A Conversation Overheard in the Elevator

Nowadays it seems more and more folks are riding bikes and I notice many more children riding safely on the sidewalk or on the edge of the road with the direction of traffic. It’s unfortunate that many vehicle operators still have a blatant disregard for their safety by recklessly speeding through neighborhoods or driving distracted. I was in the elevator at work the other day and a gentleman was relating to a coworker how his son had been hit by the mirror of a pickup truck while riding his bike with a friend. This was the kind of mirror that sticks way out from the side of the truck. Hi son’s friend witnessed the accident and tried to get the truck’s plate number. Unfortunately the driver gunned the engine and sped off as quickly as possible to avoid being identified. Incidentally, the boy who was struck was only 12. Many of the bicyclists I ride with, including myself, are of the “spandex clad” variety. We often view ourselves as unique when it comes to motorist aggression or carelessness. In fact, as I’ve noticed over the years, we are NOT at all unique. Any pedestrian, handicapped person in a motorized wheelchair, child on a scooter or anyone on wheeled device, is at the mercy of irresponsible driver behavior. What we need today is modern version of the “stocks” where this type of driver can be fined, imprisoned and publically humiliated to the point the others would take their driving privileges a lot more seriously. Any ideas? Mike Wolk