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news
Florida driver hits group of cyclistsShocking footage of Florida collision shows moment group ride hit by driver of SUV
Shocking footage obtained by road.cc shows a 77-year-old driver of an SUV on the wrong side of the road in Florida "well-above the speed limit" and disoriented for "unknown reasons" going head-on into a group of eight cyclists.
The cyclists were riding two abreast at the break of dawn yesterday in Gulf Stream, a beach town in Palm Beach County, Florida on the A1A — a two-lane road with no hard shoulder and a 35mph speed limit. They were headed north when suddenly, the driver came at them head-on from the opposite side in the wrong lane and went straight ahead with her Kia Soul without slowing down.
CBS12 News reports that Florida Highway Patrol said that the driver first collided with one of the riders, a 43-year-old man, as well as the rest of the group of cyclists. The man was thrown from his bicycle and rolled onto the northbound lane of the A1A.
*Warning: Some may find the footage upsetting, viewer discretion advised*
While the aftermath of the crash remains uncertain, seven of the riders were rushed to two hospitals. Two of them are in critical condition. The injured also included a husband and a wife; the latter was admitted to hospital, while the husband is reportedly in a coma.
A cyclist from Florida also told road.cc that these roads are "super popular" amongst cyclists, especially for group rides like these, however given the history of such incidents, they didn't expect the driver to be charged anything substantial other than a minor infraction like 'distracted driving'.
Barry Cohen, a cyclist from Boynton Beach nearby, told CBS12: "It's terrible. It's a dangerous stretch here. This in particular 'cause there's no shoulder right here. There's a lot of cyclists that are always riding here, sometimes in large groups."
Another local cyclist who runs a cycling safety activism and awareness Facebook page called 'Be Seen' said: "This was a horrific accident in South Florida on A1A early this morning near Gulfstream Country Club. This was an experienced group of riders all with lights on (front and rear). All were riding on the right side of the road and entitled to the driving lane.
"This woman was driving down A1A on the WRONG side of the road and drove head on into the whole group of cyclists. She did not slow down. She plowed into them. She is an 80 something year old woman who was disoriented for unknown reasons at this time.
"Most importantly keep the injured and their families in your prayers. Please make it a point to educate people you know about the rules of the road for cyclists and drivers. We will continue to work on helping to educate the public."
Cyclists on social media have reacted in different ways, some raging at the driver's behaviour, while others were saddened by the outcome of the event. A few also bemoaned the poor conditions for safe cycling in Florida.
Dave wrote: "I hadn't ridden on the roads in several years and finally just sold my bike. It's simply too dangerous to ride on public roads any more, no matter where you are in this country", while Rick said: "The US has a major problem that is going to get worse with an aging population. We do not have a transportation system that provides enough options, in suburbs and rural areas, for older drivers to not have to drive."
Another cyclist said: "Just horrible. I rode that strip of A1A from Lake Worth to Delray a few years ago, it's pretty harrowing, no room for error. There are decent bike lanes for much of it except for that Gulfstream portion."
Just horrible. I rode that strip of A1A from Lake Worth to Delray a few years ago, it's pretty harrowing, no room for error. There are decent bike lanes for much of it except for that Gulfstream portion.
— Puck Buddys (@PuckBuddys) January 4, 2024
Last month, Illinois Supreme Court declared that cyclists were "only permitted users of the road, not intended", sending many cyclists in America into a state of shock and disbelief, who blasted the decision as "asinine" and "backwards".
There is also a precedent for lenient punishments for such incidents in the US. In 2021, a 16-year-old youth in Texas ploughed into six cyclists when he accelerated as he attempted to blow black smoke at them from his illegally modified exhaust, a practice known as "coal rolling".
The cyclists, two of whom had to be airlifted to hospital – fortunately without life-threatening injuries – had been on a training ride for Ironman Texas. While the Police Department spoke to the driver and said that they were continuing to investigate, despite eyewitness accounts of what happened, no arrest was made.
Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.
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63 comments
You can never find a cartoon about a sealion when you want one...
You're right, time for me to stop throwing the fish!
If you really want some rage fodder, here's some from a local (Florida) rag.
WE ASK: Is It Time To Ban Bikes From Major Roads In Delray Beach, Boca Raton?
Early Morning Crash Critically Injures Two. Should Bike Herds Be Banned?
The Thursday early morning crash that left several bicyclists critically injured after they were hit by the driver of an SUV on A1A continues to be investigated — as it raises new questions about whether bicyclists belong on area roads.
Often a nuisance to drivers as they ride in packs, Florida law does permit these bicyclists to use a roadway when no bike lane exists. But these bike herds rarely ride at the speed of traffic. They often seem to lack any awareness that in a bike-versus-car collision, the car almost always wins.
I hate that that newspaper earned money by publishing that garbage -- but the comment section is refreshing, and almost universally states that the author and the newspaper should be ashamed of themselves, and that incompetent drivers are the problem.
Was the woman drunk or under the influence of drugs? Florida's record on road safety is one of the worst in the US. Texas beats it for DUI. Bear in mind that 4x as many people/head of population are killed on US roads than UK roads. And states like Florida, Texas and North and South Carolina are all much worse than the average.
Legally, it does not matter. Surprisingly, Florida's laws on this topic are actually good, and well-written. The problem there, as with in the rest of the United States, is that prosecutors and cops are all on-strike and refusing to do their jobs.
Specifically, in Florida, one commits vehicular homicide when one kills "a human being, or the killing of an unborn child by any injury to the mother, caused by the operation of a motor vehicle by another in a reckless manner likely to cause the death of, or great bodily harm to, another." ( https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2019/0782.071 )
It doesn't matter if the driver was drunk, or high, or anything else. If one crosses the centerline and kills someone, that's vehicular homicide in Florida.
And she will probably walk with a traffic ticket, because pressing those felony charges is far too much like work for any US prosecutor to be bothered with.
Bear in your mind that the US population is 5 times that of the UK. There are about twice as many cyclists in the US as there are people total in the UK.
Erm, you do understand what the phrase "per head of the population" means, right?
Yes, and the claim is wrong -- as demonstrated.
You really have a problem with being wrong, don't you? in 2021 42,939 people were killed in the USA in road incidents. 12.9 per 100,000 population. In the same year 1558 people died in road incidents in the UK, 2.3 per 100,000 population. So it's nearer five times as many per 100,000 people, so what are you describing as "wrong as demonstrated"?
That commenter seems to have appeared below a lot of articles over the last week, and their default position is that they know far more than anyone else about everything and their role on this earth is to educate us poor fools. Or something.
It's a bot account, I'm convinced.
Surely no human being could have such a complete absence of self-awareness.
Well, unlike you, I don't comment when I have nothing useful to say on the topic. So, by extension, it does always appear that I know far more than you -- funny how that works, innit?
Oh you really, really do.
No one else here was informed about Florida traffic law, nor could be bothered to research the applicable statute -- so like just about everything else you've written, that statement is demonstrably false.
Yes, about that great knowledge of yours, it's wrong. You stated that it didn't matter whether the driver was drunk or not, it's charged as vehicular homicide anyway. I thought that sounded like it must be bollocks, with the same charge whether or not the defendant was drunk, and indeed it is. Vehicular homicide, under Florida Statutes § 782.071, is applied when a vehicle is driven recklessly and that results in the death of another person. When a driver is intoxicated to the level of DUI and causes the death of another person they will be charged with DUI Manslaughter under Florida Statutes 316.193 (3)(c)3.
You stated, and I quote, "It doesn't matter if the driver was drunk, or high, or anything else. If one crosses the centerline and kills someone, that's vehicular homicide in Florida." You were wrong. You will, of course, not accept this but that's okay, these are facts and everyone can judge them for themselves.
Both DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide are 2nd degree felonies, in Florida, so as I said, "It does not matter". ( Both have escalators that can rise to 1st-degree. )
Furthermore, read the law. There is no exception for being drunk that stops this crime from being vehicular homicide. It may __also__ be DUI manslaughter, but it is still vehicular homicide.
So try again...
Or maybe don't, you've embarrassed yourself quite enough already.
QED, called it and I was right.
You have not yet been right about one single thing, in fact. If you harbor some deep-seated need to gain my approval, because you lack same from your parents, you're going to have to step your game up many levels.
You claimed that crossing the centerline and killing a cyclist is not vehicular homicide according to Florida law. And you were wrong.
You claimed that there are only about 50M American cyclists -- after comically googling it, and reading only the first sentence of the first result. And you were wrong.
You claimed that American roads are four times more lethal than UK roads. And you were wrong.
And then you have the unmitigated gall to expect people to "accept" your gross errors.
QED. Silly little man.
Nothing left from Harris except more pathetic ad hominem attacks -- so that would be your surrender. Better luck next time.
He's not educating me, he's boring me. I do wish he/she would go away.
Could it be Martin 73 come back ?
Same utterly tiresome air of supercilious omnipotence but (as yet, anyway) not the same level of cyclist hatred. Suspect from the timings and other clues possibly US based?
Oh look, more ad hominem attacks in place of any ability whatsoever to argue against my position. Color me unsurprised. Talk about tiresome -- is anyone here over the age of 15? Is this -- and pretending to be informed about American cycling by reading only the first sentence of the first Google search result -- really all you can muster?
And if y'all think I'm easily intimidated by such, you've got another think or two comin'.
I preferred Elvis' 68 comeback
If that's your wish, 'tis very easy to accomplish. Get your fellow commenters to stop making such glaring mistakes, and get the writers and editors who publish on road.cc to do the same.
As long as such uninformed drivel is being posted here, I'm liable to stop by and correct it. If that's "boring" to you, consider the suggestion that internet forums may not be the best place for you to hang out.
Thanks for the advice. I'm still bored.
A bored person is a boring person
Sorry, I wasn't listening. What are you on about?
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