Riding Solo - staying safe

[Norse]

I am absolutely more afraid of being hit by a vehicle than I am of being attacked. Ride defensively, and expect drivers to do stupid stuff.

[Eden]

I am absolutely more afraid of being hit by a vehicle than I am of being attacked. Ride defensively, and expect drivers to do stupid stuff.

+1 Norse, Catrin and Teal! I wrote some replies I deleted too.... The chances of being stalked and murdered by a stranger, somewhere along the lines of the same odds that the earth will be hit by a giant asteroid.... The chances of being hit by an inattentive driver....

Let's also just say feelings around here are running a bit raw these days too.... I suppose also that the chances of being hit by a stray bullet are also fairly astronomical - yet it happened, here in my neighborhood, on a corner I ride though often, just a few weeks ago. A father was killed in front of his children when he just happened to be driving by a corner where someone insulted someone one else and the answer was to pull out a gun. He had nothing to do with it at all, yet he died there, shot in the head, in his fathers arms, in front of his children, for no reason. Tragic, nonsensical, preventable.

[kamikazejane]

Since a few feel this need to jump at me for the statement I made back on page 1......I think we do need to keep in mind that there are some personal reasons as to why some might choose to legally carry or not carry a handgun. I for one have been the victim of rape. I didn't go out asking for it or looking for it. When it happened, I had nothing to protect myself with or fight off the attacker who was twice my size. I weighed a measly 105lbs at 5'4" and my attacker was of course alot bigger than me. I have had to get a protection order on my ex husband who was threatening not only my life but my parents and siblings lives as well. As a family we have had to take precautions. These experiences have shaped my decisions and choices. So my choice to carry is just that....a choice.

Someone else might choose to not carry a handgun for their own personal reasons. They live in a safe neighborhood, never felt threatened, would rather carry mace, a knife, don't feel comfortable around guns, don't believe in guns etc. That is their own choice and I don't think any less of it just like I would hope others wouldn't knock my choice to carry a handgun legally.

[Catrin]

Kamikazejane - first off - I am sorry that you had to endure such things. It is very sad that anyone has to go through such things and they do leave their mark.

I've survived 2 very violent crimes that included rape twice in my life and at one time was familiar with protection orders. Even with all of that I've no desire to ever own/carry a weapon of any kind and have strong opinions on the wisdom of carrying a firearm for common/usual activities.

This is a loaded question/issue, and each of us comes to it with our own perspective from our personal history, politics, and beliefs.

[ny biker]

I personally thought Tulip was referring to this:

"for the time being until our rights as Americans continue to be striped away, but that's a topic for another thread lol"

which to me is the type of political comment the TE moderators prefer we discuss elsewhere.

Otherwise, I don't think anyone is going to change anyone else's mind about the wisdom or appropriateness of carrying a gun, whether you are for or against.

[Eden]

I personally thought Tulip was referring to this:

"for the time being until our rights as Americans continue to be striped away, but that's a topic for another thread lol"

which to me is the type of political comment the TE moderators prefer we discuss elsewhere.

Otherwise, I don't think anyone is going to change anyone else's mind about the wisdom or appropriateness of carrying a gun, whether you are for or against.

Moi aussi - My original reply was also referring to that, more than the issue about carrying weapons. I found it to be, even as a small statement, highly politically charged and rather confrontational, yet also flippant.... and not a lol matter at all to my mind. That is what spoke volumes to me.

[kamikazejane]

Moi aussi - My original reply was also referring to that, more than the issue about carrying weapons. I found it to be, even as a small statement, highly politically charged and rather confrontational, yet also flippant.... and not a lol matter at all to my mind. That is what spoke volumes to me.

The Internet is about the worst way to judge how or in what context someone is saying something. How do you know if I was being "flippant" or "confrontational" or thinking that anything is or isn't an "lol" matter?

[zoom-zoom]

I am absolutely more afraid of being hit by a vehicle than I am of being attacked. Ride defensively, and expect drivers to do stupid stuff.

Yeah...my fears re: riding solo are generally related to the possibility of mechanical issue with my bike, flaky drivers, or my own propensity for doing dumb/clumsy stuff. I know people who will mountain bike alone--that, especially, terrifies me. Because I rarely go off road without at least one crash. Fortunately they have all yielded relatively benign soft-tissue injuries, but I know the odds are that sometime I will suffer a more serious injury and if I'm alone on a quiet trail it could be a while before anyone finds me.