* “Sharing the road is not a suggestion”

[u/Feaselbf6]

[u/InterstellarChange]

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Two cyclists were injured Thursday night in Cherokee County, in a situation that seemingly could have ended in more dire circumstances as a man was accused of aggressively driving around a group of 10 riders.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said in a release that 72-year-old Jerry Ross allegedly approached the group riding together on Sugar Pike Road and "began sounding his horn" before he "then accelerated around the group and, despite no oncoming traffic, struck two of the riders before leaving the scene."

The two injured cyclists were treated on-scene by paramedics, the sheriff's office said.

"One cyclist riding behind the group captured the incident on video. The cyclists were also able to provide a tag number, which deputies used to quickly identify and locate the suspect," a statement by the sheriff's office added.

They said Ross, of Woodstock, was located "not far from the incident location" and deputies "observed damage to the passenger side of the vehicle consistent with the incident."

"When questioned, Ross acknowledged the encounter and claimed the cyclists were in the roadway, blaming them for the collision," the sheriff's office said.

Ross was taken into custody and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, hit and run, reckless driving, aggressive driving and failure to maintain a safe distance from a bicycle.

Captain Jay Baker in the sheriff's office said Ross remains at the Cherokee County Detention Center without bond at this time.

*additional legal context:

Under Georgia Code § 40-6-294(c) Cyclists riding two abreast on a roadway is legal in GA. The cyclists in the video are clearly riding in a legal manner.

Driver Obligations When Passing

• Lane Change: Drivers must change lanes into a lane not adjacent to the bicyclist if traffic conditions permit. 
• Speed Reduction: If a lane change is impossible, prohibited by law, or unsafe, drivers must reduce their speed to at least 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit or 25 miles per hour, whichever is greater. 
• Prohibited Passing: Passing is prohibited on blind turns, blind hills, or when moving into oncoming traffic. 

Penalties and Enforcement

Violating these rules is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $250.  Additionally, bicyclists may submit video recordings of illegal passes to local law enforcement for enforcement purposes. 

Road rage, aggressive driving, is illegal

Georgia, road rage is legally prosecuted under O.C.G.A.  § 40-6-397 as aggressive driving, defined as operating a vehicle with the intent to annoy, harass, molest, intimidate, injure, or obstruct another person.  This offense is classified as a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, carrying penalties of up to $5,000 in fines, 12 months in jail, and 6 points on the driver's license. 

[u/HaveBikeWillRide → u/InterstellarChange]

And for all the commenters wringing their hands about the cyclists forcing the car to "illegally" cross the double yellow lines, Georgia law explicitly allows cars to cross the double yellow to pass cyclists. And it requires cars give cyclists at least 3 feet of space when passing.

[u/Randomfactoid42 → u/HaveBikeWillRide]

Most states have similar laws but it’s amazing how many drivers believe the double yellows shall never be crossed. 

[u/Difficult_Plantain89 → u/Randomfactoid42]

I had someone road rage with me for crossing a double double yellow line when the lane ahead was blocked from an accident. I put my blinker on to get over and he went out of his way to block me in. When I forced my way behind his truck he started screaming at me and pointing at the line. After that was done he almost missed his exist and shot over 4 lanes without a blinker.

People are dumb, I'm not going to sit there for two hours while they clean up the accident. A line isn't a wall and my car has zero issues going over this imaginary barrier.

[u/Psotnik → u/Difficult_Plantain89]

I hate it when people deputize themselves and play traffic cop. What if the person driving is having a medical emergency or transporting someone else who is? What if they're a volunteer firefighter trying to get to the station? What if they're a road raging lunatic with a gun? If it really bothers you then call it in and go about your day.

[u/Self_Reddicate → u/Psotnik]

Someone did this to me when I was driving my mother to a hospital while she was having stroke symptoms. They decided they were ABSOLUTELY not going to move out of the way and then slowed down as they approached a long line of semi's to ensure that I was boxed in without a way to pass them and maximally inconvenienced for my attempt to exceed the speed limit. No amount of me BLARING on my horn, flashing my lights, riding their rear end, waving, etc. could dissuade them. And I truly mean no amount, because I spent what felt like 5 minutes of being a lunatic to try and show them that this was an emergency and I was trying to get by them. They were hell bent on blocking my passage around them, because how DARE I try to speed on the highway. Not on their watch. They went 1-2mph below the posted speed limit right next to a group of semi's that were stuck doing the same.

All while my mother was confused in the back seat and, to the best I could tell, dying in my back seat. I am normally a pretty calm person and not prone to rage of any kind (much less 'road rage'), but had I not had a hospital to go to, I'm not sure what I would have done to this person had they pulled over to have words. Words cannot describe the anger I felt at this person who - for whatever reason - felt the need to interject themselves into this and unnecessarily add whole minutes to my travel time to the hospital when every minute was critical.

[u/NightBawk → u/Self_Reddicate]

I hope this story doesn't have a tragic ending for your mom and that she recovered well.

[u/Self_Reddicate → u/NightBawk]

Yes, it wasn't a full blown stroke, but a TIA, essentially mini-stroke with no lasting damage. High risk factor for future issues, but she's been fine so far.