Spectrum: Last Friday the monthly Critical Mass took place in Linz, Austria, during which an ugly incident occurred. A driver lost patience, freaked out completely and deliberately hit one of the participants, who fortunately only suffered minor injuries. The driver who caused the accident fled with squeaking tires. The situation was captured on video by another cyclist and can be seen on Youtube. There the motorist receives an alarming amount of encouragement.
For everyone who doesn't know what to do with the term critical mass, the term is briefly explained: Put simply, these are demonstrations for more consideration for cyclists on the road - all participants are cycling through the city and making horns and bells and the like attracted attention. Depending on the number of participants, this will of course lead to obstacles for other road users, i.e. the car driver.
Such an event took place last Friday in Linz, Upper Austria. This is where a really ugly and worrying incident happened. An Audi driver, visibly annoyed by the event, first drove one of the participants off his bike and then immediately fled the scene of the accident at high speed.
Now, of course, one can argue that the driver was provoked, that maybe he was having a bad day and overreacted in this particular situation. But none of that excuses such behavior in the slightest: It's sheer luck that nothing worse happened to the victim and he escaped with the shock and a few abrasions. It could have been a lot worse - the perpetrator probably didn't care as he drove away with squealing tires.
The reactions to the video online are almost more shocking than the incident itself. It doesn't matter whether it's on YouTube or in other media that reported on the incident: in addition to a few voices condemning the driver's behavior, the majority of them are encouraged and almost celebrated for their actions. Any examples?
- "That's right!"
- "I think that's great! A fuel voucher of 10 euros should be distributed for every cyclist who has been killed.”
- "Fucking cyclists, think they can afford anything."
- "Bikers off the road."
And these are just a few examples. With so much aggression, which one or the other apparently turns into sheer hatred, one can get scared and anxious. Incidentally, the public prosecutor's office is investigating the perpetrator from the above video. One can only hope that he receives a suitable punishment.
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