when my kids were little we did a fair amount of cycling...
from the earliest age I tried to teach my boys to be fast, fun, and safe on the bicycle... always stressing safe
there were so many bicycle adventures around town...
to the museums...
jaunts through Rock Creek Park...
trips in the car to take the boys on bikes in the woods..
riding just to ride...
and then some creative commuting
there was a short spell in my kids' youth where several times a week I would drop them off at school with their bikes
go to work for an abbreviate shift
then in the afternoon instead of driving to pick them up
I would ride to their school and then ride home with them
this was not always met with pleasure
so often the kids have their own plan of what they want to do
so... I tried to make it fun
there were often complaints before, but rarely after
sometimes durning, but rarely after
I feel that over all they enjoyed it
on these trips I tried to teach my boys about the dangers of the road
we would navigate the city and I would protect them like a mother goose
at times it was anxious
car drivers suck.
people in cars suck.
it is madness... it is chaos...
car drivers are anarchists!!!
no respect for the Speed Limit
never making a complete stop at the stop line at the Stop Sign
too often distracted by the phone or text messages
rarely giving the pedestrian or cyclists their right or way or their deserved space
a few weeks back a 5 year old was stuck and killed by a car in DC
that was deemed "an accident"
this should not have happened
a more alert driver would have seen the child and their family and adjusted their driving
yet... that is not how people drive
åthen this week... another child was hit by a car in DC
then a short time ago a teenage boy with Autism was killed on his bike in Bethesda
these incidents all possess the same logic...
that these actions of the driver could not have been avoided
that these actions were "accidents"
I do not believe that these were "accidents"
I believe that the "accidents" were the result of inattentive driving
the drivers in each case could have been more alert to their surrounds
greater focus on the variables around them
more anticipation
now...
I do not think that the driver should have their life ruined because of the death that happened at their hands
yet... I do not think that these actions should pass without penalty
what could be done?
what needs to be done?
how can we get drivers to better understand the dangers at their hands?
PSAs and Stricter Penalties...
it people can not behave... try to make them behave
and then if they can not behave - take away their right to drive