Bicycle Blog Cyclelicious

Ft Collins analyzes bike accidents Do we know how Ft. Collins collects/keeps cycling accident stats? My own local gov't (fairly cycling friendly, as these things go) insists that it's not possible to do a similar evaluation for our city. Leave it to me to post before RTFA. Data was compiled by looking through police reports. (Which I'd say skews the numbers low - lots of crashes go unreported.) Thanks for the data. Broadside threats are the most common I experience. I see a lot of people push too far forward before they stop at lights/stop signs.

I find that action is the one most likely to cause me to yell or call out to make sure the driver sees me. I can normally spot potential right hookers in my rear mirror and make sure they cannot pass me. Both types are drivers that I actively look out for at every intersection. @MB: you're probably right. I've been about 50/50 in reporting my own bike vs car collisions, and in one instance the cop declined to even take the report. In Colorado, police are now required to file a report if a cyclist reports an accident, but this wasn't always the case.

@Duncan: I admit that the "broadside" never really registered with me as a threat, but thinking back you're right - it's very common for me as well. I can almost count on a motorist running a stop sign along one residential street I ride every day. "For the 9 year period that Ft Collins examined, the accident rate is 0.93 per 1,000 population. Compare that against an injury rate of 7.7 per 1,000 population for all people involved in car accidents. There were four bicycle fatalities in Ft Collins in nine years, compared against two to four traffic fatalities total each year."


These can be misleading numbers. I would love to see these normalized for the percentage of the population that participates in riding and driving.

.93 per 1000 looks like a very different number if 10 in 1000 rides a bike on or around the roads. @SEan - I was going to explore that part but it was getting late and I went to bed ;-) But roughly, over that period something like 2% of commuters in F.C. biked to work. 2% of 7.7 is 0.15, so cyclists have roughly 6x the risk of an injury collision as car occupants (fudging also the fact that not all bike vs car accidents result in injury for the cyclist).

For 2008, the bike modal share in F.C. is over 7%, which edges out Portland OR's 6% share. I just can't understand how anyone could overtake a bike and then turn in front of them. I believe a right hook is done in only one of two ways:
1) the car passes the bike and turns, with the intent on causing harm to the bicycle (Why else would you do that?)

2) The car is turning, and a fast moving bicycle runs into the turning car (the cyclists fault)

I just can't see how it would happen any other way. "The Broadside ... That's when a motorist goes straight through an intersection even when there's a bike right in front of him"
vs
"After that, the next collision type is the dreaded Hit From Behind"
What's the difference here?

@Tony Bullard : I think it happens because the motorist doesn't judge the cyclist's speed well, and believes he/she can safely overtake the cyclist and turn out of the intersection before the cyclist gets to it. @Tony: I was hooked a couple of years ago. I was cycling at close to 25 mph in a bike lane (Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA). The driver passed me at probably 35 to 40 mph, slammed the brakes and turned directly in my path pulling into a gas station. I grabbed brake but I only had maybe two feet of response time, hit the back of the car and flipped up and over.

I'm pretty sure the driver either didn't see me or misjudged my speed, so it clearly wasn't intentional.

So explain to me again how this is the cyclist's fault? Yakota, I could see it being the cyclists fault if they're tearing down the road and the try and cut in front of a turning car. I'm not saying this happens often, as I imagine most cyclists that daring would just pass the car on the left.

As for the case where you got hit, I wasn't there, but I'd have a hard time believing the car that crossed in front of you just misjudged. Well, that's not true, there are plenty of stupid drivers out there. I myself would have simply waited till you passed the gas station, but I'm a cyclist, so I think about other on the road more than most motorists. "bull in a china shop" may not be the right line of thought or argument.
Cars also very much have rights on the road, and are fundamental to our society.

Besides, they outnumber us.

That's not to "justify" or "coutenance" any of the behavoir - especially the really daffy stuff.

By the way, as a driver, the cyclists who alarm me the most are the ones doing 'weird' things - riding on the wrong side of the road, ignoring red lights, appearing from odd places.
It's worth thinking about what things you see that baffle you or surprize you while driving, and remember that while riding, and vice versa. To echo Mr. Willman, I agree.

We can talk all we want about improving driver behaviour, but the single best thing we can do for anyone who's found this site is to tell them what they _personally_ can do.

I think the takeaway, from this, is that sidewalk riding, salmon riding, and running lights is more dangerous.

Ride defensively. If we could put it to a vote today they'd ban bikes, not regulate motor vehicles: So let's not get too excited about that. Of the 126 broadside collisions with the "Bike riding against traffic", 80 of them were "Bike on sidewalk/crosswalk". It may be a bad idea, but it's not quite the same as riding the wrong way on the street. The data is interesting, yet it begs for questions it cannot answer. For instance, in a 'broadside' collision - who was at fault? Did the cyclist fail to yield or did the motorist? Prying out details is essential if we're to use this information to prevent future crashes or try to influence public policy. And they're more properly called CRASHES rather than accidents. Crashes have causes and they're preventable. Accidents are more in the realm of Acts of God. What is most frightening about this data, to me, is that the most deadly type of accident (hit from behind/ sideswipe) is the thing that even riding defensively can do little to avoid. I can avoid a lot of potential right hooks by never coming up next to a moving car at at an intersection, I can stay out of the door zone, and avoid most broadsides and left hooks by being very careful not to go into an intersection until I see that it's clear and make eye contact with any oncoming traffic. But someone drunk or texting who veers out of his lane- not much I can do to see that coming or prevent it. Thats the kind of thing that scares me... =v= These findings are interesting because they seem to be broadly consistent with the analyses done by Right of Way, on New York City data. Right of Way focused on fatalities, though, and the Ft. Collins study has a much smaller sample size of those (a total of 2, both sideswipes). The prominence of overtaking and cars running red lights and stop signs is about the same, as is that of bikes running stop signs and going the wrong way on the street. Don't ride like this One of our locals got a citation from campus cops last week for it. Just warning, but written up.
In general, the social hazard of pissing off drivers and being perceived as another dangerous bike rider with utter disregard for "the rules," though most of the drivers fuming the thoughts would be passing on the right in the automotive equivalent (i.e., enough room to get by) I have to assume that was faster-than-normal video. Still, you were dangerously close to the curb and those pedestrians at times. Also, there's a danger from a passenger opening a door in front of you. Dooring. Being squeezed by a car whose motorist is exoecting you on his right, he might pull over to drop a passenger, dodge a hole on the road, or give an overtaking motorcyclist oe cyclist room. In that situation, I don't think being a "gutter bunny" was as bad as it could have been -- as long as you were aware of cars overtaking you on the left at intersections.

Plenty of visibility, no parked cars, slow moving traffic. Not really the doomsday we're told to expect.

However, another unsung danger is pedestrians popping out from between parked cars. They don't look most of the time, so you have to look for them. But then they get mad at you for riding too close and assume you didn't see them or something.

Otherwise, I wholeheartedly support blowing past stopped traffic at every opportunity. If you piss them off, they deserve to be pissed off by it. Nobody's forcing them into their cars to be stopped by traffic. The border between the concrete curb/gutter and the black pavement of the roadway is a danger. It's almost never a flush joint, and at that parallel angle it can grab your wheel or push it out from under you if you don't traverse it right.

There's a wider "lane" when you split lanes; about 6 feet. The "lane" for gutter bunnies is about 3 feet.

Gutterbunnies also have less help than lane splitters. Gutterbunnies have a reactive variable on the left (a car might respond to you and move aside) and one static variable (a curb that can never help you out by getting out of the way). When splitting the lanes, both sides are reactive and might respond positively to your presence. Modu phone handlebar mount Just dumb. People hate other people on their phones while driving. Lots of people hate cyclists on the road...you really want to combine the two? If your lack of attention doesn't kill you, someone's anger will. My phone has GPS. I could see wanting to see a map... but I am pretty sure I don't have the connordination... Non-custodial ex-husband forbids children riding bikes I'm with dad. Accompany the kids still... I used to walk to and from school by myself, in the San Francisco Bay Area at age 8, I'd say riding at 7 and 9 isn't much different. I wonder if they walked rather than biked, would the situation be different. Meaning, does the father have issue with them riding or commuting to school alone in any fashion?

At some point, as a parent, you need to let go, release yourself from the burden that your child isn't safe without you around.

I say let them ride. Really? I wouldn't let my 7 and 11 year old ride BY THEMSELVES just because they can ride a bike and obey the traffic laws. No matter how safe you are on your bike, there are some SICK people out there that would snatch up those kids in an INSTANT if they were alone. I mean come on people...sure don't overprotect your kids but be reasonable! It seems to me that the point isn't necessarily the bike riding in itself but rather the fact that the the kids are unsupervised. if the boyfriend and/or mother are that concerned that the kids can't ride them maybe one of them needs to go with. I agree with the dad that I wouldn't let my 7 & 11 year old children out without supervision, even if it was just down the street. There are too many variables (read pediphiles) out there to warrent not being the least bit concerned for the childrens safety. "pediphile" - is that a freudian slip?

I walked by myself to school starting with Kindergarden. There aren't any more pedophiles today than there were back then - it just gets more publicity so people aquire the irrational fears. Certainly this depends on *where* the child is walking - Longmont is a pretty tame town - at the age of ten I was walking from Niwot to Longmont with a big plastic bag collecting cans from the ditch for a scouts fundraiser.

In fact, if anything the streets are more safe - haven't you heard the pedophiles are all trolling the internet these days! I have to agree with murphstahoe. Most children are abused and kidnapped by people they know. It does depend where you live. I honestly don't know where the irrational fear takes hold, but there are statistics for this thing. Draw conclusions from reality, not from gut feelings. There are issues here that extend way beyond cycling. Custody issues are about power and control.I doubt that there is anything that can be done to change this guy's mind- he most likely knows the family does not use a car and wants to make life difficult.

as to 7- i am very liberal on the freedom of kids to move around their environments. But... at almost 10, i am only now comfortable with my daughter riding alone in the neighborhood. Not because of pedophiles (worst excuse ever!!!!) but because she is small enough that she is not easily seen in the bike lane.

Here is an excellent site about raising independent kids with lots of real info on the true #'s about crime and 'danger'.

(http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/) Ten years old is the base age for kids biking to school on their own. Each parent has to make their own decision based on their child and the conditions on their route to school.
I'm concerned what kind of precedent this would set and I wonder what authority the mediator has to regulate the parents transportation choice.
I think it's great this parent has set up the kids with a system of Active Transportation that works for them and they obviously feel it is a safe option. Does the Mediator cycle this area? Do they know the issue completely?

As far as the safety issue- the number of abductions in the US have not increased over the previous four decades (though coverage of them has). However our childhood obesity rate HAS tripled as the amount that our kids walk or bike to school has gone from over 50% in the 70's down to about 10% nationwide. We are protecting our kids so much we are killing them. The danger is not out there, it's right with us.

Shane- Safe Routes to School Program Manager. The ruling may relate to being alone vs the bike safety thing. There's a lot of kooks out there. Children that age probably shouldn't be that far from a responsible adult. Danny and the Demoncycle Classic 70's style! Love it! Thanks for finding it. Glad you like it. I found it via Twitter. Please add to StumbleUpon, Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, etc if you like it! So when Danny got old he changed his name to Yehuda Moon? B/c he sure looks the part. I dunno, Mr. Moon takes it easy on his Van Sweringen. This kid on the cover is riding it like he stole it! 2Tire: You need to flip to the last page -- it's very cool. Silly Danny, rail trails are along inactive lines. =v= I love how he has 1970s helmet hair (instead of a helmet). Note how the whole thing is pre-Forester!

P.S.: First seen on LJ and put it on FB PDQ, LOL. Hey Sioux Geonz, look what I found I'm all over it :) :) I don't need 'em for the daytime, anyway.

It's totally, man, glossy here now. Studs still slide when it's somewhere between water and ice adn there's a 30 mph crosswind... Highlight the fun of cycling It is possible to highlight the fun of cycling w/o leaving your helmet at home. While helmets do not protect against severe collisions, or collisions that do not involve the head they do still save lives (at least its saved mine - the accident was not my fault).

Instead of framing helmets as this mythical shell that protects bikers from imminent death they should be framed as a normal safety measure associated with cycling - similar to seat belts in cars. The rhetoric of leaving helmets at home is foolish. They do not make you less safe. Amen, Mark...I don't wear a helmet because I think of cycling as a dangerous activity. I wear it because I value the accumulated memories, pop culture factoids and experiences I've been collecting between my ears since 1969.

Frankly, I'd rather "have it and not need it than need it and not have it", to dust off an old chestnut. "Your results may vary" says the fine print on things like diet programs. Likewise, America's infatuation with trash talk and exerting force on inconvenient populations could dilute the effect we as cyclists wish so fervently to believe in. Motorists who see more and more cyclists could just get more and more pissed off at cyclists. I hope it ain't so, but we in the USA are known for a bit of a "me first" mentality. It makes us avid competitors and sometimes less than adequate at sharing and playing nicely with others.

We await real world results with hope, but years of caution blunting our expectations. Cafiend, I bike across Palo Alto, CA every day which has about a 6% bike mode share. In spite of absolutely nuts behavior by many cyclists (or maybe because of it), drivers here are very cautious around cyclists for the most part. I never get honked at in the SF Bay Area and harassment of any kind is very rare, about the same frequency as I might expect if I were driving.

Downstate Illinois was the worst place I've cycled -- I've been yelled at, honked at, had items thrown at me. I was also the only regular bike commuter I knew back them (early 90s). I got yelled at on Saturday. I was riding towards GGP on Fell in San Francisco. At Baker, the crazy bike lane ends (crazy in that it's on the left side of the one way street) usually you detour off of Fell onto the Panhandle bike path. However, there was a Breast Cancer walk going on on the bike path and we would have been blocked, so we stayed on Fell.

Some 50ish lady drove by and yelled "GET ON THE BIKE PATH".

Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to mention to her we could not ride on the bike path because people were raising funds for a disease of which she is the prime demographic... Fritz, I want it to be true. I just fear the NASCAR mentality.

Murphstahoe, when someone in a motor vehicle yells "get on the bike path" the proper response is "Get on the Interstate!" This post has been removed by the author. Although it's typically motorists who I prefer to not deal with, today was my first time having another cyclist send obscenities my way. I made a left a turn onto a road with a bike lane and damn near went head on into a cyclist riding the wrong way in the bike lane. I quickly swerved to avoid him, and trying to sound as calm as I could said wrong way dude, to which he replied "well f**ck off". I want to see more cyclists on the road, but I also want to see education increase with it so we don't end up with so many suicide riders. Murph, that's just typical big city abuse from and for users all modes of transport :-)

Gary, suicide cyclists are everyday life in Palo Alto. I can count on a near hit at least weekly from cyclists running stops and lights. Last week it was a pair of women chatting who pulled out DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME without looking. This morning it was Joe College on his old mountain bike blowing through a stop and nearly got hit by me, by the two cyclists coming the other direction, and by the motorist directly behind me. Above average drivers The Q & A at the link to the book is a must read. I'd wager that the majority of motorized drivers are unaware of the obvious and ongoing problems, driver education has yet to be taught. We're still learning how driving behavior is changing and evolving while distractions are increasing along with speed and horsepower. Traffic and congestion, natural results, only compound stress related problems and "brains are put on hold".
Jack Traffic safety: If you can't see, the speed limit is zero It always amazes me when people try to pass me on a couple of little rollers on my commute. Absolutely zero visibility over the crest of the hill, but they just have to pass me right there... We had a cyclist killed here about a month ago, and there has been quite a debate going on in the comment section of the newspaper article.

The woman said she could not see the cyclist because the sun was in her eyes. She was not charged.

Several motorists have maintained that he should not have been there and it was his fault for even being on the road, and any cyclist in any roadway can pretty much expect that one day they will die on the road when there are cars about.

anyway I posted what the officer said about the speed being zero when visibility is zero.

The article is Here


You may also find my article about visibility and driving interesting.

http://austincyclingnews.com/?p=211 Texting and laptop use still legal The handsfree law CVC 23123, applies to motor vehicles.

On the plus side, at least it's gotten people talking about distractions of all kinds.

The consequences of distraction are still illegal. For example, unsafe lane changes, running stop signs, etc.

You don't actually have to hold a cell phone to your ear, or be drunk, to do something stupid/dangerous/illegal while driving. Even perfectly sober, alert people do stupid/dangerous/illegal things while driving. That's a scary picture. A few days ago on I-55 between Chicago and St. Louis I passed a man in a convertible reading a book while driving at 70+ mph. Free range kids Welp, given that we've contaminated all kinds of aspects of our environments, and made for highways where once 'twas safe passage...

... but back to bicycling. We get an email today - setting up interviews with the Daily Illini about "bicycle safety."
THe language implies that the bicycle is inherently unsafe. We don't call Driver's Education Car Safety, do we?
Let's make new language. Smart Cycling? Strategic Cycling? Here's the latest fearmongrel to drop into my box: The hazards of lax dress codes. (42 seconds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZqKGqLQsnc That video is too much!

Good luck on the interview. Remember to only say the things you want them to print -- journalists generally print the most alarming thing they hear about. If your entire 20 minute interview is about how fun cycling is, and you mention off hand about the jerk who honked at you last summer, guess how the article will lead off? "Sue Jones battles rude drivers and dangerous traffic conditions as she fights quixotically to improve safety for herself and the five other cyclists we found on Green Street." (from personal experience) Although there are valid safety concerns with kids, I think as a society we over protect them. I think part of it is our access to media and can hear about all the terrible things that happen in the world instead of just where we live.

I was riding all over by the time I was 12. When I was 15, I did a 150 mile solo ride. We didn't even have cell phones to call for help. There were places where it was over 30 miles between towns and hardly any houses. Good for you Fritz! As a father with four sons, raising them with emphasis on personal responsibility and experience in dealing with the world outside of cars pays large dividends.

My youngest has been riding to school on his bike since he was seven. Another son (age 25) has yet to own a car, rides his bike to work daily and rode the subways alone at age 12.

And as written on Free Range, cell phones turn adults into babies...so true.
Jack "the Boy Scout was forced to endure weather!"

Funniest thing I've read in the last week or so. Over 500,000 children's head injuries are recorded each year! Why just for kids? The world is full of banana peels, sticks, power cables, etc that could result in a crippling head injury even for the fully grown! I agree! That is why I always wear my helmet, even to bed! (You never know when a particularly violent dream causes you to fall out of your bed!) I also have a set of knee and elbow guards. To get 500,000 they must have used a fairly broad definition of "head injury". Probably the kinds of bumps and scrapes that every single one of us got when we were kids, right about the time that we (well, most of us) learned to stop smacking our heads into things. Shielding small children from that kind of feedback can severely restrict their ability to learn how to interact with their environment. Thank you for mentioning me Fritz. I keep checking your blog from time to time. Keep the posts coming. Now read this I've done the local Ride of Silence and plan to again this year. Ours is pretty small and there's no fear mongering just respect for those killed. Just on Sunday, 2004 RAAM finisher Randy Van Zee was hit from behind and killed. It does happen. I've had close calls on the bike but I may get killed in a car accident. You never know. You just can't take for granted you'll be here tomorrow. Until then I intend to keep riding. I used to be the type that only occasionally wore my helmet...that changed on Monday. I will always be wearing a helmet from now on...others can still do as they see fit but I can guarantee that I wouldn't be here, in the same capacity I am now, if I hadn't been wearing my helmet.

I'm sure helmets get pushed plenty hard...but one saved me...so I guess it was worth it. Keeps my hair out of my face. On the "My Helmet Saved My Life" rhetoric... This link is of interest.

In short, regarding people who claim, rather unscientifically, that a helmet 'saved their life' it is said:
"As there is no evidence that helmets save lives or serious injury at all across cyclists as a whole, most of these perceptions of helmet benefit must be mistaken."

A helmet is not designed to help you in collisions with other vechicles. Not even the most fervently religious helmet advocate will claim that. Belief is one thing, knowing the scientific facts is quite another.

Bike helmets are a voluntary issue and should remain so. Well the difference between my head hitting pavement from a 6 foot drop and my head in a helmet hitting pavement from a 6 foot drop is dramatic. I have demolished a helmet and walked away without even a headache. Sure, the helmet did not protect my knee, but I never expected it to. Without a helmet, it would have been a very different outcome.

Sure, people can choose not to wear a helmet, but if I am on a group ride and somebody busts their head open without a helmet? I just do not have time. If you do not care about your head enough to wear a helmet, I do not have time to stop and sit with you while waiting for an ambulance. The helmet-less rider can spend his waiting time thinking, if he still can, about links explaining that helmets may not save his life in a bike accident.

I caught a buddy riding one day without his helmet. I just rode up next to him and asked him to picture his ex-wife explaining to his two girls why daddy was now a drooling moron. He has not ridden without one since. Tim, do you and your friend also wear helmets while driving? If not, why not? Your chance of serious head injury is higher while driving, after all. Of the three drooling morons that I know well, all of them were transformed from reasonably bright, happy people into drooling morons while they were unsafely within the confines of automobiles. If you play basketball with your buddies, you better wear a helmet on the court -- per hour of activity, your chance of head injury is *much* higher than that from bicycling.

Yeah, that's what I thought. After all, what kind of idiot wears helmets while driving or playing ball? They'd all look like retards.

I'll also point out once again that I draw a distinction between a slow speed ride to the store and your group rides. Helmets can be justified by the increased risk of higher speed rides on rural roads. Ride of Silence effective advocacy...that's the debate? Well if preaching to the choir expands the flock, then it is. Cyclists find great comfort in having their beliefs reaffirmed... who doesn't?

Memorials are important in recognizing the empathy cyclists have for each other. What determines effective advocacy requires more space and time.
Jack Welp, there is that social element. Frankly, if it were part of the culture to wear a helmet in the car, I probably would. Since I'm in a car so rarely, putting on a helmet's pretty automatic when I'm walking out the door.

While it is of course possible that all those real, living riders are mistaken, it is also possible that evidence has simply not been properly interpreted. To assume they *must* be wrong is simply fallacious logic. So is assuming that I think the helmet will protect me from being made into a grease spot by a car. I don't. Whenever someboyd has to apply selective logic, they've lost their credibility with me. (Yes, this applies to the "everyone should wear a helmet" crowd, too.)

Odd as it may seem, there are other kinds of accidents on bicycles. I've smacked my little helmeted head enough times to be glad there's this silly cultural expectation that I wear one. It's just not that big a deal! I also have to partake in other utterly illogical social rituals that have no evidence that they really make sense.

I think people cna choose their risks. So I don't say "where's your helmet?" at strangers, tho' I consider it... the same way I consider but then decide against saying "why are you in that horrible death machine?" to drivers and "have you ever *heard* what dying of lung cancer sounds like?" to smokers. Hmm, suddenly I want to get one of those old-timey motoring helmets, some leather gloves, and a white silk scarf, and go take a drive through the countryside at 40 mph. :-) I don't want to make cycling seem dangerous. I am as big a cycling booster as anyone and I do see the point, but frankly riding in Demark and riding in the US are just not caomparable. Like Ultrarob, I will be participating in our local Ride of Silence next month. A guy I used to race with was killed on a training ride by an inattentive driver, and I will be thinking about him, as well as the wife and kids he left behind, as I do the ride. I don't know if it "only hurt a little" when he was hit, but he is no longer around for me to ask. I could say the same about one of our club members who was killed last year on her commute. On my commute, I ride on some roads that others would consider unsafe. I don’t have an irrational fear of riding in traffic, but I certainly think there is room for improvement in the way motorists interact with cyclists

On the flip side, I also know people, including a relative, who have died in auto accidents and I don't go around griping about how dangerous it is to drive. Oh wait, I DO go around griping about that… every chance I get in fact. 40,000 traffic fatalities a year in this country is a horrific statistic that we should not settle for. While it is true that riding a bike is not as unsafe as some people think it is, the fact remains that, in the U.S., driving or riding a bike are both more dangerous activities than they are in other industrialized countries. Those high traffic fatality statistics are not something that we should ignore in the name of not scaring anyone; I just can’t buy into that. Everyone in this country should be a little “scared” when they venture onto the roads. Maybe then some of the motorists would actually hang up the phone, put down the burger, and pay attention to the damn road. "Tim, do you and your friend also wear helmets while driving? If not, why not?"

Because I am in a car? Are you a drooling moron? That is the stupidest argument I have ever heard. I thought bikesgonewild was stupid! My head is contained in a car.

I don't think I need to read your blog anymore if you do not understand the difference between riding in a car and on a bike, and the exposure of your head.

Also, please cease publishing any of my photos. Make cycling safer ...leah makes some good points on a trend in the mainstream media, i've noticed also, since the cupertino fatalities...
...the have been two children on their bikes hit by vehicles in the last week in the greater bay area...one incident was fatal...
...& the 'city of sf' is introducing a proposal to almost double the number of bike lanes in town while reducing the number of parking places w/ the threat of cracking down on parking in the bike lanes...
...the natives will be restless & up in arms but good for 'the city' for showing some gumption... Airbag for cyclists The regions of the body in most danger during a crash are the hip, collar bone, knee and the wrist. I like the airbag idea but the fact that cyclists will need additional gear when going uphill is a discouragement.

What bike handling skill clinics can do in this regard maybe is to teach cyclists the right way to fall off a bike during a crash. I've seen similar instructions given to stunt men and record speed breakers. You know.. fall like a ragdoll, don't stiffen up your body, things on those lines. Not sure if they can apply to cycling. Good points, Ron.

Mostly I think cycling is safe enough. Modern helmets are a reasonable compromise between additional safety and the inconvenience of wearing them, and we can heal from road rash. I've hit the deck at 25 mph -- it's painful, but not life ending. ...props for good points to both you guys...i could see something like this to supplement the hardshell gear the DHers use...crashing at 50mph on the old kamikaze downhill still hadda hurt, even w/ the right equipment of the day...
...& i'm gonna shout out about a friend, miles rockwell, who all these years later still deserves props for winning that race...55mph on the dirt is frickin crazy...missy g, jimmy deaton, all these folks hit speeds i could only dream about.,.. Maybe this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv87Rt_7JiI

could use something like that. I know there is a better video out there, but this is the only one I could find with the sound off at work. Santa Clara County bicycle fatality locations Has anyone done a similar map showing motor vehicle fatalities and/or pedestrian fatalities? This could go a long way towards determining where the roads need re-engineering or the vehicle statutes need tighter enforcement. Just showing one class of road user really doesn't give enough detail about what is causing the fatalities. A similar map showing motorist fatalities over the past decade would be covered in those little markers. In Santa Clara County alone there are 12,000 collisions per year resulting in over 10,000 injuries and 100 deaths -- that's in a single year, while the map shows a decade's worth of cyclist fatalities. The leading factor in motor vehicle fatalities in the county is DUI. Test your awareness and perception skills This post has been removed by the author. Yeah, Fritz. Me too. Both on passing the test and on being familiar with what was going to happen. For more videos that test perception try this site. Select "The Videos". I like the "Colour-changing card trick", but they are all good. (wrong link on first posting) The furry bear in the study was fairly obvious.. I obviously was too focused because I didn't even see it the 2nd time. I had to watch a 3rd time and then I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it. Please pay attention London is having a safety boost at the moment. Giveing 'booster' mirrors to trucks and lights to cyclists

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/7695.aspx

they also have a test to show how hard looking for two things at once is http://www.dothetest.co.uk/ No Cheating! I've said it before and I'll say it again... "I didn't see you" should never be accepted as an excuse for a driver almost hitting you, no matter if you're a cyclist, pedestrian, or another car.

If they didn't see you, they weren't looking hard enough, and if it comes right down to it they should be charged with negligence. Looks like the Brits have borrowed from C-U's 'gorrilla study' ( see http://viscog.beckman.uiuc.edu/grafs/demos/15.html ) and done their own: http://www.dothetest.co.uk/ The "awareness campaign" -- You guys beat me to mentioning it! I posted last night to CommuteByBike and got around to posting it today here.

I saw the surprise ending, but I was familiar with the UIUC study that Sue mentioned.

Jamie, take the test and you might think again about "I didn't see you" as an excuse. Do The Test

So, while it's true that people "weren't looking hard enough," it doesn't *necessarily* mean it was because they were attending to anything but driving. Therefore it simply doesn't fit legal negligence.

It reminds me of when somebody says "if you don't remember that, you just didn't try hard enough." Granted, I need to be responsible for finding a strategy to be where I"m supposed to be, but ... I can't *make* my brain remember. If I don't remember your name, I can try 'til I puke. It's not going to come to my brain.

If our brains didn't automatically screen out 90% of stimuli, we'd not be able to do the amazing things we do.

Obviously, if htey were also texting it changes everything - that's a choice to involve the attention and vision somewhere else. And of course, the vehicular cyclist in me has to comment that he should *not* have been at "the far right edge of the road." People don't see you when you're out of the arc of attention. More cyclist deaths in the Bay Area "Traffic engineering" always seems to be about turning city streets into quasi-freeways.

It puts bikers at risk, not to mention pedestrians, and probably means more deaths and injuries for people in cars, too.

It would be interesting to see before and after figures for specific roads that have been "improved".

Where do you find figures like the 100/deaths per year for SCCo? Do they have more detailed information? SC County government has the stats on their website. This PDF for example has 2006 data. speed is up... how 'bout involvement of small electronic devices? Z sez: Yield to Life ...while i'm guilty of making fun of dave z's new moustache, i've always respected him as a cyclist...

...now, w/ his intelligently named "yield to life" i can't tell you how much admiration i have for the guy...no need for me to mirror the worthy objectives here, but needless to say, a well conceived program...

...fritz, you mentioned the exchange amongst various types in sf...i thought it interesting that someone who was objecting to cyclist's riding on certain "dangerous" streets specifically mentioned 'fell st' which has a decent width bike lane on it's south side over a good portion of its length...when it hits the panhandle, blocks before gg park, the lane channels you into paths through the 'handle...
...i've both ridden & driven it recently & find it decent for either of it's purposes...

...i only mention it to shed light on the naysayers who would object even when reasonable accomodations are made...some folks just never like to give ground... thanks for the HPT plug; to add to that rant, just learned that Squid & Co. have canceled Monstertrack! - in part due to the fatality in Chicago and increasing concern about the ability to manage the race.

http://bikeblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/monster-track-9-race-that-isnt.html Got in Fritz and read DaveZ's comments, upsetting but inspirational. His dedication to cycling and his goal to improve the cycling environment will benefit everyone...good for him.
Jack Cycling and right hooks Buried in these forum comments are key reasons for the continuing problems between cyclists and motorized vehicles in the USA. In the section "do cyclists face the same problems in Europe" are these comments:

1) The most important thing about Europe is the culture and attitude towards cyclists.
2) is that the countries with the strictest driver's licensing laws and rules of the road (Germany, Austria, etc.) have the highest levels of bicycling, whereas those with more lenient licensing and arguably greater anarchy on the road (southern Europe, U.S.) have significantly lower levels of bicycling
3) Cyclists actually have a wonderful dedicated network of paths...
4) Motorists are petrified of hitting a cyclist.

All too true.
Jack ...anon 11:54am...re: (4) motorists are petrified of hitting a cyclist...

...that's a true statement basically because while no one wants to accidentally take a life, most motorists just don't wanna deal w/ the ensuing hassle...we are a 'problem' best swept under the rug...there is no pro-active thought regarding the fact that bicycles are a valid form of transportation & should be regarded as such 'on the road'...

...while yes, there are a lot of clueless, inconsiderate cyclists out there who contribute to the negative image of cycling, most non cyclists in vehicles, don't think about cyclists or want to think about cyclists until we are 'in their way'...

...i may sound like a broken record on this but every motorist will encounter cyclists at some point of their day for the rest of their lives & maybe that needs to be pro-actively recognized or addressed... Sadly this whole situation goes beyond visibility of cyclists. I've been right hooked numerous times on my bike, and have been fortunate enough to miss hitting the car every time but one. Then a few months ago, I almost hit a car that right hooked me while I was DRIVING! I was in the right right lane, and without looking or signaling, the other driver tried to turn right onto a side street from the left lane. Some people get into a car and just become completely oblivious to all other road users. Jail sentence for running stop sign ...while i share yer sentiments regarding unnecessary stop sign usage especially in light of being a cyclist, this guy bamberg is an idiot & a clown...

...nothing is sweeter (in these situations) than the law having to acquiesce to the defendant, when the official format is wrong...but pulling a stunt like this idiot did is deserving of punishment...

...that being said, as was pointed out in the 'chronicle', house arrest would provide less of a burden on the state...ankle bracelet, tons of community service, whatever else but it looks like the court wanted to set an example w/ this guy... Taking the lane: How it's done Thanks, Fritz. I've forwarded this information to one of our local cycling advocates who's looking for instructional material. These presentations fail in so many ways to address the realities of cycling, especially the failure of law enforcement, the role of educating auto drivers, and proper road design. No amount of educating cyclists can compensate for the combination of irresponsible street designs, irresponsible auto-truck drivers and iresponsible law enforcement.

Notice how each of these critical areas are labeled "under development". Also the group has a clear and obvious bias against separated bike lanes which can be very beneficial as proven around the world.

In addition, the presentations typically are from the perspective of an adult and ignore the needs of young children and older adults.

Very disappointing... Thanks for posting this link. I would like to address Anonymous, time stamped 11/30/2007 10:03:00 AM remarks:

> presentations ...

Excuse me where do you live? All vehicle operators are responsible to "exercise duty of care" to others on the road. A sound grounding in vehicular cycling help the cyclist know where and how to drive and anticipate, prevent others ignorance or irresponsibility!

> notice how each of these critical areas are labeled "under development".

How about looking at Richard Moeur's "Bicycle Facility Design" for an expanded looked.
http://tinyurl.com/ysgowg

> the group has a clear and obvious bias against separated bike lanes which can be very beneficial as proven around the world.

The presentations is are unfair, they clarifies the weakness of special facilities, i.e. bike lanes, whose benefits are dubious. My Local EMS service counted 19 bike accident in four years, over half (10) we're on a multi-use path (aka bike path). Thanks so much for bicycle friendly facility! A vehicular [educated] cyclist can adapt to any situation or road.

> presentations typically are from the perspective of an adult and ignore the needs of young children and older adults.

Young children need good role models [parents] to learn how ride a bike and I don't see any problems with older adults, except breaking old habits and disarming fears. Chris Quints' "A Kid's Eye View: Bicycle Safety for Parents from a Child's Perspective" featured on LAB Enjoy the Ride: Essential Bicycling Skills (DVD) http://tinyurl.com/29stpo
is quite good for parents of younger riders.

> very disappointing...

If you want a slower paced, less technical view, try "Cyclist's Eye View: Driving Your Bicycle in Traffic" also on Enjoy the Ride: Essential Bicycling Skills (DVD). While this information fails to fulfill your hopes or expectations I find it extremely informative and well done! that road in laguna is insane. while i am 100% supportive of bicyclists asserting their rights on the road, but that looked rather unnecessary. why not pick a slightly less busy road?

having grown up in orange county, i realize that most roads are huge and fast, but a lot of roads also have a bike lane or at least a shoulder.

vehiclar cycling is one thing, but planting yourself in the midst of SUVs piloted by cell-phone talking drivers going 50mph to prove a point is another. why should you believe, even for a second, that a car behind you is going to see you or give you a wide berth just because you're in the middle of the right lane? people still give me a foot or less when passing me, even when i plant my butt right down the middle of the lane. No charges were filed Of all the cycling deaths in KC that have gotten any press in the short amount of time that I've been riding and interested in this sort of thing, I can say that most of them in KC end up the same way.

I was VERY thankful when the court finally laid the smack down on the guy who slaughtered a man and his grand-daughter who were training for the local MS-150 charity ride. Fritz, you may want to take a look at this:

http://www.tucsonbikelawyer.com/2007/09/no-charges-in-death-of-mesa-cyclist.html

"No charges in death of Mesa cyclist: Police say more proof is needed to cite driver with violation of "3-foot law"" They say cycling is dangerous... This reminds me a little of that sniper in the D.C. area :( Americans are 10X more likely to die of skin cancer than a bike accident. So wear sunscreen. A Nice Morning Drive hope that as gas prices go up people start driving less and slower. Encourage local representatives for heavier taxes on gasoline and building up dutch-style bicycling facilities. I think it runs deeper philosophically; when people are invulnerable, they become unaware of the harm they do to others. WOrks on an individual and a group basis.

Fahrenheit 451's descriptions of the highways were also eerily accurate. Thanks for the comments. Good point about the psychology of invulnerability. Bicycle risks and safety great link fritz! thanks for sharing. something i alway weigh is the risk i put myself at when i get behind the wheel, whereas i have always perceived my long distance cycling habit to be the riskier of my choices. I do feel more vulnerable on my bike but I think how someone rides makes a big difference in safety. I won't ride with even one earpiece as I think it reduces awareness of what's going on.

Route choice also makes a big difference although roads that seem safe can lull me into not paying attention. I have quit doing one of my favortie 200 mile rides from Colorado Springs to Glenwood Springs because of worries about narrow roads and lots of high speed traffic. I've replaced it with a ride to Avon that's 190 miles and avoids the busiest section of the ride to Glenwood. "I do feel more vulnerable on my bike"

Ironically, that's part of why you're safer. The reverse is people in SUVs who think they're totally safe and end up lying sideways in a ditch during a light snowfall. Do as I say, not as I do! $1000 speeding ticket Whaaaaaaaaaat? Cops don't enforce the law on bicyclists? You should have a chat with Tulsa PD Santa Task Force. Maybe they just trying to show Santa some love and Christmas cheer? This is what I've been saying needs to be done all along. Make the speeding laws something that's actually going to HURT people in some way. That way they'll stop speeding.

The law I've been pushing recently is to give anyone who speeds in a school zone a six-month license suspension. If we can't create laws to protect kids at school, what good are we? Lives are more important than speed on the road. THat one drawback is pretty significant, especially since it means the same guy could deserve a ticket ten times and there might not even be a record. End result: more crazy drivers, not fewer.
I'm of the "earn your right to the road" school. If our culture stopped thinking it was a horrible thing to deprive somebody of the privilege to drive, then a: those same outraged citizens would create options and b: htere *would* be fewer dangerously impaired drivers out there. Tulsa's fine law enforcement personnel are exceptional in every way, I'm sure.

I think it's Finland that figures speeding fines as a percentage of income. I read that one reason the VA legislators voted for increased speeding fine was because they were afraid to increase gas taxes by roughly a penny per gallon. the measure is meant to increase revenues for roads, as you've noted Fritz, but the legislature is tax averse.

Now we get to see how much backbone they have when confronted with angry voters. Third offense for driving under the influence gets a $3000 fine? It ought to get 10 years! One of the biggest complaints about the law is that out of state drivers (there are a lot, District and Maryland residents) are exempted from the high fines because they are allowed to plead ignorance. The roads right around the District are nasty to drive in, but there are already a number of programs to encourage people to report "aggressive" drivers. Maybe there just needs to be more effort to track down the reported aggressives. Are you nut? I make 1500 a month. I don't speed but speed traps all over my rout to and from work on downhills and 25 mils speed limit? Are you telling me you never went over limit? Do you even live in US? Anon, read the article. If you're going 45 in a 25, then you deserve to get nailed. IMO. Motorist's brilliant suggestion to improve bike lanes At least that person means well... I think. I think this shows you the level of people out there. Bicyclist are second class citizens, its obvious by the way people treat us and the laws that protect us (or lack there of). Cyclist jacket with brake light and turn signals I've invented this a thousand times... or at least wished it.

Now for a "horn" that will do assorted sound effects. When my brakes were really squeaky, people knew I was there!

How about something to hold a lipstick so I can beautify myself while at a stop light?

Seriously, I think some major brainstorming could come up with some major improvements for utilitarian cyclists. Cycling products tend to be focused on fair-weather recreational cyclists. City Traffic Commission: Cyclists are insane idiots As Chairperson for the Saratoga Traffic Safety Commission I want to apolgize for allowing any words I have uttered to be so misunderstood and misquoted. This quote is so outrageous as to not even be believable, but I guess we all tend to believe what we read. My quote should have read "that" road which refered to a discussion about one road in Saratoga in particular whose conditions are dangerous for all vehicles in many places. This road has a long history of accidents, community concern and media attention. At this same meeting we later discussed bike lane safety for which the other quotes in the article refer to. I have worked for many years WITH cycling through the commission to add biking lanes, sign appropriately, Safe Routes to School and promoting biking and walking as an althernative to driving. I have always worked diligently to have families bike to school and have been involved in most of the design work in our cities attempt to renovate schools and inmprove traffic in around them to promote safety. I, of course, do not think this awesome sport is insane nor idiotic, and where else would anyone bike if not on the streets? Parking lots! The misquote came from a differnt discussion in the same meeting where we addressed one address on one street. I do reserve the right to have an opinion about one very dangerous road in my city,knowing full well that it is within the rights of all bikers to ride where they want when they want. Thank you,
Brigitte Ballingall Thank your Mr Ballinger for leaving your comment here. I appreciate that. I hope my followup is reasonably accurate! Dear Fritz,

Your follow-up was greatly appreciated and an accurate summary of my post. I wrote a letter and sent it in response to a few emails I recieved yesterday. I will format it as a "Letter to the Editor" that will not "retract" a statement I never made but explain the statement I did make and what it refered to. The quote is not only inaccurate and out of context; it is absurd. I am concerned about the negative publicity this will have for a city that has been committed to cycling promotion and safety. But, I am most concerned of about cylist safety and how this distorted statement might potentially negatively influence that.
Brigitte Ballingall Safe Routes to School and promoting biking and walking as an althernative to driving. I have always worked diligently to have families bike to school and have been involved in most of the design work in our cities attempt to renovate schools and inmprove traffic in around them to promote safety. I, of course, do not think this awesome sport is laptop batteries insane nor idiotic, and where else would anyone bike if not on the streets? Parking lots! The misquote came from a differnt discussion in the same meeting where we addressed one address on one street. Carnage amen See also this sad story. What was the outcome of that Y2K road rage in SF? Crime and perception I'll look through the files, Fritz. I know I did an informal count of motor vehicles stopping/not stopping in front of the library one afternoon. But I won't have it until this evening, at least. "My best advice to any bicyclist encountering such bias is to vigorously push back. Bicyclist behavior is entirely consistent with traffic behavior in general. Which transportation mode poses the greatest danger? Which mode offers the greatest social benefit?"

YES!!! Hmmm... which direction to "push back?" Global ferocious enforcement for all the violators, or global ferocious focus on the benefits? +1. Plus the effects of my errant biking are far less...

http://ndanger.org/blog/2007/07/02/should-truckers-crush-cars-an-analogy/ No Kidding. I bike to work every day, and it amazes me how many motorists seem to think I shouldn't be on the road, and push by with little to no room left for myself, occasionally causing me to run off the road. Our city by-law says to ride in the middle of the lane if you feel you don't have enough room. Maybe I should try that... We've still got these folks that, I believe, in-your-face confrontation isn't going to help:
this guy ... I'm not sure what will get this guy out of "roads are made for cars." I mean, otherwise sensible people honestly believed for years that "women just can't... (fill in the blank)" or believed in spontaneous generation, for that matter. Broke bike chain breaks teeth Ouch. The only time I broke a chain was on a track bike at the velodrome down near Ft. Lauderdale. I was out of the saddle doing a sprint coming down off the bank when all of a sudden there was no more resistance on the pedal. My balance was totally thrown off by the quick acceleration of the foot through the rest of the pedal stroke and I when straight down. The concrete surface was just smooth enough for me to slide on my butt for about 20 feet. The spandex in my shorts melted (I could see the singed edges around the big hole) and I got a huge case of road rash conveniently right on the part of the cheek that makes contact with whatever you're trying to sit on. Kept all of my teeth, though. This post was like driving past a car accident on the highway, I couldn't help but look at the photos... Thanks for sharing. Cyclist tips from a car driver Extra cool.