admiral finch
08-28-2004, 11:28 AM
It seems like in the very short time I've been reading and posting here that I've become more aware of how frequently people attempt to beat up on cars and vice versa. Every time I get on the bike to commute, somewhere in my mind I think- gee, I hope this isn't the day, I hope I will know what to do if it is. And then I just get on with the ride; there's no sense in being afraid.
When I began my commute on Wednesday morning, it was one of those days when I thought, god I love my bike! I don't care how long it takes me to get to work today, I don't care about anything but the ride--right now. It was fantastic. All day I was elated.
Coming home that afternoon, an older woman pulled into her private road without looking, without a signal, without seeing me. I tried to brake, but at 18.2 mph, there wasn't much I could do to avoid crashing. Instinctively, I swerved left, lost the back wheel in a skid, had time to realize that I was going to hit and relaxed and rolled off the back of her trunk, while she kept driving.
She stopped and got out and found me on the road. She wasn't really upset. She said, what happened? You were there, on the sidewalk. No- I said- I was in the bike lane. No, no, you were stopped! Something was wrong with your bike! I saw! (What she saw was probably the witness who was jogging on the sidewalk.)
She changed her mind about my position on the road 4 or 5 times in the next sentence while I tried to understand if I was alright.
I am alright- aside from achy muscles and contusions on my chin, forearm and hip. My bike is fixable, a little over 100 dollars to replace the rear derailleur and derailluer hanger which is bent into the spokes.
What I can't understand is how the woman firmly believes that I was "riding too fast" and that I'm at fault since I hit her and since there's nothing wrong with her car.
We filed a police report and the witness confirmed that the woman cut me off and I couldn't stop in time. I'm not worried about taking this to court since monetarily it's almost nothing and I'm not seriously injured (three doctors have checked me out.)
I'm worried because, most likely, this woman should not have been on the road, that even though she's a nice person she couldn't admit that had she been paying attention this could have been avoided. I'm worried because she didn't understand where I was supposed to be, in relation to her, on the road.
I'm on a crusade to tell everyone I know how lucky I am and how thankful I am to be alive and barley scratched; that in order to drive or ride on the road you need to be aware of your rights and the rights of those drivers, cyclists and pedestrians around you.
As a favor to a fellow cyclist, please let someone know about the vehicle codes in your state that pertain to cyclists and vehicle interactions. Post them at work, mention it anywhere.
I know you all understand where I'm coming from. We deserve the same- or more- respect from drivers that other drivers receive.
Thanks for listening.
Casey Larimore
aka admiral finch.
When I began my commute on Wednesday morning, it was one of those days when I thought, god I love my bike! I don't care how long it takes me to get to work today, I don't care about anything but the ride--right now. It was fantastic. All day I was elated.
Coming home that afternoon, an older woman pulled into her private road without looking, without a signal, without seeing me. I tried to brake, but at 18.2 mph, there wasn't much I could do to avoid crashing. Instinctively, I swerved left, lost the back wheel in a skid, had time to realize that I was going to hit and relaxed and rolled off the back of her trunk, while she kept driving.
She stopped and got out and found me on the road. She wasn't really upset. She said, what happened? You were there, on the sidewalk. No- I said- I was in the bike lane. No, no, you were stopped! Something was wrong with your bike! I saw! (What she saw was probably the witness who was jogging on the sidewalk.)
She changed her mind about my position on the road 4 or 5 times in the next sentence while I tried to understand if I was alright.
I am alright- aside from achy muscles and contusions on my chin, forearm and hip. My bike is fixable, a little over 100 dollars to replace the rear derailleur and derailluer hanger which is bent into the spokes.
What I can't understand is how the woman firmly believes that I was "riding too fast" and that I'm at fault since I hit her and since there's nothing wrong with her car.
We filed a police report and the witness confirmed that the woman cut me off and I couldn't stop in time. I'm not worried about taking this to court since monetarily it's almost nothing and I'm not seriously injured (three doctors have checked me out.)
I'm worried because, most likely, this woman should not have been on the road, that even though she's a nice person she couldn't admit that had she been paying attention this could have been avoided. I'm worried because she didn't understand where I was supposed to be, in relation to her, on the road.
I'm on a crusade to tell everyone I know how lucky I am and how thankful I am to be alive and barley scratched; that in order to drive or ride on the road you need to be aware of your rights and the rights of those drivers, cyclists and pedestrians around you.
As a favor to a fellow cyclist, please let someone know about the vehicle codes in your state that pertain to cyclists and vehicle interactions. Post them at work, mention it anywhere.
I know you all understand where I'm coming from. We deserve the same- or more- respect from drivers that other drivers receive.
Thanks for listening.
Casey Larimore
aka admiral finch.