Cycling Tips & Stories

Cyclists should heed the rules of the road

To the editor:

A 9-year-old Independence boy riding the wrong way on Crackerneck Road recently was involved in a collision (The Examiner, May 6, "Boy uninjured in bike vs. car crash").

The automobile driver must be commended for driving at a reasonable and proper speed. Had the driver been speeding, the boy's injuries would likely have been more serious. If more Missouri drivers would drive at safe and reasonable speeds, our streets would be far friendlier and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists and for motorists!

Unfortunately, the fault in this collision must clearly be placed on the cyclist. Experienced cyclists know that wrong-way cycling is not only illegal but far less safe than riding on the right side of the road, with traffic. Accident data clearly show that wrong-way cycling leads to more car-bike crashes and the crashes that do happen are more severe.

Automobile drivers do not expect to see fast-moving bicycles coming toward them in their lane. Drivers pulling out from side streets and driveways do not expect fast-moving bicycles coming toward them near the edge of the street from the wrong direction. Drivers typically don't even look there before pulling into the road.

At average bicycle speeds on residential streets, driver reaction time is more than cut in half by wrong-way cycling. [And, because the speed of impact is increased when vehicles are going opposite directions] the forces of impact of a wrong-way crash are as much as 700 percent higher than a similar crash in which the cyclist is riding on the right side of the road, with traffic.

Bicycling is, in general, very safe. Considering the "big picture," bicycling is safer than driving and as safe or safer than walking. But cyclists who follow the rules of the road are far safer yet.

Brent Hugh
Missouri Bicycle Federation

Related:

News: Spring rash of bicycle-related accidents continues

Tips&Stories: 20 MPH zones in neighborhoods save lives, money