Bike lanes dont necessarily protect cyclists

For many, bicycles serve as much more than just another form of transportation. Thousands of New York residents look at bicycles as fun and convenient alternatives to cars, and actually prefer them to public transportation options. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that bicycle riders are any safer than other motorists on the road. Another life was recently taken on a road known for serious bicycle accidents, raising concerns over how and why the fatal incident occurred.

Mulholland Highway in Los Angeles County, California, has been the site of several fatal bicycle accidents in the past few years. And the entire county has seen an increase in bicycle rider deaths this year, as 34 have already occurred. The most recent of which involves a man known for his role in the early days of online file sharing.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and accident investigators reported that attorney and former Napster COO Milton Olin Jr. was riding his bicycle in the bike lane on a stretch of Mulholland Highway when he was struck by a Sheriff’s patrol car heading in the same direction. The force of the impact apparently damaged the windshield of the vehicle, and Olin succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the accident.

Investigators have apparently ruled out several possible factors in the fatal collision. It is noted that alcohol and speed did not contribute to the incident, and the patrol vehicle was apparently not responding to a call when it struck the cyclist.

The sheriff’s deputy involved in the incident reportedly required medical treatment for minor injuries sustained in the accident. In the days immediately following the fatal collision, investigators were still in the process of determining why the patrol car collided with the bicycle.

Source: Huffington Post, “Milton Olin Junior Dead: Former Napster COO Fatally Struck By Police Car,” Dec. 9, 2013.