Thursday, November 18, 2010

Beware of the Cyclists!

       Imagine a mild, summer night.  The weather is perfect. The dim, street lights provide just enough light for motorists to make it to their destination safely.  You approach an empty intersection on a quiet road.  Looking over, you crack a quick joke to your best friend who’s sitting beside you on his matching motorcycle.  Green light.  You check both ways and slowly pull off.  Out of nowhere speeds a reckless driver going at least 20 miles over the speed limit.  Just as you reach the middle of the intersection, BAM!   
           
This is a brief excerpt from my dad’s memory.  His wreck occurred nearly 10 years ago.  Fortunately, he survived and is an perfectly healthy 47-year-old man and an incredible father.  He’s never ridden a cycle since then.

Many cyclists involved in accidents are not this lucky. Throughout these past few weeks in the Charlotte, NC area, motorcycle wrecks seem to be the most recurrent topic on the news. Five cyclists recently lost their lives just within the past 3 weeks.  It honestly seems like I’m hearing about a new crash every other day.             
I bring this issue up to raise awareness.  When on the road with a cyclist, be sure to provide them a sufficient amount of distance.  Try your best to be extra aware.  Accidents involving all types of vehicles occur every day; however, motorcycle wrecks often produce fatal results.  Please be careful on the road.

-Brittani Hunter


4 comments:

  1. i drive a bike and agree! Sometimes I get dirty looks just sitting at a stop sign....PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE!!!

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  2. Yeah my brother has a bike as well and he wears all of the gear to protect himself. I know the gear won't protect you from getting seriously injured if you wreck. I've also seen some YouTube videos of a guy doing like 120 on a highway in some European city and weaving in and out of traffic, that's just asking for it.

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  3. I agree drivers need to pay more attention...for sure

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  4. There are definitely way too many people on the roads, that clearly should not have their license. However, there is no way you could take away someone's license for being a bad driver, so it is our job (the other drivers on the road) to be extra careful and pay attention to all our surroundings. I remember my mom saying this over and over to me while I had my learner's permit. It did stick, I always look, look, and look again when crossing an intersection or pulling out onto a main road. You never know when someone in another car is paying attention to something else. Car's and motorcycles are dangerous and everyone on the roads should be helping each other rather than hurting each other. So next time anyone gets into a car make sure your eyes and mind are on the road.

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