I feel sorry for Dr. Christopher Thompson. I feel sorrier that other road-rage practioners like him have not been held accountable for their actions, only due to the fact that:
- They haven’t had a cyclist (or pedestrian or motorist) fly through their car’s back window
- They haven’t made a 911 call to memorialize their state of mind and help convict them
- No cameras or witnesses can testify to their bad behavior
What did we learn from the Los Angeles trial in which Thompson, a 60-year-old physician, was convicted of seven felony criminal counts a year after passing two cyclists, braking hard and forever changing the lives of three people?
We learned (yet again) that bicycles are no match for 4,000-pound machines with 300 horsepower. We also learned that life is far too fragile to be wasted battling over the pavement to:
- Drive a car
- Ride a bike
- Prove a point
The point has been proven. Again. Abroad in wars. At home in gang-ridden neighborhoods where turf is currency and guns are common. No one wins arguments over territory. No one. Someone just always loses.
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