ride a bike! found that pic and put it up.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Sacman]

i would think that any place (not just Colorado) could legally consider throwing objects at cyclists a form of assault, and if it actually hits the cyclist ... battery.

 

[liveforphysics]

I had three firecrackers thrown at me from a moving vehicle while riding on a bridge in ottawa. This law kind of makes me pause, like I assumed such things would already be illegal. I would think tossing firecrackers to be a bit more serious than tossing some other objects, unless we're talking anvils like on cartoons. :lol:

Unless they go off right on your eye, firecrackers are essentially harmless. As a kid, we used to put on swim goggles, and play the firecracker throwing at each other game constantly with buddies. Same with bottle rockets. Even direct hits in the face never amounted to more than a little welt and a smudge of soot. For example, you can set a firecracker on your open hand, light it, and it's frightening to see the flash and hear the noise, but it just feels like somebody gave you a "Hi-5", and all the damage it does it a little smudge of soot. Close your fist up tight around the fire cracker... OUCH! That hurts a lot, but still rarely causes damage.

It's also very difficult to time the fuse correctly to pop right as it hits your target. I don't know how many thousand crackers I've tossed at buddies, and had tossed at me while playing, but about 99% of them hit and bounce off, then pop, or if you are gutsy, then often pop on the way to the target, or even in your hand if you don't quite release in time.

This only applies to firecrackers and bottle rockets. Something like M80s is an entirely different animal. M80s will tear flesh from bone, and cause major contusions and burns.

M80 = not a toy.
Firecracker = safe for everywhere but your eyes, but I think that rule also applies to 99.99% of all toys or objects you can throw.



Throwing ANYTHING, even a harmless ping-pong ball or something is dangerous for a cyclist, because your own reaction to something may cause you to crash, and the kinetic energy you have stored in your body IS able to cause serious harm. I'm glad to hear they are making that illegal. I had all ready assumed that throwing any unwanted object at any person under any circumstances was assault.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Zoot Katz]

I've had empty beer bottles, full pop cans, a truck door, a grapefruit, McDonalds dipping sauces, water balloons, apples, eggs, fire crackers, a punch, and probably more shit than is memorable thrown in my direction.
A water balloon, the punch* and an egg were the only objects that made contact with the target.
The egg stung and sucked all day. The water balloon was most violent by knocking me from the paved shoulder.
The failed grapefruit was a gift from universe. So was successfully dodging the truck door.

I've been known to spontaneously throw peanuts, pebbles or pennies at cars. It's reactionary and retaliatory and usually as a pedestrian.
If I can't take my hands off the handlebar, encroaching scuds may get a pneumatically propelled throat oyster across the bows as a warning.

*I guess the punch doesn't count because hero was running after me in the road at that point.

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

I've only been hit with an egg just once.
also jousted with a golf club by the back seat passenger in a passing honda civic.
i guess that would be legal since it wasn't thrown?
should point out that in both instances the cars were full of young adults that sported B.C. plates.
seems this must be a popular pastime in shangri-la.
other than that i get at least once a year from certain local drivers here they prefer instead to suddenly scream or yell at the top of their lungs while leaning out their window to try & startle u into losing control which they then laff & laff as they drive off.

 

[Cackalacka]

Ha-

I recall the last time I experienced the passenger side-scream Toorbough references, it was two chuckle-head teens in an old Corolla with Jersey tags. They thought it would be cute to shout/swerve thing at the bottom of a gradual hill, about 1/3 a mile from the next stop-light (which is a long one) on the outskirts of my neighborhood.

I'm guessing they didn't know I was on an ebike or was capable of pacing with them; when I caught up to them stopped at the light and pounded on the shotgun window to ask them what they were trying to tell me, their faces were as white as the driven snow.

Curiously, they did not want to roll down their window. Hell, they didn't want to make eye contact, either. I am pretty sure they heard me rattle off their plate numbers and 'I-95 North is the other direction, assholes.'

Should have taken out the camera-phone and snapped their pictures. Little boys can be so confrontational when they've got a little steel around them.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Ha-

I recall the last time I experienced the passenger side-scream Toorbough references, it was two chuckle-head teens in an old Corolla with Jersey tags. . . .

My automatic reaction was to shout "BANG!" when I'd surprise drivers throwing their doors open without having first looked for a bike.
I'd generally anticipate their move so usually wasn't too surprised.

Then a geezer clutched her heart like she'd been shot.
It's now a more casual, "didja look?. . . fukwit."