Johnny Gaudreau and Brother Matthew Killed by Drunk Driver

[Thorner]

5 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

With all the avowed drinkers on this board, heavy even, I'd be careful with the rhetoric and judgment. A lot of you are one little nudge from doing exactly what this driver is alleged to have done. The problem isn't drunk driving.

The problem isn’t drunk driving? 

[JoeSchmoe]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

In Texas the law is basically as far to the right as practical, but a cyclist may take the full lane if required for safety reasons (lane not wide enough to pass).

Not sure if this is a thing in Texas, but I live in an area that's really popular with weekend cyclists. Does that law allow them to ride side by side, as some people do around here? It's the exception rather than the norm, but sometimes you see people not wanting to share the road and they'll back up cars behind them when there's plenty of room to go single file.

Edited September 10 by JoeSchmoe

[Wyldnwoody44]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

With all the avowed drinkers on this board, heavy even, I'd be careful with the rhetoric and judgment. A lot of you are one little nudge from doing exactly what this driver is alleged to have done. The problem isn't drunk driving.

Because people here drink (casually or heavily) makes them reckless? 

Reckless driving is the issue here, but you want to sit here and say the alcohol didn't contribute to that recklessness? 

If this was truly accidental, it would be one thing, but being under the influence and so reckless that you ignore the basic rules of the road and kill multiple innocent people... Yeah.... 

I would have the same stance if someone was texting and driving and drifted and struck innocent poeple, sober or not, but the optics of being hammered certainly do not help. 

[#freejame]

Reckless driving is something I see more and more every day. I was not surprised to learn the driver was drunk, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if he weren’t. Alcohol is poison, but it is one of many issues behind the wheel today. 

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

The problem isn’t drunk driving? 

No. Nor is drunk stepping when someone falls down the stairs while intoxicated.

[Thorner]

14 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

No. Nor is drunk stepping when someone falls down the stairs while intoxicated.

People don’t generally understand nor think there’s a reasonable chance they could kill someone else if they walk down the stairs, drunk. This would be because it isn’t, in fact, something that happens when people walk down the stairs drunk. If people are incapable of understanding the fact they are piloting a potentially deadly weapon, to others, while stepping behind the wheel drunk, after routinely being presented evidence to the contrary, that’s assuredly, definitively on them. And they are incredibly stupid people. 

Do better, your argument is very bad. In all honesty, it’s shocking how bad the argument is 

Edited September 10 by Thorny

[Thorner]

45 minutes ago, #freejame said:

Reckless driving is something I see more and more every day. I was not surprised to learn the driver was drunk, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if he weren’t. Alcohol is poison, but it is one of many issues behind the wheel today. 

And “ya, but what about..” isn’t a good argument, either. (Not saying you are making it). Drunk driving isn’t less of a problem because there are also other bad, illegal things people do behind the wheel 

Edited September 10 by Thorny

[Doohickie]

2 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Not sure if this is a thing in Texas, but I live in an area that's really popular with weekend cyclists. Does that law allow them to ride side by side, as some people do around here? It's the exception rather than the norm, but sometimes you see people not wanting to share the road and they'll back up cars behind them when there's plenty of room to go single file.

Two abreast is legal.  Three or more isn't. 

[#freejame]

30 minutes ago, Thorny said:

And “ya, but what about..” isn’t a good argument, either. (Not saying you are making it). Drunk driving isn’t less of a problem because there are also other bad, illegal things people do behind the wheel 

For sure. There’s two distinct problems at play here that happen to be intertwined in this instance. People shouldn’t be driving with lowered inhibitions. People should be driving as safely as possible. You can’t pick and choose which side to abide by.

People forget they are responsible for giant, metal missiles capable of great damage. For most, getting in a car is the most dangerous thing they will ever do and they feel very at ease behind the wheel.

Everyone can stand to take it more seriously, which entails doing so soberly (amongst other things). 

 

Edited September 10 by #freejame

[shrader]

2 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Two abreast is legal.  Three or more isn't. 

Thanks, I now want to go watch Total Recall. 

[Huckleberry]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

With all the avowed drinkers on this board, heavy even, I'd be careful with the rhetoric and judgment. A lot of you are one little nudge from doing exactly what this driver is alleged to have done. The problem isn't drunk driving.

Probably not the most popular opinion, but the friends I see drive like idiots when sober, do that at the same speeds when drunk, also those are the friends who have gotten a few drunk accidents.    Personally I don't drive around drunk anymore, I have done it a few times, but kept at speedlimits and was all good.

[Weave]

10 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

No. Nor is drunk stepping when someone falls down the stairs while intoxicated.

Would genuinely appreciate you expanding on your point.

[PASabreFan]

19 hours ago, Thorny said:

People don’t generally understand nor think there’s a reasonable chance they could kill someone else if they walk down the stairs, drunk. This would be because it isn’t, in fact, something that happens when people walk down the stairs drunk. If people are incapable of understanding the fact they are piloting a potentially deadly weapon, to others, while stepping behind the wheel drunk, after routinely being presented evidence to the contrary, that’s assuredly, definitively on them. And they are incredibly stupid people. 

Do better, your argument is very bad. In all honesty, it’s shocking how bad the argument is 

Your argument seems to be that judgment is not impaired along with everything else.

[Doohickie]

7 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Your argument seems to be that judgment is not impaired along with everything else.

I took it as people who drive like morons when sober drive like even worse morons when drunk.

[LGR4GM]

19 hours ago, shrader said:

Thanks, I now want to go watch Total Recall. 

There's an image I thought I had scrubbed from my brain. 

[Huckleberry]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

There's an image I thought I had scrubbed from my brain. 

If that is what you remember from this movie 😛

[mjd1001]

On 9/10/2024 at 11:47 AM, JoeSchmoe said:

Not sure if this is a thing in Texas, but I live in an area that's really popular with weekend cyclists. Does that law allow them to ride side by side, as some people do around here? It's the exception rather than the norm, but sometimes you see people not wanting to share the road and they'll back up cars behind them when there's plenty of room to go single file.

Cycling rules are something I will never understand.

I ride a lot, but I'm a casual cycler.  I have my 'comfort bike', ride on the side of the road or bike trail if available, I cruise along comfortably, 12-15mph at most.  I do see alot of the people, often in groups, the cycle wearing the tight spandex, the bikes that cost a few thousand dollars, tires that are about 3/4 inch ride, and they like to go along at 20-25mph.  That is fine.  However...

If I'm on the side of the road and you are passing me, how about passing me like a car does, give me a bit of room. They go by me so fast that if I made even the slightest move to the left we would collide. Also, they give no indication they are going by. Kinda rude/unsafe if you ask me.

I did live on Cape Cod outside of Boston and it was totally different there.  The post signs on the rail trails there asking people to say 'on your left' when you approach someone going slower, and almost all the time people do. They gave plenty of room when they pass.  Even when not on the trail and you have those 'semi-pro' cyclers, I always found them much safer and much more courteous when I lived on the Cape. Here in WNY, and when I lived in Florida...totally different. very rude, very unsafe.

[SwampD]

On 9/10/2024 at 2:00 PM, Doohickie said:

Two abreast is legal.  Three or more isn't. 

Unless two is blocking the flow of traffic. At least in NJ.

[Doohickie]

Just now, SwampD said:

Unless two is blocking the flow of traffic. At least in NJ.

@JoeSchmoe was asking specifically about Texas.

[JoeSchmoe]

5 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

I ride a lot, but I'm a casual cycler.  I have my 'comfort bike', ride on the side of the road or bike trail if available, I cruise along comfortably, 12-15mph at most.

I used to ride a lot in my 20s on my mountain bike, mainly for transportation purposes. Once in a while though I'd go out and do 20 or 30 miles. I had enough close calls that I'd never consider cycling as a sport. Hats off to @Doohickie and the rest of you guys that are still at it.

The worst are the transport trucks. They don't pull over AND they blow up tons of wind. They blew me onto the gravel shoulder so many times... Some of those times I would have gone down for sure with road tires.

[shrader]

2 hours ago, SwampD said:

Unless two is blocking the flow of traffic. At least in NJ.

I hate sharing the road with a Jersey car when I’m in a car. I’d never even think of doing that with a bike. 

[SwampD]

5 minutes ago, shrader said:

I hate sharing the road with a Jersey car when I’m in a car. I’d never even think of doing that with a bike. 

Not as bad as a Mass car or even worse, a Maryland car.

[Doohickie]

12 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

I used to ride a lot in my 20s on my mountain bike, mainly for transportation purposes. Once in a while though I'd go out and do 20 or 30 miles. I had enough close calls that I'd never consider cycling as a sport. Hats off to @Doohickie and the rest of you guys that are still at it.

The worst are the transport trucks. They don't pull over AND they blow up tons of wind. They blew me onto the gravel shoulder so many times... Some of those times I would have gone down for sure with road tires.

When I was in high school, I attempted to ride every single street in Cheektowaga.  I had a town map and a highlighter, and after every ride I'd highlight the streets I rode on.  I never finished it, but I made a serious dent.  Along the way I developed some traffic sense.

I hate riding out in the country when cars and trucks blow by me at highway speeds and don't give much room.  Most of my cycling is in the suburbs/city, and really, on secondary roads and neighborhood streets.  I wouldn't cross Cheektowaga on Walden Avenue, but George Urban Boulevard (especially east of Union Road) is okay.  Going north, I'd prefer Beach Road to Union Road.  When I was in high school I was not averse to riding sidewalks.  I've found that they are far more hazardous than most people realize.  One of the more severe crashes I've had was on a sidewalk going probably 5 mph.  I might use a sidewalk as a transition to get from one road to another, but I mostly ride on the street now.  And there is a pretty extensive trail system here in Fort Worth that mostly follows the Trinity River, and is being connected to other trails to allow someone to ride all the way to Dallas on trails.

I've picked up tips and tricks over the years.  There's a group with good data over at CommuteOrlando and CyclingSavvy (both sites run by the same people) that shows how to negotiate traffic with "Vehicular Cycling" (i.e., driving your bicycle like a car, taking the full lane).  I know the principles of that method, but to me that's not a full-time thing, it's just another tool in my toolbox.  Just like using sidewalks occasionally.  I navigate through the city using the best method for the conditions.

[kas23]

This guy had a BAC of 0.087. A smidgen above the legal limit of 0.08. Goes to show, there is no safe limit of alcohol in your blood when you get behind the wheel. It’s also possible this guy would’ve hit them if he was completely sober. Unfortunately, it happens every day. I’m sure the vast majority of drivers who strike and kill a pedestrian or bicyclist are sober when it happens. Either way, a driver shouldn’t be drinking at all. Its dangerous enough sober. 
 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/41245430/man-charged-death-gaudreau-brothers-had-087-bac

Edited September 13 by kas23

[#freejame]

From the article:

“Higgins also had a history of road rage and reckless driving, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County. He said that Higgins apparently became frustrated when the two drivers ahead of him slowed down to go around the cyclists and that he sped up to try to pass the other cars on the right, striking the Gaudreaus.

"He indicated he didn't even see them," said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins' admitted "impatience" caused two deaths.”