Sorry to be posting a bummer, but here’s what happened and what to look out for. This evening at 5:30 pm, southbound on Lakeside Dr. just north of Lone Tree I was passed by a Silver Toyota SUV, I think it was a Highlander, NV plate 834 VEH, I think 3 occupants, young, white, probably stupid. Passenger threw a nearly full tall can of a drink at me. He threw it hard and fast and it hit the grass on the side of the road with a gut-wrenchingly strong thud. Went by my head so close I felt the wind from it, but a clean miss. Fortunately for me, these assholes probably don’t know enough about the laws of physics to accurately throw anything but it did shake me up a bit. I immediately called it in, issued a complaint, will go in tomorrow and sign said complaint, but don’t expect a whole lot to happen. If you happen to see said SUV, last seen heading west-bound on Lone Tree from Lakeside, let me know. Stay safe, it’s a friggin’ zoo out there.
Share This09
Jun
08
unbelievable that someone would be so motivated to throw beer at a cyclist. Close call. Glad it didn’t hit you!
They probably burned 2 tall cans worth of gad speeding away from a bike than can rock 30 MPH!
I think we all need to get practiced at spotting and memorizing license plates in an instant. It’s doable, but takes practice.
-M
Yea, I’m glad I did get the plate, makes my report sound a bit more authoritative.
Just did some interesting math. To wit:
Momentum (which is the “punch” a moving object packs) is mass*velosity, MV
A 9mm gun can fire a 125 grain bullet 1000 feet/sec
125 grains = 8.1 grams = 0.0081 kg; 1000f/s = 300 m/s; MV = 2.43 kg m/s
1 lb (~1pt liquid in can) = 454g = 0.454 kg; car going 40 (posted speed is 35, but this is my conservative guess) = 17.9 m/sec; MV = 8.1 kg m/s
or more than 3x the momentum of a 9mm bullet fired at me. That makes me feel good. Maybe I’ll try explaining this to the investigator, but I doubt they’ll equate a tossed can of liquid with a bullet shot. Truth is, this kid essentially to a shot at me with a gun.
let’s level the playing field here. say, instead of a 9mm handgun, the “sidearm” of choice is a 12 gauge police issue shotgun - “not for light loads” - “A typical police load would be a 12-gauge 2 3/4-inch (70 mm) 00 (”double-aught”) buckshot shell consists of 9 .33 caliber (8.5 mm) round balls, each of which is similar in size and velocity to a lightweight handgun bullet. This shot spreads out to a greater or lesser degree depending on the barrel choke, and can be effective at ranges as far as 75 yards (70 m)…” this would match fire power with some change to spare.
density of Pb is 11.34g/cm3, diameter of a shot ball is 8.5mm, 9 balls/load gives about 33g of Pb. assuming the shot is traveling at the same velocity as the 9mm bullet, momentum is 9.84 kg.m.s^-1 if all 9 balls hit the target.
i doubt anyone would throw anything at you if you had one of these peashooters slung over your shoulder…
wait a minute, what about a potato gun? that’d be a little lighter than a shotgun, and probably not kill anyone either. i wonder if a pneumatic spudgun using CO2 cartridges would work
so relieved to read that you weren’t hurt, amigo, and so frustrated that such a thing can happen at any time, any where, to any one.
Jeezus. What a bunch of tools. Probably looking at a concussion if that thing had hit you.
I can totally relate. I used to live in Kentucky (which explains a lot about the following paragraph) and I had so many brickbats tossed at me from vehicles that I started keeping a list. Numerous snowballs, several empty bourbon bottles, beer cans too many to mention (usually empty, from what I could tell), a firecracker, a Pringles can, and on one regrettably memorable occasion, a size-18 pair of panties.
Hope they catch those douchebags. Good luck.
Recalling several rides up near the Buckeye power plant (Sphincterboy probably knows the road). Got hit with beer cans (empty and semi full) and bottles (one semi full and it kinda hurt abit). the best day was the guy who hung out of the Trans-Am and let a baseball bat graze off my thigh. Loved that!! I did. Sent me into the grassy ditchyy type area up near scenic Wellington, CO.
Funny how none of those dickless morons ever bothered to stop and have a polite discussion about their actions. I realize that fist-a-cuffs would likely have ensued…
I guess I will consider myself lucky that the bat dude wasn’t wearing size 18 underpanties…
Keep on truckin lowco2…..
Thanks for the replies and support, gents. And Japhy, I’d say you’ve been talking to BD up there at work, based on those comments.
LowCO2,
Wolfy and I are on the RTC bike and ped advisery committee. At the last meeting this item was brought up…
ITEM 9. Member Items
Terry M. wanted to caution all on aggressive drivers. Good to record and report license plates of these drivers since it goes into a database for future reports. Reckless driver hot line: 775-334-2677
I don’t know that it will do much or even make you feel better, but I’d recommend reporting it and getting it into the database. Sorry to hear about your brush with injury. People are such clueless A-holes!
SAS
HT, the ride up toward the power plant is a nice one (unless there’s a 50 mph wind). I’ve had very little trouble with heckling and/or brickbats around here, maybe we’ve finally run lowlifes like that out of the state. In fact, the only memorable ‘heckling’ that I’ve had here was a serenade by the Kappa Alpha Theta girls on campus.