[*BCM*] Honda on Hampshire this morning

[turtle]

I reported a hit and run immediately after it happend (yeah, on a cell
phone) in Arlington, and the cops actually caught the guy a mile or so
down the road (luckilly he hadn't turned off of it yet) they escorted
him back to the scene of the crime, where other cops were taking my
info, and then they charged him with hit and run, as well as the
traffic offense - failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk (I
was walking my bike across the street).  And the guy's insurance
company happily paid for the damages to my bike.  I have no idea what
happened to the kid, and I was never called to a trial, so maybe he
just paid the fines and was done with it.

So, yeah, reporting a hit and run can be very productive!

Also, just reporting a crash is important for those folks who use the
statistics to help create more bike-friendly policy.  Way too many
bike-car crashes are unreported, and that leads to policy makers
thinking that the problem isn't big enough to do anything about!  

So please, for everyone's sake, report it.  And if the police discourage
you from doing so, tell them that it's required by law (Chapter 85,
section 11, Mass State Laws), and important for the government to have
realistic statistics so that they can make good policies.

Peace, Love, and Bicycles,
Turtle


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A human being is a part of the whole, called by us 'universe,' a part
limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and
feelings, as something separate from the rest -- a kind of optical
delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for
us, restricting us to our personal decisions and to affection fo a few
persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this
prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living
creatures and the whole nature in its beauty."

~Albert Einstein