Well folks, the reality of how dangerous our roads can be struck home again. On Sunday / Monday this week the news of a fatal accident in Austin, TX spread around fast. I was actually at work when I heard about the bad news. (Here is a link to the article in the Austin American Statesman: Fatal wreck on Loop 360 concerns Austin cycling groups)
Living in Austin, I have always thought that this is one of the best cities in the US to ride a bike — there are so many cyclists around — certainly the drivers are careful and cautious to make sure they do not cause any kind of accidents involving bikes. But then accidents like the one on Sunday happen and you realize how vulnerable people are….I personally was in an accident while living in Phoenix, AZ — I was riding home after work, I saw a pickup truck waiting to merge from a small street onto the main road, and as it happened just when I was crossing in front of the stopped truck the driver decided to take off and luckily for me did not have time to gain speed. The truck struck me but at a very low speed only managed to bruise my thigh and twist and mangle the fork on my mountain bike….
Since then, I have always thought about this and made sure that whenever I ride I wear jerseys / clothing that makes me very visible – i.e. bright colors, wear helmet, and most of all make sure I pay even more attention than the drivers on the road.
Here are some additional links associated with actions in different communities to raise awareness of both the accident in Austin and actions to heighten drivers attention.
Of course bikers are not always free of fault. There are plenty of cases that you may see on the roads of bikers that run a red light, ignore traffic rules, etc. Take a look at this article also from Austin, TX.
All in all — the lesson learned is “Always pay attention to traffic around you, wear protective gear, and be VERY VERY VISIBLE”