I had a completely different post planned for this week, but something happened on Monday that made me change my focus.
I saw a cyclist get hit by a car.
Before we go further: he is fine, the driver is fine, and the bystanders are fine.
But…it could have been SOOOOO much worse.
I think we all need a little reminder about following the rules of the road – whether those roads be city streets or trail systems.
As I was walking on this trail this morning, a teen went by me on his bike. He was carrying a duffle and backpack, plus had a cooler strapped to the back of his bike. (As an aside, I don’t know how he controlled his bike with all this crap onboard.)
Do you see my van parked to the left side of that picture, just beyond the trees? No? Neither do I. The car that went by from that side as the cyclist ran the stop sign was even smaller. The driver couldn’t see him coming and I doubt he saw her until he was at the sidewalk. He didn’t stop. I glanced up when I heard the bang and saw him roll off the hood of this woman’s car.
The cyclist wasn’t wearing a helmet. He bounced right up and was obviously shaken but by some miracle was fine. Luckily, I think the driver was going quite slowly. This could have ended so badly, but thankfully, someone was looking out for the young man.
For all runners, cyclists, rollerbladers, whatever…you MUST obey street signs! There are stop signs all along paved trails for a reason – the drivers going through the neighborhoods have the right-of-way. Know the laws in your area and abide by them, even if you aren’t riding or running on the city streets. Keep yourself safe.
And for the love of all that’s holy, PLEASE WEAR A HELMET!
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