Share and share alike…even with cyclists
Share and share alike; we’ve heard that many, many times over the years. We’ve been asked to share our toys when we were a kid. We’ve shared our tools, food and good times with family and friends as well. How about sharing the road? Are you too aggressive to share the road or do you give up and let others in to allow them to travel safely? Have you ever thought about how it would feel if someone treated you like you treated others on the road?
I coach 11 and 12 year olds in baseball and one of the players I coach was hit by a vehicle while cycling. Luckily he was wearing a helmet, but he still received cuts, scrapes and bruises. If he was helmetless, he would have suffered extreme head injuries. Why would the driver turn directly in front of him? The young person on my baseball team ended up hitting the vehicle that turned in front of him which caused him to fly over the vehicle and hit the ground heavily on his head. Based on the look of his front wheel, it was a pretty hard hit.
There’s no way that should have happened if the driver was paying attention and sharing the road. Did he not see the cyclist? Were they distracted? Did they think they could ‘make it’ before the cyclist got there? Whatever the reason, it wasn’t a good one.
Our communities are getting busier and busier with traffic each year. We’re now seeing motorized scooters and electric scooters on the roads more these days. They, as well as cyclists, need space to operate their craft just like you do as you drive your car, van, truck or whatever. It’s time to wake up and take a reality check – whether you want to or not – you need to share the road with other vehicles of any type.
Think about your actions before you attempt your move with the cyclist. Would your move cause harm to another person? Could your vehicle be damaged? Could you be injured? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, do NOT proceed with that action. What if the helmet loosened in the fall and the cyclist received head injuries? If you’re a selfish person and only think of yourself, then think about how you may feel if you injured a cyclist or what charges you would face from the police? How high would your insurance go because of your move?
This crash scared my young baseball player and his family. I hope this reality check will ‘scare’ you into sharing the road with cyclists of all ages. We’re just thankful this young cyclist is ok.