When Tragic Accidents do Occur - it impacts us all in some way

Today we have experienced the death of yet another cyclist. It is tragic news which impacts us all. The immediate relatives and friends of the cyclist will be grieving and everyone will be wondering about the how and why yet another tragedy occurred on our roads. I know my family are deeply concerned about me riding at all times of the day/night and in all types of weather conditions. Maybe one day if Im unlucky enough the police may need to visit my families front door to break the terrible news. Yes I have thought about the what if and wondering if riding a bike is worth the risk because there may not be another chance for me, and certainly I have had more than my fair share of car/bus verus cyclist incidents. Did think about tossing the cycling for my families benefit but there are certainly other ways in life where you can meet your demise. If it was just me living on my own with no children maybe the whole issue of "what if "wouldnt be an issue. In some way if I was isolated without family and friends then maybe if the worst did happen it wouldnt matter.....but since I have friends they too are concerned and care very much.....reality for me is that there is no escaping the impact of a fatal accident. You must also ask about the feelings of the driver if they realised they did cause a death through whatever cause. The point Im driving at is that cyclists and motorist are not independant but interdependant and there must be a sense of responsibility which all road users must have when they are out there. From what I have pointed out it is not possible to die without it impacting upon someone very significant.

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Permalink Reply by Ian Clifford on May 15, 2011 at 19:32

As always Rob you have made this community stop and think how our actions can be affecting those closes to us (well it did for me anyway).

 

 I am deeply saddened by the losses that have been felt this week. I too look forward to my commutes in and out of work too much to give it away. My commutes are well outside of the traffic that is felt by most people in this on-line community, but the possibility of injury is something that I am aware of, but stubbornly or selfishly I will continue to cycle. I was knocked off my bike almost two years ago and it took my wife (Non cyclist) and I a while to become comfortable with me commuting again.

 

Is it time for us to put on a reflective vest, and come together for as many high profile rides (Not Ctritical Mass style) as we can? Adelaide Lord Mayor would be a supporter; he had an article in the Sunday Mail today talking about making the city friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists.

 

As many people have said in other threads, their cycling keeps their life in balance. This is true for me as well. By the time I have ridden the 45 Min home work has been processed, and I can focus better on my family.

 

My condolences to those closest to these cyclists.

Permalink Reply by Mike Brisco on May 16, 2011 at 12:41

To summarise my too long post earlier - &  risk of being killed on your bike in SA-   about as likely,  you will win the big weekly prize in cross lotto. 

Both have many participants (Cycling,   25% of population - tho' most dont do very much).

Adelaide: 52 cross lotto winners a year, 1 a week

Adelaide,  4 cyclists killed a year, 1 every 3 months.

I dont want to make too much of this - the analogy is imperfect.  Risk  depends  how much you ride (or how many tickets you buy). One outcome is good; the other  disastrously bad.  Any cycling death or injury, is one too many. But I hope a few  of you find the post useful, to show how small the risk, actually is.  It's  not easy talking/writing about risk.

Permalink Reply by Bicycle Fish on May 16, 2011 at 13:11
There's a lot of replies to trawl through here, more than I care to read. So I will just assume mine is a "counter" view. Here goes : I know nothing about the circumstances of this *crash* [ on Unley Rd ?? ], so I can have no idea whose faulit it was etc etc. What I do know, is that I see quite a lot of lycra groups on the roads, as well as individual lycra lads-and-lasses, who seem to be using the road as a training track. On a personal note, during my career as a Utility Cyclist for many years, I have often experienced the condescending attitude of "racers" towards my own "slow" cycling, as tho we were on different planets. However, with the current craze for semi-competitive cycling on bikes designed to WIN rather than cope with urban traffic, I am not really surprised that, yes, ocassionally, crashes happen. Yes we have a car-dependent society, which needs to change; but if you think a world in lycra is the answer, I have to disagree.

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