France in turmoil: After the death of a cyclist who was hit by an all-terrain vehicle in Paris, activists in Toulouse, some 600 kilometers away, let the air out of the tires of 65 SUVs overnight in protest. The cars are a ‘male status symbol’.
The all-terrain vehicles are the enemy of pedestrians and cyclists because they are much wider and heavier and cause more fatal accidents than regular cars, according to the organization ‘No SUV Tolosa’, as the newspaper ‘Libération’ reported.
The cities are not designed for such large vehicles and people must be prevented from buying such cars, which are real “climate bombs”.
Nationwide protests after death
There were protests in Paris and other major French cities last weekend in memory of cyclist Paul Varry (27), who was run over in Paris on Tuesday. The French cycling federation, among others, called for more safety for cyclists on the road.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office is investigating the 52-year-old driver of the SUV on suspicion of murder for allegedly deliberately running over the cyclist after an argument on Tuesday. The investigators rely on video surveillance camera images and witness statements.
To speed up traffic, the driver of the SUV had apparently already driven 200 meters along a cycle path when he rolled onto the 27-year-old’s foot. When it hit the hood of the car, the driver first reversed, but then steered the car toward the cyclist when he tried to approach him.
Murder suspect in custody
The driver is in custody. His lawyer explained that the man did not intend to kill the cyclist. During the argument he may have lost control of his car.
The activists in Toulouse also argued that for many people, buying an SUV is a matter of status and an expression of masculine attitude. “It was this manly attitude that cost Paul Varry his life. A selfish SUV driver, unable to control his emotions, who would rather hit a cyclist and traumatize his own daughter in the car than listen to the cyclist’s criticism and question himself.”
Source: Krone
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