Right Hook
Sometime early last week I got the common "right hook" at a major intersection on Congress Blvd. The lady who hooked me had her windows down in her hot rod 2000 Mustang, and as she went/hooked around me, and as I was applying the breaks and turning right to avoid her. I told her that she is being very dangerous and that I was going to report her. According to some safety publications staying out a little ways from the curb of the road allows for a better chance the cyclist to get out of the way, rather than getting pinned in and smashed in the middle of the turn. Lucky for me I was in that position.
I already know that this is the number one cause of bike/automobile accident when cyclists ride in it, so I willingly shoulder the burden because I know it. It however doesn't sit well with me when it happens to me, but at the same time I am grateful. Grateful that I know this truism, grateful that I was aware enough this time to be paying attention for it's potential, and grateful that I was able to execute.
The following morning I logged on to Public Data. Com, clicked on the radio button that asked what my reason for the search was (traffic safety), found out the name and address of the registered owner. I wrote a letter describing the situation and said that I was going to post their information on a web site that would target that car as a potential danger on the streets. I had a registered interpreter transcribe it in Spanish, so had three paragraphs in English and three paragraphs in Spanish. In the envelope I inserted a sheet with some laws along with the illustration you see in this posting.
Well yesterday I got a call from a gentleman who did not speak English about this very letter. So each of us with our elementary second language skills we were able to hash this issue out. Instead of a 5 minute conversation our respective language barriers made for about a 20 minute session. Essentially he says his wife, the driver, did not do this deed, but if she did, she was sorry. I said that it is my word against her's, but that I would accept her apology. He was understandably concerned with getting his name on the Internet, and explained that he has a perfect driving record, and that he didn't want his name listed publicly. He didn't say anything about his wife's driving record.
I told him that I would not post his name and information since he called, and that I was not angry, but I wanted him and his wife to know that we all, cars and bikes have rights and that we need to respect each other in traffic.
This whole thing has turned out to be a huge positive event in my opinion, starting with me being able to avoid the collision. I think that we all learned from the experience. It's like Marcy says, if we can get to one person at a time, it will eventually make the difference.
And then there is this little educational clip for us guys, the city commuter. Thanks to Dave Moulton for this
Let's see what today brings.
I already know that this is the number one cause of bike/automobile accident when cyclists ride in it, so I willingly shoulder the burden because I know it. It however doesn't sit well with me when it happens to me, but at the same time I am grateful. Grateful that I know this truism, grateful that I was aware enough this time to be paying attention for it's potential, and grateful that I was able to execute. The following morning I logged on to Public Data. Com, clicked on the radio button that asked what my reason for the search was (traffic safety), found out the name and address of the registered owner. I wrote a letter describing the situation and said that I was going to post their information on a web site that would target that car as a potential danger on the streets. I had a registered interpreter transcribe it in Spanish, so had three paragraphs in English and three paragraphs in Spanish. In the envelope I inserted a sheet with some laws along with the illustration you see in this posting.
Well yesterday I got a call from a gentleman who did not speak English about this very letter. So each of us with our elementary second language skills we were able to hash this issue out. Instead of a 5 minute conversation our respective language barriers made for about a 20 minute session. Essentially he says his wife, the driver, did not do this deed, but if she did, she was sorry. I said that it is my word against her's, but that I would accept her apology. He was understandably concerned with getting his name on the Internet, and explained that he has a perfect driving record, and that he didn't want his name listed publicly. He didn't say anything about his wife's driving record.
I told him that I would not post his name and information since he called, and that I was not angry, but I wanted him and his wife to know that we all, cars and bikes have rights and that we need to respect each other in traffic.
This whole thing has turned out to be a huge positive event in my opinion, starting with me being able to avoid the collision. I think that we all learned from the experience. It's like Marcy says, if we can get to one person at a time, it will eventually make the difference.
And then there is this little educational clip for us guys, the city commuter. Thanks to Dave Moulton for this
Let's see what today brings.
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