Just in case you’re not already pissed off this morning, I thought I’d pass on this little tidbit: Larry Houck, the motorist who will not face any charges in connection with the death of cyclist Dr. Ronald Fronczek, is apparently (wait for it) a member of the law-enforcement community — to wit, director of training with the Army’s West Region Police Academy at White Sands Missile Range and quite a hand with the old shooting iron.
I don’t suppose this had anything to do with the New Mexico State Police deciding that any type of citation — reckless driving, careless driving, littering — was necessary in this instance. Back on the sidewalk, you bike-riding, tree-hugging faggots.
Mad Blog Media 
My dad was a cop I know they take care of each other, by the way my dad was also an ass hole.
Reminds me of when the wife was knocked off her bike near Lake Casitas in Ventura, CA years ago — the first words out of the CHP guy (who took 45 minutes to show up!) were “I wouldn’t ride a bicycle on this road” with the distinct implication that somehow she’d gotten what she deserved by being knocked off by some yahoo towing his boat to the lake. THAT is what the road is for, dontcha know, for folks DRIVING CARS to take their BOATS to the lake. Cyclists are third-class citizens in the USA no matter if they’re well-off surgeons out for fun on an expensive “just like BigTex’s” bike, or some poor guy riding his cheapo Sprawl-Mart bike to his minimum wage job.
Unfortunately, Larry is right. Most of this country could give a rat’s ass about cyclists. We are a nation of fat lazy slobs in SUVs whose main purpose of life is to get the next tank of gas cheaper than the last one so we can make it to the next fat food joint to be SuperSized.
You said it Khal………
Sorry. Just had to get it off my chest.
Never apologise for telling the truth, except for the SUV part. Most people still drive cars.
Jeez-
Tyler Farrar’s dad in Wenatchee, the doc in Vail and now another medico in The Land of Enchantment gets nailed by an inattentive driver. Is this part of a secret guvmint plot to cull the ranks of the medical profession? Could those people possibly be receiving messages through their amalgam fillings commanding them to drive so stupidly?
Good theory. Maybe someone told the nutjobs that these three doctors were part of a Death Panel, and someone is taking them out.
Driving While Stupid is endemic down here.
Comes the revolution, all the academics and intellectuals are disappeared first. Doctors included. Just sayin’.
Not sure it’s the fillings. Pretty sure it’s the aluminum beanies and the way too many hours of Glenn Beck.
Academics and intellectuals go first? Cool. Looks like I’m at the back of the line.
Not sure where in line I’d be. In front due to my academic background, or in back since I now work on the Dark Side.
Well as an employee of the criminal justice system I wish I could offer a response to the usual uniformed stupidity….but I can’t.
Seems to me that it really depends on the pig, um I mean ‘police officer’ who may assist in this sort of thing. Naturally though the swine, I mean ‘police officers’, will look out for their own. They usually do as a “professional courtesy” just as plumbers, politicians and bike racers make deals at work, so do cops.
Now, if one could say “prove” that some injustice is being covered up knowingly they might have a case to present. Unfortunately that would have to involve intent and not just plain negligence. Say ol’ Larry was just happening to be driving down the road and “misjudged his passing speed/distance” as opposed to “swerving all over the road like a sidewinder on crack.”
Not that the official police report will say much but maybe (just maybe) the local DA will look into his background, driving record, employment record and personal life to see if there is anything which may have caused him to momentarily lose sight of the road in front of him. I’m only saying that because most of the pigs, darn…I mean ‘police officers’ who I know are always spouting off on how they are trained to “observe everything.”
What do y’all think? … Do folks who like bikes need to push for self-imposed registration fees? After all, we’re a pay-to-play society. Joe Q Public doesn’t recognize that we pay taxes like everyone else. Throw a one-time $25 registration fee into the pool for cyclists over 21? Anglers and hunters seem to benefit from licenses and fees.
Good facebook page here courtesy of a Cruces rider. Two things to notice. Its hard to figure how the sun was a severe factor, but it would have been in the motorist’s face. Secondly, the New Mexico Dept. of Transportation deserves a felony indictment for criminally negligent homicide for the shoulder paving on this road. The shoulder was unrideable–and this was a 65 mph “state bike route”.
We shouldn’t be 46th out of 50 in the Bike League’s bike-friendly state competition. We should be 55th.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115663&id=1410833360&l=08b61f6e1d
I just read about this in the March 15th issue of BRAIN.
The bike advocacy we need is Law Enforcement Education as well as motorist and bicycle education.
There will never be enough money to build enough bike trails, so that cyclists never have to deal with motor vehicles.
The shoulder isn’t even legally part of the road, and motor vehicles should only be on it if they are coming to a stop or merging to the right to make a right turn. Even then, you don’t get to run over anyone.