These posts do sadden me, and they all make us evaluate the risks of the things we do in our daily lives. That is as it should be. However, we should think about *all* of the risks we take. I doubt that there is good data out there on how safe cycling really is. It's just not that well studied. We have more information on how many car accidents there are, pedestrians are hit, etc.

Sure, we could all never leave our houses, but the fact of life is that we take risks every time we get in a car, walk across the street or get on an airplane. I don't plan to stop any of those. I'm just not convinced that cycling is that much more dangerous than walking in an urban area, or any number of other activities we participate in. We have had lots of pedestrians hit recently. Lots of small cars are totaled by big trucks every day. I drive a small car on a 65 mile round trip commute every day. I think that is much more dangerous that riding my bike could be.

As long as the pace of life keeps speeding up and people are pressed to work more and more hours, with more pressures on their time and more stress in their lives, there will continue to be problems. (as an aside, I think the same things are contributing to road rage). Cell phones are a part of this, sure. So are unrestrained children, lack of sleep and any number of other things. Yes, we absolutely need to take steps to force drivers to be safe, including mandating hands free devices. I won't talk on a cell in a car without one. However, until we as a society address creasing pressures on lives, things will not improve significantly.

I wish I had the answer...I don't. But I'll keep riding my bike.