An article I think every cyclist should read and pass around.
Every time we take to the open road, we entrust our lives to a safety net of legal protection and basic human decency. That system has failed.
By David Darlington
for the article from Bicycling magazine go to the link below:
http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-3-12-16637-1,00.html
This article probably takes about ten or fifteen minutes to read.
**** This "boom" also got the attention of Ken Fader, an oral surgeon who was headed east in his car on Occidental Road. Turning his eyes toward the source of the sound, Fader saw Hamer's Mitsubishi barreling through the grass on the other side of the road, debris flying behind it, a spandex-clad bike rider tumbling in its wake. Then the car swerved back onto the pavement, heading right at Fader before correcting direction again and speeding off to the west. Fader's first thought was that he'd witnessed an attempted murder. He likens it to a scene in a movie where an assassin runs down a victim: "It was an awful thing to see. It was bizarre-it was breathtaking. It seemed outrageous, because the cyclist was not taking any risk. He seemed to be in as safe a place as a cyclist could be."
**** The prognosis was equally bad. The Dillons were told that Ross would never be the same, and that they should prepare themselves for some very tough decisions. "People thought he might be brain dead," Betsy says. "When we got there, they started talking to Rusty about donating Ross's organs." By the next day, Dillon's condition had stabilized, but he remained in critical condition and in a coma. Six days after the crash, a neurosurgeon friend of the Dillons rated his chances for future improvement at 5 percent.
**** "When a cyclist is killed by a driver who was text-messaging someone, you read as much in the paper about how awful the driver feels. We've made driving so easy, accessible and convenient - and the system is so forgiving - that people can drive distracted at great speeds and mostly get away with it. But we've seen conclusively that not paying attention will cause bad things to happen; studies have shown that distracted driving is just as dangerous as driving drunk. We should be penalizing those people the same way that we treat drunk drivers."
**** When the light turned green, a Nissan Sentra in front of them pulled out and turned toward Santa Rosa; within seconds, according to Brown, it was flying "like a shot out of hell," weaving all over the road as it bore down on a pair of cyclists on the shoulder. Liu was riding behind Mason, and the car hit him first, killing him instantly as it severed his brain stem. An instant later it slammed into Mason, cleaving her spinal cord, lacerating her liver, breaking her arm and traumatizing her brain. When Brolan and Brown reached her, she was sobbing and shivering on the ground.
**** "It's just that a stupid motorist can do a whole lot more damage than a stupid cyclist. That's where the author let everyone down. All activities carry a risk to them-even sitting on your couch (radon gas under the home or formaldehyde in the insulation)." O'Reilly went on to cite a study that compared the risks, on a per-passenger-mile basis, of all modes of transportation. "Scuba diving tops the list," he revealed. "Elevator travel is the safest mode of transportation. Cycling is slightly more dangerous than driving."
**** "You rarely get people coming to court when they don't know the victim," says Brockley, the prosecuting attorney. "It was -remarkable that most of them weren't personally acquainted with the cyclists who died-they were just concerned citizens who helped the court see the seriousness and reality of the losses. When a judge has discretion in sentencing and knows that the public is watching, it really has an effect."
**** Dillon's upper body is amazingly strong-the kind of musculature you would expect from a mature athlete in his prime. Still, it's hard to watch his 60-year-old parents struggle to reteach their 30-year-old son how to walk and talk.
**** Today Betsy Dillon believes that anyone responsible for hitting another person should lose his or her license for six months and be required to work in an injury clinic or rehab facility. "I don't think [Hamer] should have gone to jail," Betsy allows, "but I think she should be doing something more than feeling bad." "At the very least, she should be doing community service," says Christine Culver. "I have no doubt she was distraught, but people have to be responsible for their behavior. Her actions need to keep this from happening to somebody else."
By David Darlington
for the article from Bicycling magazine go to the link below:
http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-3-12-16637-1,00.html
This article probably takes about ten or fifteen minutes to read.
**** This "boom" also got the attention of Ken Fader, an oral surgeon who was headed east in his car on Occidental Road. Turning his eyes toward the source of the sound, Fader saw Hamer's Mitsubishi barreling through the grass on the other side of the road, debris flying behind it, a spandex-clad bike rider tumbling in its wake. Then the car swerved back onto the pavement, heading right at Fader before correcting direction again and speeding off to the west. Fader's first thought was that he'd witnessed an attempted murder. He likens it to a scene in a movie where an assassin runs down a victim: "It was an awful thing to see. It was bizarre-it was breathtaking. It seemed outrageous, because the cyclist was not taking any risk. He seemed to be in as safe a place as a cyclist could be."
**** The prognosis was equally bad. The Dillons were told that Ross would never be the same, and that they should prepare themselves for some very tough decisions. "People thought he might be brain dead," Betsy says. "When we got there, they started talking to Rusty about donating Ross's organs." By the next day, Dillon's condition had stabilized, but he remained in critical condition and in a coma. Six days after the crash, a neurosurgeon friend of the Dillons rated his chances for future improvement at 5 percent.
**** "When a cyclist is killed by a driver who was text-messaging someone, you read as much in the paper about how awful the driver feels. We've made driving so easy, accessible and convenient - and the system is so forgiving - that people can drive distracted at great speeds and mostly get away with it. But we've seen conclusively that not paying attention will cause bad things to happen; studies have shown that distracted driving is just as dangerous as driving drunk. We should be penalizing those people the same way that we treat drunk drivers."
**** When the light turned green, a Nissan Sentra in front of them pulled out and turned toward Santa Rosa; within seconds, according to Brown, it was flying "like a shot out of hell," weaving all over the road as it bore down on a pair of cyclists on the shoulder. Liu was riding behind Mason, and the car hit him first, killing him instantly as it severed his brain stem. An instant later it slammed into Mason, cleaving her spinal cord, lacerating her liver, breaking her arm and traumatizing her brain. When Brolan and Brown reached her, she was sobbing and shivering on the ground.
**** "It's just that a stupid motorist can do a whole lot more damage than a stupid cyclist. That's where the author let everyone down. All activities carry a risk to them-even sitting on your couch (radon gas under the home or formaldehyde in the insulation)." O'Reilly went on to cite a study that compared the risks, on a per-passenger-mile basis, of all modes of transportation. "Scuba diving tops the list," he revealed. "Elevator travel is the safest mode of transportation. Cycling is slightly more dangerous than driving."
**** "You rarely get people coming to court when they don't know the victim," says Brockley, the prosecuting attorney. "It was -remarkable that most of them weren't personally acquainted with the cyclists who died-they were just concerned citizens who helped the court see the seriousness and reality of the losses. When a judge has discretion in sentencing and knows that the public is watching, it really has an effect."
**** Dillon's upper body is amazingly strong-the kind of musculature you would expect from a mature athlete in his prime. Still, it's hard to watch his 60-year-old parents struggle to reteach their 30-year-old son how to walk and talk.
**** Today Betsy Dillon believes that anyone responsible for hitting another person should lose his or her license for six months and be required to work in an injury clinic or rehab facility. "I don't think [Hamer] should have gone to jail," Betsy allows, "but I think she should be doing something more than feeling bad." "At the very least, she should be doing community service," says Christine Culver. "I have no doubt she was distraught, but people have to be responsible for their behavior. Her actions need to keep this from happening to somebody else."
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gerry Miller on
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Mobile phones are potentially lethal weapons when someone is using one and driving car. There are laws against this activity but not usually enforced. Imagine someone driving around with a bottle of open whisky, he or she wouldn't be for long. It's in the interest of all cyclists, not to mention pedestrians and parents, to lobby for the enforcement of those laws. People who drive with one hand and half a brain need to spend some time without a cell phone. Perhaps just with a cell.
Gerry
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Permalink Reply by Vitaly on -
Actually, in Chicago, they are quite frequently enforced. I know many people who have been issued citations for talking while driving. Oftentimes, the reason people don't get pulled over is because talking on the phone is not a primary offense, like it is in Chicago, and you have to be pulled over for something else and the talking while driving charge gets tacked on later.
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Interesting. I have never seen anyone stopped for being on the phone and that may be the reason why. And you never know why someone has been stopped when you pass them with their police accompaniment on the side of the road. But it's also true that in this neighbourhood at least more people are on the phone than off, and most cars are big SUVs. When you look into people's faces they are far away, in some other neighbourhood or city.
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Permalink Reply by Rodman on -
This is a big subject here in the city of Portland, OR. One that I have been personally involved with. I have been recovering from being hit by a car in July of last year. I am amazed (and sometimes angered) by the lack of respect from car and bicyclist towards each other. More lack of respect towards cyclist, but both sides have jerks and law breakers. I have been told by many people that I know personally that they never really respected cyclist. That was until they saw first hand through me what the consequences of their actions would be if don't share the road with other users. The lady who hit me said that she was not paying attention and just did not see me until I bounced off of her winshield.. Luckily I am in pretty good shape which helped me take the impact & recover, and also because I am attentive I was able to react somewhat quickly. What if it was a child or someone else who maybe had less bike skills that she hit. The outcome could have been worse.
This is how far it tossed me at twenty miles an hour. And we all know cars can go faster then that.
A good site for cycling issues here in Portland is www.bikeportland.org. Check it out. Even though I complain some day soon this city is going to reach platinum status. http://platinumportland.org/
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I am pretty sure most drivers do not know or accept that cyclists have the right to share the road. Therefore they do not "see" cyclists, as the woman did not see you, and if they do it is as intruders. Roads are for cars. Something about driving a car accesses selfishness in people, it's an act of freedom, an exercise of power and egoism they do not want compromised.
Big education needed. Starting with driver-ed the idea of of equal rights, that nobody owns the road, needs to be established and continually reinforced.
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