I've not always been a big fan of the way some Critical Mass rides have been executed. My take is that these rides should be very passive, follow all vehicle laws and take only one traffic lane when there are several to choose from. I am not sure what the case was here and I am also not familiar with the way Brazilian law handles bicyclists so I can't add anything else except that I'm really surprised that this hasn't happened during any U.S. Critical Mass as of yet.
The video above is the version that actually includes footage of the attack that happened this past weekend. It is all very violent and graphic so be warned! I've embedded this version (there are less graphic edits) because I feel that it is critically important for people to understand the violence that an automobile is capable of perpetrating. This is also one of the rare video examples of a car crashing into one or more cyclists and I again feel that it is important for all people understand how violent a car / bicycle crash really is.
The primary lesson that we should take from this tragedy is that there is little difference between the potential violence and carnage that can be perpetrated using an assault weapon or an automobile. This video is proof of that and it's time that our laws acknowledge this reality!
Such a horrible event saddens all of us at WalkBikeJersey and we wish (and pray) for nothing but the best for all the victims of this savage attack.
WBJ was made aware of this incident from Streetsblog LA. More info about the tragedy can be found there.
