healthy streetsbiketraffic.org
drivewithcare.org
Roadside Memorial Video
(a must see... a must share)
this short Public Service Announcement is short and to the point
the casting and the direction are dead on
the use of a jogger instead of a cyclist is a good move
too many car drivers feel like the cyclist is in the wrong
in the wrong for choosing to be on a bike rather than in a car
when I hear people talk about a cyclist's death there is always the mention that they must have been doing something wrong... like running a red light
ironically...
or perhaps actually...
even if a cyclist runs a red light
if the car driver is speeding... then the car driver is also in the wrong
if the car driver is going one mile over the speed limit they too have contributed to the accident
if they are going ten miles over the speed limit... they not only contributed to the accident
the car driver caused the fatality
the accident may have happened with the cyclist running the red light
the level of injury could be different if the car driver were not speeding
the car culture needs to see this
the drivers need to slow down
especially in residential areas
slower speeds=less fatalities
in the case of a speeding car and a bicyclist running a stop sign
well...
it is contributory neglect
both parties are at fault
should the car driver walk away guiltlessly from the scene?
no... they need to realize that their actions contributed to the death of another
but... the speed needs to be measured
as reckless driving is a greater crime than running a stop sign on a bicycle
and going over 10 MPH over the speed limit in a 25MPH Zone is going a size-able percentage over the limit'
which constitutes reckless driving from where I stand/drive/or ride
cars need to slow down
drivers need to exist in the moment
focus on the task at hand
be alert to the variables around them
the cell phones
the blackberrys
text messaging
whatever...
it needs to stop
if your call is vital... make your point and get off the phone
if the call is vital and more than a 10 second exchange... get off the road and complete your discussion
honestly...
when people are jabbering on the phone while driving...
they are not saying anything
they are killing time
while risking killing people
they are not really there in the moment
not in the car
not in the converstation
they need to be there in the moment
there is too much at stake
we need to put the human element on the bicyclist
the car driver needs to see that the person on the bike is just like them
a husband or a wife
a mother or a father
a friend
an employee
a person who is on a bike
not an obstacle in the road
off my soap box... for now
and parents...
how you drive now is the example of how your children will drive later
only worse...
as the children always push the limits of what is permissable
if the parent uses a few cuss words the child will more than likely feel that such language is acceptable and use profanity more
if the parent drives like an obnoxious asshole... well... their child may very well talk on the cell phone at their driver's education test
which may not be a problem as the instructor may not see it as wrong while they text message a friend