An awful story...

[Geonz]

... I trimmed my surfing so I've only been lurking here for a while, and at first I wasn't going to spread sadness and frustration, but we need to be sad and frustrated togehter.
I knew this couple -- hey, *everybody* knew Cindy and David. They kept their bikes in my garage over the winter because their apartment was too small to keep them inside. I sang with Cindy in Parkland Chorus.

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2011-03-08/map-reading-may-have-distracted-driver-car-bike-crash.html
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts-police-and-fire/2011-03-09/couple-hit-motorist-maintained-independence-spite-disabilitie

(I'm proud that there's only one or two trolls in the comments ...)

Our state's attorney says that oh, yes, we do have a new law to protect bicyclist's and pedestrians from reckless drivers, but taht this guy wasn't wanton and willful enough for it to be worth prosecuting.

I checked what reckless is and the example given in the law is riding over RR tracks fast enough to be airborne.

Welp, would driving as far and fast as you coudl with your eyes closed be reckless?

The paper doesn't describe wehre they were riding -- WIDE OPEN cornfields... and the corn hasn't even begun. You can see for MILES. They rode a tandem WITH a trailer WITH a huge, big orange flag and mirrors and they had over 12,000 miles on that bike because they were skilled, experienced drivers.

[lph]

Oh, that is so sad. :(

[Becky]

Oh my gosh. I don't even have words to describe how wrong and tragic this is.

[Biciclista]

that is incredibly sad.

[indysteel]

OMG; that's beyond tragic. The second of the two articles has me in tears. What a wonderful couple, and how senseless that they were hit by someone recklessly reading a map while driving. The fact that the driver didn't appear to be "talking on a cell phone" as mentioned in the first article misses the point. There's certainly more than way to be distracted while driving, and none of them are particularly excusable.

[Geonz]

Okay, my coworker points out that the town of Bondville *does* have some visual distractions so a driver lost, looking for an address, might not have registered that the bicycle was a bicycle.

All that means is he didn't actively stick his head under the dashboard for a minute and a half. He still drove hell-bent-for-leather with eyes off the road and murdered two people doing it.
State's attorney's website: http://www.juliarietz.org/contact.htm

[indysteel]

What do your coworkers mean by "visual distractions"? It seems to me that most places have visual distractions. The fact remains that it's really hard to read a map and look at the road at the same time.

[Geonz]

Yes.... um... I think she is trying a little bit to be a devil's advocate... and she'd never admit it but she's car-culture. Those cars. We just can't always control them, you know.
I fyou can't control yours, I think you shouldn't be on the road. Unfortunately, most people disagree.

[badgercat]

What a terrible loss. I'm so sorry.

[PamNY]

Oh, that is tragic. Being distracted by a map makes it okay? I don't get that at all.

[Jo-n-NY]

Sad, horrible, tragic there are just not enough words to describe this. Would it take too much time to pull off to the side of the road to read the map? People today just do not think.

I am so sorry to hear of this loss. If anything this couple was an inspiration.

~ JoAnn

[sundial]

Sue, what a terrible, terrible accident and I can't even imagine the pain you must be feeling to have lost such a wonderful friend. I cannot understand why this accident had to happen-- big, open space without blind spots. The article describes an area much like where I ride and I can remember on one occasion a car fulll of college kids who played chicken with me. I hope we don't lose any TE'ers to reckless drivers. Be safe everyone. And Sue, sending a gentle hug to you. (((Sue)))

[Mr. Bloom]

Ugh! So very sad...

[Geonz]

Butcha no, (But you know ;)) ...

I'm thinking that rather than brand this driver a jerk... no... we need to point to him as -- unless we do find out otherwise -- a Regular Guy, who Just Didn't Pay Attention...

(BUT SHOULD STILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS NEGLIGENCE)

... and that, therefore, it COULD be YOU. So pull OVER to tie your shoes and read your map.

[Geonz]

http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=225236&watch=1

http://www.wandtv.com/Global/category.asp?C=182814

here's some local coverage. I like this town.

We were talking about doing a ghost bike -- tandem. SOmebody posted to craigslist asking (I suggested to look to see what was available). Two have been donated.

I like this town. I hate the temptation to drive distracted. DO NO DO IT.