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

[TheBeard]

What does that have to do with me not wanting to see people who weren't impaired while driving charged with an impaired driving crime?

It was mostly about the complete lack of clarity and consistency in how they treat DUI/DWIs.

 

[Freaky Styley]

It's not the appropriate time or the appropriate venue.

It's a public discussion board, we are discussing the incident. People here are villianizing the driver but I can't have a speculation/thought about the victims?

My condolences go to the families of the victims as well as the perpetrator. But this isn't a private discussion amongst Gaudreau's family or friends, it's a public forum, so I'm not sure what's not appropriate

 

[Raistlin]

f*** drunk drivers. Prayers for the Gaudreau family. what a gut wrenching tragedy.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

It's a public discussion board, we are discussing the incident.

I didn't ask for your opinion whether it's the right time or the right venue.

I'm telling you as a site administrator that IT IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME and IT IS NOT THE RIGHT VENUE.

Hopefully this clears this up. Stop derailing the thread.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

You might get injured hit by a bike but you most likely won’t die.

A small child or a very frail person could die for sure from being hit by a bicycle. In any event, serious injury should not occur to anyone even if it's not fatal.

The problem is speed differential in the same space. If a cyclist goes at pedestrian speed on the sidewalk it would not be an issue, but a cyclist can easily go 15-20 mph, much more on a descent. The same principles that apply to cars and bicycles in the road apply to bicycles and pedestrians on the sidewalk, just the other way around. Caution needs to be applied.

But there's a major difference - cyclists are the 'outliers' in both spaces. There's more pedestrians than cyclists on sidewalks, there's more cars than cyclists on the road. That's why bike lanes make a lot of sense where there is a sufficient number of cyclists. But that leads us to the other reality of life in the United States - there isn't a lot of cyclists compared to European countries. No-one is going to put bike lanes into every county road leading from town A to town B in the middle of Illinois, Texas or Kansas to accommodate the handful of cyclists riding there in a month.

An exurban (verging on rural) area like where this happened isn't going to invest money to put bike lanes onto all these local roads connecting towns and townships that are miles apart. And that's in a major metropolitan area not far from major cities, it's even more unrealistic in the vast rural spaces of this country.

 

[DFC]

Just wanted to add a voice expressing condolences. Terrible news.

 

[Three On Zero]

No it's not. It's less safe for both because of the likelihood of collision.

There's a significant difference in speed between cyclists and pedestrians. Even a casual cyclist could be doing 10 mph past a pedestrian walking 2 mph. And at intersections drivers may be looking for pedestrians in a crosswalk, but a cyclist arrives into the intersection much quicker than a pedestrian.

In many places cycling on the sidewalk is in fact illegal for all those reasons.

The road doesn't belong solely to motor vehicles. If drivers actually obeyed traffic laws cyclists would be safe on the road except for circumstances that were truly an accident (the Gaudreaus getting killed was no accident. It was the result of drunk and unsafe driving). But many drivers don't want to deal with the inconvenience of having to wait a few seconds to pass a cyclist safely.

The collision between a bicycle and a pedestrian is far less likely to result in significant injury or death. Now if you’re riding a bike and purposely going fast or riding on an electric bike, you should be on the road. But if you’re just leisurely riding a bike the sidewalk is a after place

 

[NeelyWasAWarrior]

It seems the easy solution is to make breathalyzer start ups mandator for life after the first or second DUI.

Or just make it a standard feature in all cars. Problem solved.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

When I was in high school, we had an assembly called "Every 15 Minutes". It was basically about drinking and driving and every 15 minutes, someone is impacted by a drunk driver. It was one of the most impactful and emotionally affecting Assemblies I've ever seen because it showed the senseless brutality and death that came with it.

Listening to this news today, I was reminded of that assembly, and just how in 2024, Drinking and Driving is still a big issue and it shouldn't be. What's even more sad was today was supposed to be a day of celebration for the family, and now it's a day of tragedy and sadness.

Thoughts and condolences to the Gaudreau family, especially the Sister.

 

[Cats2TheCup]

What a shocker. Sending prayers to the Gaudreau family and the hockey world affected by this senseless tragedy. I was following all the leaks last night and was hoping it wouldn’t be true.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

False again, they are adequate but far from “safe”

If its adequate, then its adequate. No one is ever going to do anything to rural roads with little traffic.

 

[ShelbyZ]

But look at the damage to the children wife mother father grand parents just so he could pass another vehicle on the road

Unfortunately, the same can be said of the drivers family. It's easy to simply say "f*** that piece of shit. Lock him up for life. He deserves death, etc. etc." But whatever his deserved punishment ends up being, it will absolutely have a devastating effect on his own innocent children. And his wife (and more than likely extended family) now has to face raising them while he's in jail and deal with the financial ramifications of his actions while he's unable to make a living.

This whole thing is why I wish people would just slow down, take a deep breath and really think through their actions.

Even if the driver hadn't plowed through two innocent cyclists, he was still at risk of getting caught and catching a DUI or seriously injuring or killing himself which would've impacted his own family.

Same goes for the aggressive and impatient driving. It's crazy to me all the people who, even stone sober, drive around public roads thinking they need to be Dale Earnhardt in the Daytona 500 and do things like make dangerous lane changes simply because the next lane is moving 1MPH faster or lay on their horn and/or cross into oncoming traffic when someone in front of them takes their time to make a safe turn. Not only is there the risk of a serious accident (like killing multiple innocent bicyclists), but it also seems like everyday there's another road rage fueled shooting.

But I also hate alcohol.

 

[swiftwin]

Tell that the the dumb asses in charge in Alberta

I live in Calgary, and I bike commuted every single day, year round, for 6 years, and I can assure you that this is not the case. Cyclists have to follow the exact same rules as cars do.

 

[nowhereman]

The problem with the limit, is allows for an alco to have his fix in the morning, then go to work,have a beer at lunch and then after work and still theoretically be under the limit -- that is alcohol in the system. They teeter on the limit, only takes one beer to send them over the edge, then over the limit.
Its scary a lot of people function like this.

Weed is another one, has zero tolerance where I am, regardless if you smoked days ago.. boom. busted. Do not pass go. Time to do the same with the booze imo.

This is absurd. A person should only be charged with impaired driving if they are impaired and not because they were impaired at some point.

Impaired driving laws are drafted in accordance with scientific studies that measure an individual's motor and cognitive function relative to their BAC. If you had a beer at lunch (where your BAC will return to 0 within 1-2 hours), you shouldn't be arrested for anything because you are perfectly functional. The alcohol is NOT in their system.

 

[TNT87]

Deepest sympathies to his family, friends, fans, and teammates.

 

[HEAVY DUTY]

So tragic. RIP.

Thoughts and prayers to his loved ones.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

We need more common sense and respect for the fellow man. Society has become complete pond scum.

Society cannot exist without law. Law is the backbone of society. It shapes society and holds it together.

 

[JoVel]

It seems the easy solution is to make breathalyzer start ups mandator for life after the first or second DUI.

Or just make it a standard feature in all cars. Problem solved.

I don't know if this is the case anywhere in North America, but there are some countries in Europe where you can be granted a special driver's license after a DUI, where you're only allowed to drive a car that starts after a breathalyzer test.

I think it should be standardized in all new cars though.

 

[snag]

I live in Calgary, and I bike commuted every single day, year round, for 6 years, and I can assure you that this is not the case. Cyclists have to follow the exact same rules as cars do.

Well then you need to go downtown Edmonton...and I am not saying they don't follow the same rules. I am saying they have the right of way over cars turning right across a bike lane on their right.

And anyone arguing this doesn't read the signs and shouldn't be on the road either

 

[Figgzfood]

Eh. I think the death penalty can be used in very extreme cases of people with no remorse who continue to do f***ed up shit. What does keeping them in prison do if there’s absolutely no chance at rehabilitation. Why put the lives of those with a chance of rehabilitation in further danger?

Honestly it's all the false confessions etc that I can't get behind. I've been with my wife over 10 years and I've promised, should all the gods forbid anything happen to her, I would not ask for death.

 

[abo9]

Here come the insane hot takes.

This is horrendous news though. And also focus on the mega-aggressive lane weaving as well.

What's the hot take? Driving under the influence causes accidents and deaths every year.

 

[Ghost of Murph]

RIP Johnny and Matthew. Love the way he played hockey and his personality. Really hard trying to process this senseless tragedy. Thoughts with the family. I can't even imagine what they are going through.

 

[DangeRouss]

RIP
Shocking

 

[Three On Zero]

It seems the easy solution is to make breathalyzer start ups mandator for life after the first or second DUI.

Or just make it a standard feature in all cars. Problem solved.

Breathalyzers are easily bypassed

 

[Figgzfood]

I don't know if this is the case anywhere in North America, but there are some countries in Europe where you can be granted a special driver's license after a DUI, where you're only allowed to drive a car that starts after a breathalyzer test.

I think it should be standardized in all new cars though.

It's usually a part of a plea in the US for a reduced time of restriction.
But as with most things it's easily defeated, someone else bless into the machine.