Young Woman Cyclist Killed
Here is a story about a young woman cyclist who was killed in an accident with a garbage truck this week. Here is a link to the WABA page with several links to news stories about the accident.
I am having a hard time to not cry as I write this. She was so young.
The stories lead me to believe that she was not all the experienced in bicycle commuting.
Many people I talk with are nervous about riding on streets. Their biggest concern seems to be cars that are traveling in the same direction coming from behind them. The biggest concern for me is intersections. I am always very cautious at intersections and especially in the type of situation like the one where Alice was killed.
Unfortunately, the United States is a car obsessed culture where the automobile reigns supreme. I get the impression that many places in Europe are not like this. Bicycling is more common there and the laws and culture actually favor cyclists.
Let me make a few comments to all of you cyclists who may be new to cycling.
Ride defensively. It doesn’t matter who has the right of way. A commercial I remember from my childhood used to say about defensive driving “You may be right. Dead right”. A bicyclist will always lose in a squabble over rights with a car.
Be especially vigilant at intersections.
Always watch for the cars traveling in the same direction as you who may turn right.
Watch for cars turning left in front of you.
Watch for cars entering the street from driveways, parking lots and cross streets.
Be especially careful when riding on an off road bike path if it is adjacent to a road and you are traveling against the flow of automobile traffic. Yes you are separated from traffic. But invariably cars will come from a side street and drivers will not even look to their right if they are turning right onto the roadway.
Watch! Watch! Watch!
Be predictable in your riding and use hand signals to let others know your intentions.
And for hell sakes pull the damn iPod out of your ears while riding and be aware!
My heart goes out to Alice’s parents.
Tags: bicycling accidents, bicycling safety, vehicular cycling
July 10th, 2008 at 8:30 am
That is the main reason i never got into cycling as much. Riding in traffic is something i have just never gotten used to.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:30 am
A very helpful post indeed. It seems defensive driving which is my mantra in car-driving applies hundredfold in this case and further confirms my fear and resolution to never even think of bike-commuting especially in cities like DC…
I am beginning to actually appreciate Metro even more despite all the daily annoyances. I cannot even begin to fathom the grief of this young woman’s parents and family and my heart goes out to them!
July 10th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
This is my eternal debate, do I try to bike to work? I would only do it once or twice a week and my commute is only about nine miles one way. But it would be dealing with some busy intersections which is somewhat scary. How am I supposed to save on gas? There aren’t any logical bus routes going my direction and I’ve already tried to get a carpool going at work w/little luck. I’m sick of stressing about gas prices but there doesn’t seem to be much I can do about it.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I believe that urban cycling is actually safer than riding in the suburbs. But as I said, you need to be watchful and aware of the potential dangers. Your problem is that you are cycling to work is more of a suburb. We should take a look at the possible routes for you to ride to work.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Oh, that is very sad. I’ll be sure to have Charlie read this post.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:08 am
When my kids became aware of the hand signals for bikers, they started doing them in the house, too. Every time time rounded a corner in the house, they had their hand up or down. It was good practice, but it drove me crazy when they didn’t use the slow signal and I’d smack right into them in the hall!
Good point apout the iPod. Unplug yourself, car or bike!
July 21st, 2008 at 3:55 pm
thank you for this post.
I think a lot of bicyclists are not aware of the fact that they are silent and if they are jumping out on to the road from a blind corner - they are also invisible.
So many cyclists jump out in front of drivers on the street where I live from behind a very tall bush. I’ve seen a lot of accidents where bicycles jump onto the road and the driver swerves to avoid and then ends up hitting a light pole or the gutter instead, meanwhile the cyclist is flipping the driver off. The city went so far as to install stop signs with flashing red lights on the bike path but the cyclists still refuse to stop, slow down, or make their presence known before entering the road.
Not all bicyclists are like this. The vast majority are actually safe riders but unfortunately the few that are unsafe are causing a lot of accidents and several cyclists have been hurt and one killed here. Its just so sad that a little common sense and courtesy and playing by the rules of the road could have avoided those tragedies.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:51 am
That is such a tragic accident. We were taught early about bicycle safety when I was a child and even took bicycle safety tests at safety town (an area in a neighborhood park that promoted bicycle and pedestrian safety). I am visiting your blog by way of Camp Carrie.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:04 am
[...] don’t know all the details around the recent deadly accident here in D.C. but doing something similar would help prevent this type of [...]
July 24th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Great post! I live in a very cyclist-unfriendly city and choose to bike downtown instead of paying insane gas prices, dealing with traffic and paying for parking. I was in a crosswalk with a green light and thought I had made contact with the person approaching the intersection. It turns out that he was looking at the angle just above my head to see if he was going to get a turning arrow. As I started across the street, I noticed he was still approaching and turned to look at him. He was looking back to see if there was traffic coming. I knew if he saw a clear lane, then I was hit. I was going uphill and could not have gotten out of the way in time. He saw a bus approaching and chose to beat the bus. He hit me and I landed about eight feet away, into the lane the bus was in.
The police told him and I that if he chose to pay for my bike, that would be nice of him, but because I was on my bike in that crosswalk, then he certainly didn’t have to. He rolled through the red light, and I was crossing in a crosswalk, and yet it turns out they pinned the blame on me.
He has decided not to pay for the repairs to my bike, and I am also now fighting over an ambulance bill. It turns out it would have been cheaper just to drive to work after all. I still ride, but I drive half the way to avoid some of the more dangerous intersections.
If you are on your two feet or driving a motor vehicle, it seems you have all the rights. Cyclists are dispensible. It’s very frustrating!
July 24th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I am glad you weren’t hurt worse. And I must say that you have fortitude to continue riding your bike to work.
There does seem to be a lot to the incident. And though you were riding a bike in the crosswalk, you also say he rolled through a red light.
What is your city?
It can be tough being a cyclist.
I wish you safe continued riding.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.