Total Views: 1064
| Bicyclist killed on Saturday morning ride |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Ron Kaye |
| Tuesday, 07 September 2010 22:01 |
|
Increased awareness, common sense, and common courtesy can prevent future accidents It was supposed to be a pleasant Saturday morning ride, with the weather offering a delightful hint of autumn mornings to come. But the enjoyment was to be short-lived for 31-year-old Thomas Pattillo. Shortly after 7 a.m., he and his riding partner were struck from behind by a vehicle while riding on Sloan Mill Road. Pattillo was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where the father of two died a few hours later, while his friend suffered only minor injuries.While accidents like this don't happen that often here, the resurgence of interest in cycling is increasingly forcing automobiles and bicycles to share the same roads. And bicyclists always come up with the short straw in the inevitable encounters. Municipal, county, and state governments across the country have made uneven attempts to address the situation, and the federal government has even tied the dispersal of highway funds to compliance with its rules regarding shared roadways. Some of the efforts have been criticized as being little more than minimalist, compliance-driven efforts that fail to enhance cyclists' safety, such as narrowing a single lane on a busy thoroughfare and allocating a narrow strip as a "bicycle path." Yet some locales seem to have gotten serious in their commitment to reducing auto/bicycle accidents, building bicycle paths completely apart from automobile thoroughfares. The plain truth is that cyclists are ill-advised to count on the government to keep them safe. Because cyclists are inherently more vulnerable than drivers of four-wheeled vehicles, increased awareness and avoidance of potential hazards becomes a crucial element of their survival. Beyond common-sense safety practices, automobile drivers and cyclists need to strive for a degree of mutual awareness and respect that is too often missing on today's roads. Automobile drivers and cyclists alike need to realize that both types of vehicles are subject to the same laws - human-implemented laws as well as the laws of physics. Just because an automobile driver has more invested in a vehicle than a bicyclist does, the investment - and the several thousand additional pounds of steel - do not confer upon that driver the automatic right of way. By the same token, cyclists need to remember that traffic lights and right-of-way laws apply to them just as they do to automobile drivers. A cyclist who rides between the line of cars stopped at an intersection and rides right through a red light shouldn't be too surprised if the motorists aren't amused, especially if they end up having to slow down for the cyclist once the light changes. With increased awareness, common sense, and a bit of common courtesy, there's no reason that cars and bicycles can't peacefully coexist on the roadways, and hopefully prevent future tragedies such as befell Thomas Pattillo this last weekend. For further information: Bike paths & trails around Atlanta: Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites |
