A dramatic video capturing the hit and run of a pair of cyclists on Tunnel Road in Berkeley California went viral among cyclists around the world, and Internet sleuths identified the vehicle within hours and reported the vehicle to the Berkeley Police Department. A look at the California Highway Patrol dispatch logs show that cyclist hit and runs are a common occurrence.
Although this hit and run in Berkeley doesn’t seem to have been reported through the CHP, I found nine other hit & run reports against cyclists over the past week, including one fatality north of Sacramento. Incidents appear in these logs when they go through a CHP dispatch center through a call to 911 from a mobile phone. These dispatches do not record incidents that go directly to a local police or sheriff department.
The reported hit and runs:
- Friday, April 20 2012, 10:49 AM: Kipling Drive, Mill Valley. “Vehicle vs bicyclist, minor injuries.”
- Friday, April 20 2012, 10:33 PM: 4342 Dudley Blvd, Highlands Ranch. – FATALITY. Details here.
- Saturday, April 21 2012, 3:13 AM: 3128 East Levelglen Drive, West Covina. “Hit by black BMW convertible.”
- Saturday, April 21 2012, 1:43 PM: State Street and San Marcos Pass Road, Santa Barbara. “2 vehicles felony hit and run with injuries.”
- Tuesday, April 24 2012, 3:34 PM: Power Inn Road & Calvine Road, Sacramento.
- Tuesday, April 24 2012, 4:15 PM: North Del Rosa Avenue, San Bernardino. “Medics to respond to residence.”
- Wednesday, April 25 2012, 8:28 AM: Capitola Road & 17th Avenue, Santa Cruz. “Bicyclist is injured.”
- Wednesday, April 25 2012 5:11 PM: Downey Ave & E Artesia Blvd, Long Beach. “Hit & run with injury. Small child on bike hit by gray pickup truck. Driver of the vehicle gave juvenile $20 and left the scene.”
- Thursday, April 26 2012 3:13 PM: Crows Landing Rd. & Hatch Rd, Modesto.
You can track all CHP incident reports that involve bicycles as they happen in real time via Twitter@CHPBike. Be aware there are a number of false positives involving motorcycles, too — “MC” is the CHP abbreviation for motorcycle.
I think it’s time to keep a camera permanently mounted on my bike. Almost all of my rides are uneventful, but I imagine if I need video evidence of a crime, I’ll really need it. I have the old GoPro Hero standard def camera, considering replacing it with CountourGPS. What’s your recommendation?
What the heck is going on this week? There was at least one here in Austin and if any of your readers are in the area, have them take a look at this link and see if they have any details on helping to find the driver in this hit and run: http://www.kvue.com/news/Injured-Hit-and-Run-Victim-makes-a-plea-for-the-driver-to-come-forward-149165595.html
It’s crazy time, isn’t it?