Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycle Safety

A Hit-and-Run Driver Killed 5 People on Bikes, So the Press Lectured Cyclists

3:56 PM EDT on June 9, 2016

The five victims of a hit-and-run driver Tuesday in Kalamazoo. Photo retrieved from Mlive.com
The five victims of hit-and-run driver Charlie Pickett. Photos: Mlive.com
The five victims of a hit-and-run driver Tuesday in Kalamazoo. Photo retrieved from Mlive.com

A hit-and-run driver killed five people on a group bike ride in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Tuesday. Four others were seriously injured in the horrifying crash, caused when a driver hit their training group -- known as "the Chain Gang" -- from behind.

Charlie Pickett, whose Facebook page proclaims his love of stiff liquor, was arrested in the death of five cyclists outside Kalamazoo. Photo: Facebook
Charlie Pickett, whose Facebook page is emblazoned with a logo that says "100 Proof," was arrested for killing five cyclists outside Kalamazoo. Photo: Facebook
Charlie Pickett, whose Facebook page proclaims his love of stiff liquor, was arrested in the death of five cyclists outside Kalamazoo. Photo: Facebook

Police arrested 50-year-old Charlie Pickett (right), according to Mlive.com, and charged him with five counts of second-degree murder.

The incident resembles a fatal collision that happened in the Akron area in September, when an SUV driver crashed into five cyclists on a training ride, killing two. The driver, 42-year-old Timothy Wolf, initially refused a breathalyzer and was eventually acquitted of vehicular homicide in February. (In this case the driver turned left into the group of cyclists. Wolf blamed sun glare.)

At the very least, you would expect that horrific cases like these would hammer home what an enormous responsibility drivers bear and how careful we should be when we get behind the wheel of a car. But even when the circumstances overwhelmingly point to negligence on the part of the driver, the impulse to lecture cyclists remains strong.

Following the Kalamazoo tragedy, the Grand Rapids' ABC affiliate took the opportunity to air a segment about "bike safety," warning cyclists to ride single file, stay close to the white line, and signal when they are turning. The piece eventually notes that there is no indication the Kalamazoo cyclists were doing anything wrong. Meanwhile, the Detroit Free Press warned cyclists to wear helmets -- because helmets are magical objects that protect your whole body when a driver hits you from behind at high speed.

The same tacit victim blaming was on display after the Akron crash as well. Cleveland's ABC affiliate also made the case for helmets, even though the people who were killed were wearing helmets.

At least the coverage never stooped to dehumanizing the victims, but I kept hoping some reporter would remind drivers to be attentive, considerate, and sober -- the seemingly obvious lesson. Nobody ever did.

So until they do, we'll do it right here: Drive carefully, because other people's lives depend on it.

https://twitter.com/kenpaulman/status/740928307063988224

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Want a Better 15-Minute City? Ask Residents What They Really Want

A new study from Bogotá models how other cities can ask a deeper set of questions about how to put essential needs within walking, biking or transit distance.

March 19, 2024

Tuesday’s Headlines Win the Gold

Two articles detail efforts in Paris and Los Angeles to put on (relatively) climate-friendly Olympic games in 2024 and 2028.

March 19, 2024

Monday’s Headlines Drink Your Milkshake

How does a president end wasteful subsidies for the highly profitable fossil fuel industry? Many have tried, but none have succeeded, including Joe Biden.

March 18, 2024

How — and Why — To Start a Neighborhood E-Bike Library

American advocates are loaning out e-bikes to their neighbors — and creating flocks of new riders.

March 18, 2024

What Urbanists’ Doug Burgum Lovefest Reveals About the ‘Why’ Behind Our Advocacy

I am far less interested in talking about Gov. Doug Burgum's politics than talking about his values, and how those values shape his urbanism, and thus the actual lives of the people he governs.

March 15, 2024
See all posts