Here's something you might be interested in.
I ended my last post with a mention of sirens after an unsettling night in my neighborhood. I am sad to report that the sirens indicated that a bicyclist had been hit and killed on Sabre Springs Parkway...just a block or so from my condo complex. (And, this, barely more than a month after a young man was killed racing his new motorcycle down the same road.) The bicyclist was wearing the appropriate reflective vest and there was reflective tape on his bike. The car driver was reported to have veered into the bike lane.
I've spent some time thinking about that accident, that moment in time. A man prepared for his ride home after a day of work, perhaps anticipating dinner or looking forward to seeing his family that awaited him. Certainly he was pleased to be saving gas. He couldn't have known the imminent danger that so cruelly descended upon him. It wasn't right...or fair.
I also think about the car driver. What was he doing? Changing a CD? Picking up a cell phone that fell off the passenger seat? Had he just left Oggi's after a drink? Why did he veer into the bike lane? Ultimately, the "why" doesn't matter. I can't even begin to imagine his horror when he realized he had killed someone. To carry that memory through the rest of his life will surely be torture.
So many times when I'm walking my dog or when I'm walking to and from work, I watch cars speeding down this same road. Every day, all day, I watch cars drive in and out of parking lots, in a hurry, not paying attention to people on foot. Drivers often don't bother to stop at a stop sign if they think they can beat an oncoming car...and they're usually poor judges of timing. It's only a matter of time before there's another unwitting victim. \ I realize people could probably care less about what I say here, but I'll take advantage of this forum to plead, beg, urge, push, shove, and scream...PLEASE SLOW DOWN! The reasons for speeding and wreckless driving can be endless, but none of the reasons are worth someone's life being ended so senselessly.
No one - car drivers or cyclists - ever thinks it will happen to them. The next time you get on the road, remember this cyclist and the driver who killed him.
I ended my last post with a mention of sirens after an unsettling night in my neighborhood. I am sad to report that the sirens indicated that a bicyclist had been hit and killed on Sabre Springs Parkway...just a block or so from my condo complex. (And, this, barely more than a month after a young man was killed racing his new motorcycle down the same road.) The bicyclist was wearing the appropriate reflective vest and there was reflective tape on his bike. The car driver was reported to have veered into the bike lane.
I've spent some time thinking about that accident, that moment in time. A man prepared for his ride home after a day of work, perhaps anticipating dinner or looking forward to seeing his family that awaited him. Certainly he was pleased to be saving gas. He couldn't have known the imminent danger that so cruelly descended upon him. It wasn't right...or fair.
I also think about the car driver. What was he doing? Changing a CD? Picking up a cell phone that fell off the passenger seat? Had he just left Oggi's after a drink? Why did he veer into the bike lane? Ultimately, the "why" doesn't matter. I can't even begin to imagine his horror when he realized he had killed someone. To carry that memory through the rest of his life will surely be torture.
So many times when I'm walking my dog or when I'm walking to and from work, I watch cars speeding down this same road. Every day, all day, I watch cars drive in and out of parking lots, in a hurry, not paying attention to people on foot. Drivers often don't bother to stop at a stop sign if they think they can beat an oncoming car...and they're usually poor judges of timing. It's only a matter of time before there's another unwitting victim. \ I realize people could probably care less about what I say here, but I'll take advantage of this forum to plead, beg, urge, push, shove, and scream...PLEASE SLOW DOWN! The reasons for speeding and wreckless driving can be endless, but none of the reasons are worth someone's life being ended so senselessly.
No one - car drivers or cyclists - ever thinks it will happen to them. The next time you get on the road, remember this cyclist and the driver who killed him.