Be careful out there .... (1)

Triathlon Forum
1

Hello All,

Be careful out there …

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/killed_976282___article.html/morning_described.html

A man described as one of the biggest advocates of bicycling in Chattanooga was killed early Friday morning while riding his bike to work.
51-year-old David Meek was making his morning commute on Ashland Terrace when police say he was hit by a truck.

Meek was a husband and father who’s life’s passion was getting around on two-wheels, whether on the road or off. Meek ran his own machine shop in East Chattanooga where he also custom manufactured titanium bike frames under the name Privateer Bicycles.

2

That’s a terrible and sobering reminder we all have to face this time of year. Every Spring… It’s awful. It’s like a war. You look at your buddies at the beginning of the year, you know someone will buy it, but who?

I lost my best friend to this sport, killed riding home from my shop, other guys who were customers and acquaintances. It hits close to home.

It’s a tragic reminder to be safe.

3

Hello Tom and All,

Here is another too close call in my local area.

It is worth noting that there are over 40,000 fatal motor car fatalities each year - even cars are not safe from cars.

==============================================================================

From the SDBC (San Diego Bicycle Coalition) repeater …

I was hit from behind on Calle Cristobal in Mira Mesa on Saturday, Feb 7.

I was riding a recumbent. One moment I was riding the bike, and the next thing I knew I was in the ICU in Scripps Memorial hospital. I have no memory of the collision.

My injuries were severe, but I didn’t break any arms or legs. I am slowly recovering at home after seven days in the hospital.

It was a felony hit and run, and the driver was caught.

I’m going to recover fully, and I’ll be back on a bike in a couple of months. (after I find a new recumbent).

The reason I’m posting this is that I am a very experienced rider. I watch each car coming up behind me in the mirror, and if it looks like they are distracted or swerving, I’ll get out of the way as best as I can.

I’ve watched the drivers get worse and more distracted since the mid 90’s. I had a feeling that someday one of them would get me, and they did. Fortunately I survived, but I really shouldn’t have, considering the severity of the impact.

I feel some sort of obligation to all my fellow riders who were killed under these exact circumstances to make sure you all understand how dangerous conditions are out there. So many drivers are distracted now. The current laws are not enough.

The driver who hit me was trying to find a route on her GPS when she drifted over and hit me. There was no way any lights, flags, or other warning devices could have saved me, because she wasn’t watching where she was going.

I’ve seen the SDCBC do some great things over the years; getting signs posted, bike lanes painted, and a good effort to promote the ‘Share the Road’ concept.
Still, things are getting worse. The drivers are still talking on their phones, playing with iPods and GPS, eating, grooming, and parenting when they should be driving.

I don’t know what to do about this. It’s become a culture thing. You have to spend so much time in the car that you start doing things other than driving. We need to turn this around somehow. I’m hoping the person who hit me will be required to speak to school groups about distracted driving.

As for me, I’m getting off the road. I’ll be transporting my bike to the 56 bike path, or to Miramar to do laps around the lake.

Maybe I’ll do some organized rides.

So watch out everyone. Don’t get too confident, and if you don’t have a mirror, get one.

Dan