From the Shift email list: When cars attack (homes, not bikes)

When cars attack.
(Screen shot from The Oregonian)

Yesterday, someone posted a message to the Shift email list nominating a “thread of the year”. It was a post from back in June and I thought it was funny enough to share.

The email was titled “Was the house wearing a helmet?” and it was posted by Joe R. on June 22nd. Spurred by a story in The Oregonian about a car that plowed into a house in Beaverton (and a similar story from April), he wondered to the list’s 770 members — “Has anyone noticed the high frequency of cars that hit buildings in Oregon?”

Joe wrote:

“It’s no wonder why the #1 barrier to more people riding bikes is fear of cars. And why don’t the cops and Oregonian prematurely blame the house in the same fashion they blame run down cyclists before all the facts are in?”

Not surprisingly, Joe’s tongue-in-cheek post inspired responses with some familiar themes…

Jim D.:

“Actually the majority of all car/house accidents are the fault of the house for failing to abide by vehicular housing practices. The only possible acceptable way to address this is with education. The League of American Homeowners* offers a League-Certified Instruction curriculum designed to teach houses the proper way to behave.”

Shawn M.:

“I understand we all have choices, and there isn’t a law here in Oregon mandating it, but I always wear my helmet when I’m in my house.”

Chris H.:

“It’s not only sound thinking that people driving cars generalize to the behavior of all houses from the irresponsible acts of a single home, it’s inevitable. That’s why I have wrapped my entire home in styrofoam, to protect it from its own errors in impeding drivers. I suggest you do the same or you will have to take responsibility for making all homes look bad in the eyes of drivers.”

Bryan B.:

“Personally, I will never wear my helmet indoors. It sends the message that being inside a house is a dangerous habit only to be engaged in at your own peril which I feel discourages home occupancy.”

I agree with Robert. This thread was a gem. For more stimulating email exchanges, check out the Shift list and consider signing up if you haven’t already.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

42 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
la otra
la otra
14 years ago

Just goes to show that we have to stop mixing houses with cars. If there weren’t all those houses – and their tree-filled yards – near roads, think of how much more convenient it would be to drive.

I advocate keeping houses in specially designed areas called “cities”, and giving the freeways entirely over to cars. Houses are not permitted anywhere near the freeways, and cars, of course, will willingly avoid the obstacle-filled cities of their own accord.

Oh Word?
Oh Word?
14 years ago

This is what happens when striped lines aren’t painted around homes:

http://bikeportland.org/2009/12/18/judge-woman-hit-in-unpainted-bike-lane-is-not-protected-by-law/

bobcycle
bobcycle
14 years ago
Brad
Brad
14 years ago

Stop the insanity!!! It’s time for Sam Adams and PBOT to start building house boulevards so interested but concerned potential homeowners will feel safe enough to take out a mortgage.

chelsea
chelsea
14 years ago

I remember some similarly hilarious comments when someone drove into the CCC.

Joe
Joe
14 years ago

classic. LOL

Todd Boulanger
Todd Boulanger
14 years ago

You all have seen it before…one of those 5 year old houses that dart out into the street.

Or did the driver say…’I did not see the house before the crash.’

Bob_M
Bob_M
14 years ago

There was no striping to delineate the house’s lane, so, legally speaking, the driver was not at fault.

Spencer Boomhower
14 years ago

The problem is these houses painted dark colors at night. How are you supposed to keep from plowing into them?

Joe
Joe
14 years ago

#8 busting up!

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
14 years ago

From the O story:
No one was injured in the crash, and the driver was not cited.

Shouldn’t she have at least been cited for failure to yield to landscaping? Not to mention improper position upon a windowsill.

TVcommuter
TVcommuter
14 years ago

Those irresponsible homeowners who haven’t installed a protective ring of bollards are giving the rest of us homeowners a bad name!

Stig3
Stig3
14 years ago

The house was quite obviously positioned in the driver’s blind spot. What did the house expect?

Alan
Alan
14 years ago

I bet it didn’t even have a working doorbell. Isn’t it about time we licensed houses?

SkidMark
SkidMark
14 years ago

“I didn’t see the house!”

It’s Ok houses are herd to see, especially at night. And so many houses don’t even use lights at night.

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
14 years ago

This is a riot 🙂
Scoff all you want but the fact that these drivers exist and are allowed to continue driving makes me long for the day when most cars are roboticaly driven.
This day is close. DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007 (http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_Challenge) show that this is very possible. I especially like this summarizing quote from Wikipedia:
“The Urban Challenge required designers to build vehicles able to obey all traffic laws while they detect and avoid other robots on the course.”
Human drivers aren’t doing this. The average American driver seems to be statistically incapable being safe.

I welcome our robotic traffic overlords.

david....no the other one
david....no the other one
14 years ago

Have we all forgotten the house that attacked the other house that was “just minding it’s own business down the hill”.
Or is the subaru in the picture the spawn of Christine and the Transformers.

Dave
14 years ago

It was clearly a house-messenger (just look at it, you can tell from the way it looks), and therefore must have been acting irresponsibly at the time the car hit it. Those house-messengers are a menace to society, keep them out of the way of my automobile! (or don’t, and watch what happens!)

Bent Bloke
Bent Bloke
14 years ago

I could keep way more junker cars on blocks in my yard if my stupid house wasn’t taking up so much space!

Dave
14 years ago

Note also the headline: WOMAN’S CAR has run-in with Beaverton Neighbor’s House. Of course it wasn’t her fault, the car took over from her and crashed into the house! (this is what I worry about with computer-controlled cars. When this happens, and it will, who is liable?)

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
14 years ago

LOLz!!!! you house fanatic freeks crack me up! “WAH! my house has a right to be on the street!”, “Boo-hoo! Why can’t you drivers just slow down and go around my house?” HA, HA. Look, any time a car and a living room window meet, guess who’s gonna lose?!?!?! If you want your house to stay alive, you better be watching for me and my car and stay out of the way! Your house loses EVERY TIME!!! Wake up, you house-dwelling loosers!

El Biciclero
El Biciclero
14 years ago

Another thing–Why don’t all you hippie, burrito-eating house-dwellers just move into upper-floor apartments where you belong?? If you stay off the street level, guess what?!?!?!? CARS CANT HIT YOU!!!!!!

rev
14 years ago

i love it. a fine diversion from the short days of winter

I really love bikeportland giving awards to other similarly minded websites. could a pdxFixed forum post of the year be far behind?

John Lascurettes
14 years ago

I don’t seem to recall houses paying any taxes! And before you say that all houses pay property taxes and that their occupants pay income taxes, let me remind you that houses pay NO GAS TAX and no DMV Registration fees. If they want special privileges, get them licensed and registered and start enforcing the rules of the road on them.

Joe Rowe
Joe Rowe
14 years ago

It’s the cycling community that makes this post great. The real power in advocacy for non car transportation is the group effort, and being able to see humor in the crazy world of ours. Here are Actual reader comments after a cyclist was run down by 2 drunk motorists.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/bikevictim8

explain why someone would be (in a house ) on dark city streets at 230am. I am sure the motorist will be blamed for a poor decision by yet another (house). I am sorry for him and his family just curious why (the house was) on the street. I am sure the drivers were given blood tests how about the (house).

This is a tragedy and one that could very well have been avoided if we were too:
1. Require (house) helmets meet the same standard of safety as motorcycle helments (high range of the scale).
2. Require (homes) to have an endorsement added to their (house) …
3. Create and enforce standards for (house) lighting and safety clothing.
4. Require (homes) to carry insurance.
5. Make additions to the current DMV drivers licensing curriculum. The additions would pertain to safe opporation of a motor vehicle in areas where there is high (home) traffic.

We are currently living in the dark ages as far as (home) training, standards, licensing, insurance, and safety. There will continue to be tragic accidents such as the one above as long as we refuse to take (home) safety seriously.

Joe Rowe
Joe Rowe
14 years ago

“The (house) collided with the deputy’s car”

See the PDF of the San Jose Mercury News. The cop who fell asleep admitted guilt on the scene for falling asleep, yet the police press release makes no mention, and police spokesmen used the event to talk about cyclits who ride abreast. Early news reports blamed cyclists.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/03/10/18484765.php

K'Tesh
K'Tesh
14 years ago

Well that breaks it…

I’m going to have to paint my house fluorescent yellow, with retro reflective trim, and a series of baseball stadium lights to make sure that it doesn’t happen to me *AGAIN*!

I really was in bed when a pickup rolled through the window of the apartment below me about 13 years ago, when I lived in KFalls.

Stig6
Stig6
14 years ago

I bet it was one of those hipster houses with no brakes.

Stig6
Stig6
14 years ago

Houses have no business being in traffic. They’re far too slow and just get in the way. Even if the house was in the right and the driver made a mistake, you can be right and you can be dead right..

Lazy Spinner
Lazy Spinner
14 years ago

Don’t forget that Houseapalooza kicks off this weekend with the World Naked House Renovation and Dance Party. There will be beer and a live performance by the Porchettes.

This annual celebration of house fun features house polo, freak houses, a Housebomb, and Rev. Phil will be showing his latest collection of house porn (rumor is some nasty highrise condo smut!). Plus, don’t forget the Portland House Summit is going on next Tuesday. Local housing activist Joe “Metal Homebuilder” Kurmanskie will talk about his book and Danish home design expert Mikael Colville-Andersen will enthrall us with his presentation about home decor in Copenhagen.

Elly will file reports from Interhouse down in Las Vegas this coming week and I’ll be covering the action at House Crusade.

Keep up on all the house fun at HousePortland.org!

Jonathan

Disastronaut
Disastronaut
14 years ago

I needed this. ^_^

Jim O'Horo
Jim O'Horo
14 years ago

But don’t overdo it protecting your house.

True tale from an east-coast city (I lived nearby): Person bought house across T-intersection @ bottom of hill.
1. Car drove down hill across intersection, lawn & thru living room.
2. House repaired. Repeat #1. House repaired. Homeowner asks city to do something to protect him. City says: “Sorry, no can do.”
3. Repeat #1 – yep, 3rd time! House repaired. Homeowner builds tank trap in middle of front lawn.
4. City sues homeowner & forces him to remove tank trap because it’s a “danger to motorists.”

Have a great holiday everyone!

Steven Vance
14 years ago

I put together an article (and a bunch of photos) about cars which “exit the roadway” and attack bike racks.

http://www.stevevance.net/planning/2009/11/motoring-is-triple-threat-to-bicycling-and-the-environment/

Spencer Boomhower
14 years ago

At least this time of year *some* houses have the sense to cover themselves in blinky lights. The rest of them… Well, they’re likely to get tased!

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
14 years ago

Blinking lights are scientifically proven to entice drunk drivers.
The use of lights on houses as a misguided attempt to enhance safety in fact makes it more likely that innocent drunk drivers will be drawn in to an accident with the building.

It is unconscionable to entrap drunk drivers like this.

Jim O'Horo
Jim O'Horo
14 years ago

Wait a minute! That’s a RED SUV. It must have come down the chimney.

jim
jim
14 years ago

Did they mention in the article that the red car was in persuit of carolers on bicycles that escaped throught the back door

Roger Averbeck
Roger Averbeck
14 years ago

I have lived in a house for 51 years, and spent a lot of time in other houses in many western states. Not once has a car attacked any of the houses that I lived in or visited, so I refuse to wear a helmet indoors like all you newbies and wannabies out there. If we start building houses in the middle of the street, and assert our rights as homeowners, this would slow down vehicle traffic and all the money spent building subdivisions and condos could be saved – or at least spent on filling potholes!

matthew
matthew
14 years ago

isn’t that a subaru? i guess their ads are right, they truely are “the go anywhere all wheel drive vehicle”.

Matt
Matt
14 years ago

The former occupant of my apartment located along a busy North Portland street was almost killed by a car while sitting in the living room. I haven’t taken to wearing a helmet but we’ve armored the landscaping out front with boulders to- hopefully- prevent it ever from happening again.

matt picio
14 years ago

Don’t forget that homeowners DON’T PAY TAXES!

Oh, wait. They do. Well, they DON’T PAY GAS TAXES!

Marcus Griffith
Marcus Griffith
14 years ago

How many collisions like this one will it take before members of the house-living community realize that having the minimal safety equipment on your house just isn’t enough? Do we really need to make a law to mandate better house lighting? We got to give drivers a chance to see our houses…

On side note, the owner has a great start a making a drive through breakfast bar..