Hey, there! Log in / Register
Driver says he felt threatened by helmetcam bicyclist
By adamg on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 7:47am
Channel 4 tracks down and interviews the driver captured on Eoin O'Carrol's helmetcam on Mass. Ave. a couple weeks back.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Threatened?
For some reason, I have doubts about him feeling threatened.
This reads like an Onion article.
If he was "trying to get where he was going," then why'd he stop in the middle of the street to chew out a cyclist?
He felt threatened in a in a
He felt threatened in a in a several thousand pound vehicle capable of speeds up to a hundred miles an hour by a scrawnier guy than him on a 20 pound vehicle capable of speeds around thirty miles an hour? People whom feel threatened typically don't go and block the people they feel threatened by in the middle of busy streets and call them out to fight either.
Awwww...
Call the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaambulance! Quickly!
He'd have said something sooner about attacking someone with a car, but, but, he probably had a Man Cold. WAAAAAAAHHHHHH.
I'm not sure which type is the worst
When people buzz by you on your bike, there are usually two types:
1) The ones that do it on purpose. You can tell they do it on purpose by looking right at their rear view mirror while they're checking out your reaction to their buzz-by, which is actually convenient because then you know they'll see your "gesture". The smirk on their face is the total giveaway.
2) The ones that have no idea how close they were to you. If you do get a chance to catch up to them and confront them, you can tell they honestly have no idea how close they were. None. You try to tell them they were way too close and you can see the look of disbelief in their face.
Take your pick.
"Way too close"
Really in the eye of the beholder, ain't it? Cars on the J-Way are a bit close to mine for my liking, but if I'm on Mass Ave and a bike "buzzes" me at a light why is that "too close?" First off, a bike can only "buzz" you if you're moving far more slowly than it. If that's the case, you likely have bigger problems to worry about ahead of you than that bike. Secondly, why do you care if a biker smirks? That just the kind of "You think you're betta?" insecurity that has resulted in trouble for better drivers than yourself.
He's speaking from the bike's perspective
not the car driver. He sees the driver's face in the driver's rear view mirror after buzzing him on his bike.
http://www.tutorspree.com/bro
http://www.tutorspree.com/browse/boston-ma-tutors/...
Drivers
In this state should have to take written tests every 5 years, fail one and you have to take a road test too (& every 10).
It's not a right, and many people seem to forget how to properly do it.
Drivers here ARE horrible
The RMV/DMV/whateverV gives them out like candy now.
uh huh, sure
Because when I feel threatened by someone, I stop my car on a busy street, get out, and confront them face to face.
No, when you legitimately feel THREATENED, you stay in your damn car and lock the doors. Unless "threatened" is road rage driver speak for "I was worried he would ding my car".
so I guess BPD did nothing...
"A spokesperson tells us police are investigating and, “actively pursuing the driver.”
James tells us no one has contacted him about it."
So let's get this straight: a news team finds the driver and interviews him, but Boston Police, despite having a superintendent involved, haven't talked to him?
Maybe they could ask Channel 4 for his phone number, hmm?
Might want to review the tape, dude
He clearly did not come up on your driver's side. He did pull up behind you; this was a defensive move to prevent you from trying to flatten him again. Be sure your attorney reviews the video before trying the "I was threatened" line in court.
What a loser
So James gets all tough and threateny with a bicyclist on the road, and then whines that it was him who felt threatened because the guy wanted to see his face after being buzzed by his dangerous driving maneuver? So he's a bad driver, a punk, and a liar to boot.
What an idiot. I hope his boss sees this and fires him from his McJob. I hope his mom sees this and calls him to tell him to grow up.
James should be ashamed of himself.
Nice move Sock_puppet playing
Nice move Sock_puppet playing the class card.
Do we have any indication that this man works a McJob?
Is the poster making assumptions based on:
There's so much that's offensive in sock_puppet's comment.
I'm assuming that the poster does not work a McJob. Perhaps he/she comes from an affluent family that helped with his/her education. Perhaps he has not faced racial prejudice that sill permeates society. Perhaps in his/her cycling zeal, he/she has not realized that the rest of the world is in the largest economic downturn in almost a century.
I am also assuming that if the original poster is not working a Mcjob, that he/she is allegedly an educated person. If so, perhaps he/she should have paid attention to any part of that education that suggested that not everyone cruises into a non-Mcjob, that in fact many responsible adults work very hard to make a living at a Mcjob.
He/she would realize that there are two-sides to each story. That zealous advocates are not objective, but are simply zealots. Obviously the "helmet cam" only shows one side of the encounter.
It has been said that the purpose of an education is to teach the student to learn from other people's experiences.
The OP should be ashamed for making such an ignorant statement. His/her mother should see this and call him/her and tell her to grow up. I don't wish unemployment on anyone, even such a narrow-minded person who could write such words.
Hypocritical Peter Griffith
So now there's a class card? In addition to the race card? What other cards should we avoid playing your imaginary Pokemon conversation game?
Dude acts like a thug. That doesn't get one far in life. Crappy car, obvious impulse control problems, talking trashmouth in the street: probably not so far past a McJob. I was surprised to hear from another anon here that he works in an office. That's probably far more embarrassing, because he's probably expected to have a professional demeanor instead of acting like a punk.
Wanna talk about assumptions, whyncha reread what you wrote and take a good look in the mirror, Peter Griffith. I got one assumption, you've got a whole life story assumed out for me. You think I "cruised into a non-mcJob?" You think I cycle zealously? You think I'm lighter than fatboy slim there? You think I have a job? You think I've never faced racial prejudice? Look closer, I'll just smirk at you. You assume more and know less about me than I do about James the Thug. I don't talk about my bio here, but let's just say you're wrong, and you're all up in my grill about doing far less than you yourself do here. And thus I learn something key about you: you're a hypocrite, Peter Griffith. Take that beam out of your eye.
And this the helmet cam only shows one side of the encounter argument? Bull puckey. It recorded both voices. You only hear one swearing, shouting, and threatening. That's James. Eoin hardly says anything beyond "I'm taping this." And in response it's a torrent of threats and potty mouth. You're not making a logical defense here. It leads one to wonder whether James is someone special to you. (Did I avoid playing that card? I need it in my next Pokemon conversation battle with Renee the cellar dweller).
So, SP
"Wanna talk about assumptions, whyncha reread what you wrote and take a good look in the mirror, Peter Griffith. I got one assumption, you've got a whole life story assumed out for me. You think I "cruised into a non-mcJob?" You think I cycle zealously? You think I'm lighter than fatboy slim there? You think I have a job? You think I've never faced racial prejudice? Look closer, I'll just smirk at you. You assume more and know less about me than I do about James the Thug. I don't talk about my bio here, but let's just say you're wrong, and you're all up in my grill about doing far less than you yourself do here. And thus I learn something key about you: you're a hypocrite, Peter Griffith. Take that beam out of your eye."
1. Assumptions: You do not seem to have a problem making assumptions about the car driver? Calling him a "thug", "having impulse control problems" and the like. What is the matter, SP, you can dish it out but you can't take it?
2. PG is offering you a reasoned analysis which you missed. He only had your words (of hate) to go on and thus his reply. And, more importantly, if indeed your bio is true, than you should have much much more empathy for those that do work in a mcjob, face racial prejudice and have weight issues.
3. No where in PG's post do I see any indication of the poster being a hypocrite. If #2 is correct, and you have experience those things, than you, indeed, are one.
Look it up, ducky
Ducky, you might want to investigate the difference between an assumption and an observation.
An assumption: James has a McJob. Apparently I was wrong there. Oh well.
An observation: James acts like a thug.
An observation: James has impulse control problems.
These observations are visible in the video. You can and should watch it yourself. In the video, James acts like a thug and exhibits impulse control problems. You don't go buzz a cyclist with your car, then step out of it in traffic and start threatening somebody unless you have impulse control problems. These aren't things one has to imagine James does outside the video. It's right there.
An assumption: I slid into a non-mcJob.
An assumption: I am from an affluent family.
An assumption: I am not overweight.
An assumption: I have never faced racial prejudice.
An assumption: I am a zealous cyclist.
One may criticize me accurately for being unkind. In my post, I am unkind to James. It is true that I don't have much sympathy for someone acting so outrageously, especially when after the fact he tries to claim he himself was the victim in the encounter. But if you're going to go off on a riff about how unfair it is for me to make assumptions, maybe you should familiarize yourself with what assumptions are, so that you can avoid making them yourself. There's not much reasoned argument there, Ducky; there's one part valid criticism (I am unkind) and three parts what's good for the gander (doing the same damn thing I did - making assumptions about my race, class, family, weight, etc). Look up hypocrisy sometime; you might be surprised to learn what it means. It's like PG criticized me for swearing in a blue streak of four-letter words.
Because of my background (which is none of your business and none of the business of other creeps on the internet), I do have some empathy for people working McJobs (which James isn't). I do have empathy for people facing racial prejudice (which James isn't, in this encounter). I do have empathy for people who are overweight (which James isn't, as far as I can tell - he just looks big-boned to me, though he might do with a bit of biking).
If we had a video up here of someone running down James based on a crap job, his weight, or his race, I'd probably sympathize. But in fact it's James doing the running down, in the most literal sense, as he threatens Eoin with a deadly weapon (a car, in practical terms, is the deadliest weapon around), talks trash mouth at him, and then pretends he was the victim. Sorry, sympathy all gone. It's reserved for people who deserve it.
James doesn't get a free pass to act like an ass based on some special status. Bringing that all up makes it seem like PG thinks otherwise. Implying it's unfair to hold James to the same standard we'd hold a white, obviously middle-class person (if a cracker in a BMW acted the same way, I'd call him a thug too) trumps anything I've got for racism and classism.
So, SP
"Wanna talk about assumptions, whyncha reread what you wrote and take a good look in the mirror, Peter Griffith. I got one assumption, you've got a whole life story assumed out for me. You think I "cruised into a non-mcJob?" You think I cycle zealously? You think I'm lighter than fatboy slim there? You think I have a job? You think I've never faced racial pre judice? Look closer, I'll just smirk at you. You assume more and know less about me than I do about James the Thug. I don't talk about my bio here, but let's just say you're wrong, and you're all up in my grill about doing far less than you yourself do here. And thus I learn something key about you: you're a hypocrite, Peter Griffith. Take that beam out of your eye."
1. There is nothing wrong with PG posting hypothetical assumptions. In fact, you, yourself, posted some very strong and, in my opinion, out of line judgements about a person, and PG called you out on it. Maybe he cut too close to home, based on your response? You made judgements about the car driver. Calling him a "thug", "having impulse control problems", and the like. Than you go on and make an incredible assumption that people that work in mcjobs are inconsiderate boobs that trash talk! So your point is?
2. PG is offering you a reasoned analysis which you missed, unfortunately. (BTW: PG's response is one of the most eloquent I have ever read on UH to such a venom filled post.) And, more importantly, if indeed your bio is true, than you should have much, much more empathy for those that do work in a mcjob, face racial prejudice and have weight issues. Tsk. Tsk.
3. No where in PG's post do I see any indication of the poster being a hypocrite. If #2 is correct, and you have experienced those things, than you, indeed, are one.
Why cyclists wear helmet cams
... illustrated in one whoppingly stupid, arrogant, and entitled package. Right there.
Timeline is important
Did the driver feel threatened before or after he nearly killed the cyclist?
If before, than before or after he honked at him too?
Meanwhile, over at the Channel 4 troll asylum...
I like how it only took five comments over on the Channel 4 website before cyclists were compared to al Qaeda.
And by "like" I mean "feel a huge upswelling of nausea and despair".
boston.com
it only takes 2 on boston.com before an unrelated article is some how linked to Obama or ObamaCare.
It could be an article about cat caught in a tree, and someone will somehow link it to Obama or ObamaCare.
Everybody knows ...
That we got into two wars in the middle east because we needed rubber for bike tires!
Tale of two crybabies
Although I agree that the driver was out of line to stop in the middle of the road and instigate a fight with the biker, this just rubs me the wrong way..
“He comes within six inches from my left handlebar. It’s absolutely terrifying. I thought of my ten-month-old daughter and my wife,”
Seriously guy? If you care so much about your family, maybe you shouldn't be biking in the middle lane on Mass Ave. I know you've got your helmet-cam running and you're trying to make a point, but aren't there safer ways to travel around the city? Cause it looks like you were thinking of youtube, not your family.