In Memoriam Johnny Gaudreau & Matthew Gaudreau killed by drunk driver while cycling (MOD WARNING. No Flaming, Trolling, or Politics.)

[SpezDispenser]

So terrible. I feel for the family so much

 

[Incognito]

This is all my opinion, but the way I view how harsh the punishment is that ultimately he took a life because of his actions, albeit it wasn't purposefully taking a life. So therefor off the hop, if he intended to then it should be 1 for 1 for life in prison, but because it wasn't intentional, I reduce that to half of what the decent portion of life should be so approximately 30 years (60 good years of life), then on top of that he was also negligent by purposefully drinking and driving, so you automatically get an extra 10.

So 40 years, but can be reduced to 30 if shown great remorse and being a good person whilst in prison. That way if you get out, you can at least do something and it isn't a full life punishment, but also if you get out people can't say he got away with something.

But as I said before, my guess is he gets 5 years and gets out in 3.

I get where you’re coming from, but to me the problem with saying that it wasn’t intentional is that when you drink and drive, you do so knowing, accepting and being okay with the fact that there’s a very real chance you’re going to kill someone in the process. So while he may not have intentionally been trying to kill anybody, he certainly wasn’t too bothered by the idea of it either. If he was, then he wouldn’t have been drinking and driving in the first place. Instead, he decided to place a higher value on his own selfish desires than the lives of innocent people. That’s a sick, disturbing mentality and it needs to be punished accordingly.

 

[Xirik]

Agreed. A lot of nonprofits seek to make things safer for bikers/pedestrians in cities throughout the U.S., but without the muscle of government behind them, I'm afraid making the roads safer is a tall task. Example is Bike Walk Savannah:

Home - Bike Walk Savannah

ALL SAVANNAHIANS DESERVE SAFE AND WELCOMING PLACES TO BIKE AND WALK. We seek to create safe streets for all – whether you’re walking, biking, rolling, or driving. Our vision is […]

bikewalksavannah.org

They have great goals, but unfortunately, there aren't enough traffic cops to make the roads safe for everyone, and there isn't enough money to have them. You're also never going to completely mitigate risk. It's just impossible, unfortunately. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try, but we should definitely know what we're getting in to.

If people want to affect change in light of this tragedy they should make their voices heard to local Governments all the way up to the federal. Or people can donate to the organization you listed above or MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

It won't Bring back Johnny And Mathew but I cannot think of a better way of honoring them then making the roads safer for everyone.

 

[Jared Dunn]

He should definitely do some prison time but if a crime isn’t predatory I’ll all about a chance at reformation. It was an extremely dangerous and stupid mistake he made but I don’t think he should rot in prison. If he’s a normal person this will haunt him for the rest of his life. He shouldn’t be able to get a license for a while and even if he does there should be restrictions. Also if I was in his shoes I’d never drink again

He should never be able to drive a car again period and his life should be essentially ruined imo. Yes prison is about reformation but it's not like this is a crime of circumstance, some entitled country ass hole killed two people because he didn't want to call a cab and should never live that down

 

[snag]

god i f***ing hate this car culture bullshit where everything else can't have easy f***ing access to roads

It isn't about access....it is about the destruction caused by p=mv

Our roads were almost exclusively made for vehicles. I hate for example having a bike lane on my right where I have to watch a bike coming from behind as I try to navigate an already busy intersection to make a right hand turn.

 

[Youngguns1380]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829534469923254560

 

[M88K]

He should definitely do some prison time but if a crime isn’t predatory I’ll all about a chance at reformation. It was an extremely dangerous and stupid mistake he made but I don’t think he should rot in prison. If he’s a normal person this will haunt him for the rest of his life. He shouldn’t be able to get a license for a while and even if he does there should be restrictions. Also if I was in his shoes I’d never drink again

what part of driving a vehicle while drunk, openly drinking alcohol while driving shouldn't be considered predatory?
I generally hate Cyclists, but this 100% should be 2 counts of murder, with no chance of anything ever again

 

[Empoleon8771]

He should definitely do some prison time but if a crime isn’t predatory I’ll all about a chance at reformation. It was an extremely dangerous and stupid mistake he made but I don’t think he should rot in prison. If he’s a normal person this will haunt him for the rest of his life. He shouldn’t be able to get a license for a while and even if he does there should be restrictions. Also if I was in his shoes I’d never drink again

I'm the kind of person who wants to view prisons as more reformation than punishment, but this guy is pretty irredeemable with the information that he was actively drinking when driving. It may just be IMO but actively drinking while driving is a step up from just driving drunk.

 

[slapKing]

I hope Higgins rots in prison for the rest of his life and never gets the chance to daylight again. Disgraceful f***ing piece of s***.

 

[Three On Zero]

Absolutely terrible. I still don't have words. One of those losses that just grips you.



Just wanna chime in that I generally agree with what you and @tarheelhockey have said about this. It's not victim blaming. Emotions are high right now, they're guiding the thoughts/posts in this thread way moreso than logic and reason is. Understandable. I hope someday we can get to a point where biking on roads is safe for everyone, but most of our roads aren't designed for that, especially in rural areas. I blame society, as we've kinda come to normalize the idea that roads should be shared. They should be, but that entails them being designed and built to be, and they simply aren't. We shouldn't have normalized that idea so quickly when so many of our roads aren't up to par.

Most roadways in North America are not suitable or safe for cyclists, especially outside of larger city centers. We do a good job of promoting bike safety but we refuse to spend the money to keep them safe.

 

[SoupNazi]

If people want to affect change in light of this tragedy they should make their voices heard to local Governments all the way up to the federal. Or people can donate to the organization you listed above or MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

It won't Bring back Johnny And Mathew but I cannot think of a better way of honoring them then making the roads safer for everyone.

Exactly. Orgs like MADD and the one I posted above do great work. Google "bike safety groups" and your area and I'm sure you'll find something that would love to have a few dollars from you, or a few hours of your time to help advocate for change.

 

[swiftwin]

I guess what you are trying to say is, if I tell my kid not to go with strangers it's not because I blame the previous kids that have been kidnapped, but more that I'm trying to put a system in place where they recognize in the future that there could be danger in such situation.

The problem is people are just saying "why did you let your kid go outside"? When people are saying "cyclists shouldn't be sharing roads with cars".

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

And here we live in the modern day and age where I see countless number of people everyday crossing roads without even looking both ways for cars. Too busy looking down at their phones. Putting their faith in today's drivers that everyone is paying attention to yield to them. As pedestrians (even on a bike) it's never ever been this dangerous to cross roadways.

 

[Skeletorrr]

DING DING DING

I swear I could drive 6 months in any european country and I wouldn't see half as many boneheaded ass backwards moves in traffic that I saw in just one month in the east coast.

 

[TheBeard]

If people want to affect change in light of this tragedy they should make their voices heard to local Governments all the way up to the federal. Or people can donate to the organization you listed above or MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

It won't Bring back Johnny And Mathew but I cannot think of a better way of honoring them then making the roads safer for everyone.

You know what really sucks? There’s no way states or the fed gov will ever impose harsher penalties on DD because of how much money the liquor industry brings in. Bars wouldn’t want it either because people would, you know, actually drink less. they could always make parking free and rideshare Pennies on the dollar but again these companies that profit would never go for it.

 

[Acallabeth]

He should never be able to drive a car again period and his life should be essentially ruined imo.

Sure, if your goal is to create a repeat offender.

 

[Youngguns1380]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829571326149005813

 

[Jabba11]

My deepest condolences to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's family and friends. And my thoughts to all the Blue Jacket fans out there for your team's loss of such a young talented person. This saddens me greatly and just hope his family can find some love through this tragedy.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Which is why we need better infrastructure to support cars, bikes and pedestrians. But that may or may not ever come, and there's no telling how quickly it'll happen, which means, in the meantime, everybody should be taking extra precautions to protect themselves as much as they realistically can, with the understanding that there are people out there who won't take any precautions to protect others at all. It's the same concept behind the defensive driving methods they teach you in driving school. They teach you those because there are inevitably threats to your life and safety out there that you can't get rid of, but following those measures can help you lower your risk.

I agree that the actual important thing is to be mindful in your circumstances. The simple reality is that the interaction between drivers, cyclists and pedestrians has inherent risk even if people aren't selfish idiots like the driver that killed Johnny and his brother. There's issues around speed, visibility and room to maneuver that affect all of us every day and no matter whether we're walking, cycling or driving, we need to navigate the space safely. Unfortunately, we also always rely on others to do the same because it's an ecosystem full of dependencies.

 

[swiftwin]

Sure, if your goal is to create a repeat offender.

No. Driving is a privilege, not a right.

 

[JoVel]

I've always felt conflicted about drunk drivers. On one hand, when thinking of it rationally, I do believe that more often than not it's someone who is making a huge mistake, rather than being a bad person at heart.

Then again, when anything of this sort happens, I can't help but feel immense amount of anger about how one can so selfishly put the lives of other in danger. Although I've never had issues with alcohol myself, it's a touchy subject because of certain family members, so I'm probably unable to really think of it subjectively.

In any case, rest in peace Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, and may their families find some peace.

 

[Youngguns1380]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1829496633760923832

 

[Selanne00008]

This is all my opinion, but the way I view how harsh the punishment is that ultimately he took a life because of his actions, albeit it wasn't purposefully taking a life. So therefor off the hop, if he intended to then it should be 1 for 1 for life in prison, but because it wasn't intentional, I reduce that to half of what the decent portion of life should be so approximately 30 years (60 good years of life), then on top of that he was also negligent by purposefully drinking and driving, so you automatically get an extra 10.

So 40 years, but can be reduced to 30 if shown great remorse and being a good person whilst in prison. That way if you get out, you can at least do something and it isn't a full life punishment, but also if you get out people can't say he got away with something.

But as I said before, my guess is he gets 5 years and gets out in 3.

Ok, well, now double all that since he took two souls

 

[GirardSpinorama]

I'm the kind of person who wants to view prisons as more reformation than punishment, but this guy is pretty irredeemable with the information that he was actively drinking when driving. It may just be IMO but actively drinking while driving is a step up from just driving drunk.

I wouldnt say irredeemable but clearly lack intelligence.

 

[alliuk12]

My deepest condolences to the families of the two brothers may they find peace and comfort after their loss im not very good at this but they have my heart felt sympathy