Sharing the Road

It's hard to believe that 59,000 injuries and nearly 800 deaths occur every year due to cycling related accidents (2004 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). I was reminded of our vulnerable and threatened status on Central Ohio Roadways this past Tuesday when a driver "brushed" our paceline. The motorist, who smelled of alcohol, pulled over and was beligerent with several cyclist in our group. To add insult to injury, a young child was in the car, listening to countless obsenities and endorfin enhanced bravado.

The real tradegy of the whole situation is that it occured at all. A cyclist is 3 times less likely to be killed in Germany and 6 times less likely in the Netherlands (Reuters, Aug. 28, 2003, by Maggie Fox). This all points to the sobering statistics of acceptance on American roads.

Regardless of the statistics, our place on the road is secured by law. It's up to us to keep it that way. It's also up to us to be ambassidors on the road. Our actions reflect what people think of all cyclist. Unfortunately, the actions of one driver does not reflect on the same on the rest of the motoring public. We have to resist the urge to flip off the rogue driver. It's hard, but the consquences can often be deadly.

Sorry for the preachy entry. Be safe out there folks.