"Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention." - Jim Rohn
Dear Drivers:
I used to drive a motor vehicle, so I totally get how we can all get in that zone when we're just trying to get to our destination as quickly as we can. I've been there myself. But now that my family and I have been relying on bicycle and public transportation as our primary means of transportation, and now that we've been hit by a car while bicycling, we want you to know that we are all sharing the roads. We all need to pay attention for each other, but especially you as drivers need to be especially attentive since you are driving the multi-ton machines that can seriously injure or kill others if used irresponsibly.
If I can be so bold as to make a couple of firm assertions...
- We all share our roads. That means not just cars but also bicycles, buses, motorcycles, pedestrians, skateboards, and probably other vehicles that I'm not thinking of right now.
- That you are mostly safe from others outside of your vehicle does not mean that others outside your vehicle are by default mostly safe from you.
We arrived at the intersection of one of the busiest roads in our city and three state highways. There is a traffic light there and we had the crossing signal. She was driving her SUV but had come to a full stop at the red light. We waited a little to make sure it was safe to cross and seeing she was well stopped and we had the crossing signal we started across the intersection. We were very confused when -- just as I and our toddler son were in front of her SUV -- she started making a right turn on red. To us it appeared she was talking on her cell phone, but she denied this to my wife when confronted about it.
As a parent you can imagine the rush of emotions I had as I started going down and right before my eyes my toddler inside his bicycle trailer was toppled by the front end of a multi-ton SUV. I'm not at all ashamed to admit I screamed a couple of obscenities as it all went down. I'm grateful my wife (who was towing the trailer on her bike) didn't actually see the full detail of the accident, but she had her own rush of emotions as it unfolded, too. Thankfully we were all okay aside from the two minor bruises I incurred. My wife's bike was okay, as was our son's trailer. My bicycle's front wheel was mangled. The timing really sucks, too, because it's the end of the semester and we are pretty much flat broke and doing what we can to get by.
She pulled her vehicle into a nearby parking lot and came over to talk the incident over with us. Thankfully a witness also came over and made sure we were okay and offered help. We opted not to call the police because we were all okay and instead opted for a firm but compassionate conversation. We made it a point to ask her twice to pay more attention and not talk on her cell phone while driving in the future. She compensated us for the damage done to my bicycle and we parted ways shaken but mostly uninjured. For this we are especially grateful.
We were very lucky, but we realize other bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and skateboarders (as well as other motorists) have not been so lucky. So I request of all drivers:
- Don't talk on your cell phone while driving. It's not illegal in our state to talk on a cell phone while driving, but that it is not illegal does not mean that it is safe or right. Give your driving and those with whom you share a road the gift of your full attention.
- If you are approaching an intersection and have a red light or stop sign, come to a complete stop and look both ways twice before driving through. What is wise for crossing the road as a pedestrian or cyclist is also wise for the motorist approaching the intersection those pedestrians and cyclists may be crossing.
- If you stop at an intersection with a traffic light, check the crossing signal and do not drive through if that signal is giving the sign to cross. To do otherwise risks the safety of others sharing that road with you.
