The other thing to consider nowadays as well is how quickly information travels. It seems like car/bike accidents are on the rise, but perhaps it's just the awareness and reporting of same and not necessarily the volume. Just a guess there, but something to consider before everyone freaks themselves out and wants nothing to do with riding outside.

In other words, I pretty much agree with what you're saying...

Auto-accident study's message: Pay attention

By Ken Thomas

The Associated Press

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Distractions for drivers are everywhere these days with the explosion of new technologies.

They talk on their cellphones, check e-mail or send text messages; get directions from their GPS system; or change stations on satellite radio. Don't forget the age-old distractions of eating, drinking, talking and grooming.

Turns out there can be a high cost.

A study released Thursday by the government found that nearly eight of 10 collisions or near-crashes involved a lack of attention from drivers in the moments before impact.

Researchers reviewed the thousands of hours of video and data from sensor monitors linked to more than 200 drivers, and pinpointed examples of what keeps drivers from paying close attention to the road.

"We see people on the roadways talking on the phone, checking their stocks, checking scores, fussing with their MP3 players, reading e-mails, all while driving 40, 50, 60, 70 miles per hour and sometimes even faster," said Jacqueline Glassman, acting administrator of the government's highway safety agency.

A driver's reaching for a moving object increased the risk of a crash or potential collision by nine times, according to researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Researchers found that the risk of a crash increases almost threefold when a driver is dialing a cellphone.

Researchers said the report showed the first links between crash risks and a driver's activities, from eating and talking to receiving e-mail.

"All of these activities are much more dangerous than we thought before," said Dr. Charlie Klauer, a senior research associate at the institute. Data from police reports had estimated driver inattention was a factor in about 25 percent of crashes.

For many drivers, the research offered more proof of what they see on their daily commutes.

John Simpson of Christiansburg, Va., said his "personal favorite" is once seeing a woman in traffic "with her knees up on the steering wheel, sheet music in her lap and she was playing the flute."

For more than a year, researchers studied the behavior of the drivers of 100 vehicles in metropolitan Washington, D.C. They tracked 241 drivers of those vehicles who were involved in 82 crashes of various degrees of seriousness — 15 were reported to police — and 761 near-crashes. The air bag deployed in three instances.

The project analyzed nearly 2 million miles driven and more than 43,300 hours of data.

Drowsy driving increased the driver's risk of a crash or near-crash by four to six times, the study said. But the study's authors said drowsy driving is frequently underreported in police investigations.

When drivers took long glances away from the road at the wrong moment, they were twice as likely to get into a crash, the report said.

Assessing cellphone use, researchers said the number of crashes or near-crashes linked to dialing the phones was nearly identical to those tied to talking or listening on the phone.

Also Thursday, a preliminary report from the safety agency said the highway death rate rose slightly in 2005 after falling for two years.

you're right, they are mostly accidents. the ones to do something about are where a passenger leans out of the car and hits a cyclist or throws something at them or the driver uses their car as a weapon and deliberately tries to run a cyclist off the road.

the ones to do something about are where a passenger leans out of the car and hits a cyclist or throws something at them or the driver uses their car as a weapon

True, and the thing to do is to get the plate number and call the cops. And make a great big stink until the cops do something about it.

I've been fortunate on the bike in never having run into any of these idiots while riding. I seem to attract more of this kind of attention while running, for some reason. (Though I haven't been a victim of real violence- just some stupid asses yelling stupid stuff.)

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Pretty hard to get a plate number when you're dead, and they flee the scene, as in Woodstock this week.

Yes accidents happen, but we also all know that drivers are aggressive towards cyclists. Most drivers slow and go wide when they see a deer on the side of the road, yet they often speed up and pass close to cyclists even when there's oncoming traffic.

Accidents happen, especially to distracted, intoxicated and/or aggressive drivers.

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2015 American Zofingen Du is May 17.
R.I.P. Chris Gleason

   

What I am trying to say by posting that news article -- Is that people (including all cyclists/triathletes) need to pay attention when driving.

To many people do not consider themselves as Operators of a large and dangerous piece of machinery.

Whether a car - car accident, car - bike, car - perdestrian accident --- is it "just an accident" when the person was Text messaging when they kill someone ?? Is it "just an accident" when they are reaching into the backseat to get thier MP3 player out of thier backpack when they plow into a stopped school bus ??

I think people are getting a free pass from being held responsible for thier actions by saying "it was just an accident"

I am NOT saying jail time -- but community service - where they have to go educate others about the responsability of driving safe. I would love to see these people have to go to High School and say "I was text messaging my friend and not paying attention to driving when I ran off the road and killed someone" -- Educate people on the need to pay attention while you are driving.

I would also like to see some additional education when you have to go get your driver's licence or renew your licence.

I work construction - we have to pass a "Safety Class" - it is a computer course - you watch a video - then have to answer questions - if you get the questions wrong - you simple watch the video again until you pass the test -- This would be a great thing for renewing your drivers licence -- And would serve as a great reminder to people to be a responsible driver and to be concerned about the safety of others.

No - this will not eliminate accidents but if this worked just 10% of the time -- it would totally be worth it. 43,000 people die a year in Car accidents - do you think that 4,300 lives saved would be worth the effort??

Cultivating the victim mentality is wrong -- but it is also Wrong to give someone a free pass on thier responsabilities by saying "it was just an accident"

Very interesting cause I am the same -- have had very few incidents while bicycling and a lot more while running.

I agree with your premise that drivers aren't out to get cyclists specifically. But that does not make cycling any less of a dangerous sport. I understand that some people take this sport seriously, and they ***HAVE** to cycle day in and day out to build an edge. They're taking the risks, and they have my respect. Life is about juggling the risk/reward equation.

There is a set of folks out there though, who cycle for fitness. I'm addressing this question to them: WHY?!?! If it's aerobic fitness you're after, there are plenty of other options that are 1) way less risky, and 2) more efficient (running for example). Why not run most of the time to build fitness and cycle only sparingly (choosing the most opportune conditions) to reduce your risks?

I guess I don't understand those folks.

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I seem to attract more of this kind of attention while running, for some reason. (Though I haven't been a victim of real violence- just some stupid asses yelling stupid stuff.)


I don't understand what it is that compels people to yell at runners. But it's pretty much a guarantee that if I run in the evening or at night, at least one person will yell something out of their car. And about the only time I've understood what they said was once when I was wearing tights and I distinctly heard, "faggot!"

I've had people say things while I've been on the bike, but it's been rare. One ego booster was when some girls in a car yelled "nice legs" when passing. Another time, when I wasn't wearing a shirt on a recovery ride, I got a few catcalls from a guy in a F-truck. So I stood up in the saddle, dropped my shorts, and slapped my left cheek.

Yes accidents happen, but we also all know that drivers are aggressive towards cyclists. Most drivers slow and go wide when they see a deer on the side of the road, yet they often speed up and pass close to cyclists even when there's oncoming traffic.

Most drivers? I'd say that most drivers give me quite a bit of space. It's rare when I get buzzed.

Pretty hard to get a plate number when you're dead, and they flee the scene

True.

we also all know that drivers are aggressive towards cyclists. Most drivers slow and go wide when they see a deer on the side of the road, yet they often speed up and pass close to cyclists even when there's oncoming traffic.

I think we tend to overestimate the numbers of drivers who are aggressive towards cyclists, and that's why I started this thread. To take your example of speeding up and passing a cyclist, for example, I don't think that's usually a sign of aggression towards cyclists. I do it myself sometimes. Because I want to get clear of the cyclist faster, not because I'm trying to intimidate him/her.

Most drivers- the vast majority of drivers- are not out on the roads looking for a skinny guy in spandex to run down. The fact is, accidents happen, and again- not just between cars and bikes.

Another fact is that even though bikes are legally considered vehicles just like a car and cyclists have a legal right to a portion of the road, our roads are just not designed for bicyles. They are designed for cars.

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Although I agree cyclists might overestimate the % of drivers who are aggressive and/or careless, it's still a fact that most car / cyclist collisions are caused by either a car passing them from behind then cutting them off to enter a street or driveway to the right (crossing in front of the cyclist) or failing to yield the right of way and attempting to turn left in front of an oncoming cyclist or to enter a roadway in front of a cyclist. Those, and car doors flung open into a cyclist's path. So, on a given ride, I might encounter 1000 cars, and less than 1% are aggressive and/or careless. That's still 10 drivers who come too close to making my wife a widow. Ultimately, I ride vigilantly and anticipate that every driver is a moron. Expect the worse, hope for the best. Posting about collisions has nothing to do with cultivating victimhood, and everything to do with warning my fellow cyclists to be careful and remember their loved ones, even when they have the right of way.

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2015 American Zofingen Du is May 17.
R.I.P. Chris Gleason