(AP Photo/Wally Santana)
Today the Times-News reported that a male cyclist was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while riding his bicycle along Falls Avenue east. No other information has been released yet. I will post more information when it is released by the sheriffs department. There is a Google Map at the bottom that shows where the cyclist was struck and killed.
With the 3 recent cycling deaths in Boise and now one here in Twin Falls it's time that we realize how potentially dangerous riding bicycles can be with ignorant drivers who always seem to be concentrating on their cell phone and not the road they are driving on.
There have been many other cyclists killed recently throughout the country. Kristin Stormer was killed on June 23 while riding her bicycle in Ocean City Maryland.
65 Year old Jim Gafney from Chula Vista California was killed in Illinois by a car. Gafney was bicycling across the country to protest the government bailouts.
13 year old Megan Lee was killed while bicycling in Glendale AZ. Lee was struck and killed by a vehicle that had ran a red light. Feel Free To Sign Megan Lee's Guest Book with condolences for the family.
Heinz Duerkop died at 67 years while bicycling in El Paso, Tex. Duerkop was struck from behind by a motor vehicle.
These are just a small sampling of the may bicyclists struck and killed each year while cycling. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in 2007, the most recent year of cycling data, 696 cyclists wer killed. That was less cycling deaths then in 2006 when 769 cyclists wee killed. How many bicycling deaths in the United States will we have this year? Only time will tell. Be cautious and bicycle safely.
Heres a Google Map of the area where the Cyclist was killed outside of Twin Falls on Falls Avenue.
Comments
Let's put this in context. Bicycling deaths make the news because of their relative rarity. How many motorists died during that same period? We accept those deaths as a cost of having a modern transportation system, and they're so commonplace as to be unremarkable. If I recall correctly, motorists kill about 12,000 pedestrians each year. Their stories are buried somewhere deep in the newspaper too.
Does a solution exist? It would take a sea change in driver's attitudes and expectations about speed and convenience. It would take a huge amount of political will to reduce speed limits in urban areas to speeds that are more survivable in crashes. It would take greater reliance on "human factors" in crash avoidance rather than more reliance on technology and engineering.
And oddly enough, the security characters to enter this comment are "meh". Irony, no?
On June 15, 2006 my mother was in a bicycle accident (with a dog not a car) in McCall, Idaho. As a result of the traumatic brain injury she suffered she passed away 34 days later. I continue to advocate the proper use of a helmet when cycling, riding a scooter, or motorcycle. If her helmet wouldn't have come off, she may still be here with us today.
I just returned from cycling over 400 miles in France, where speeds are considerably higher than in the States and where there are also more cyclists per capita. I was surprised at how aware and respectful drivers are of cyclists – even on narrower roads. One reason for this and the much lower accident rate is that getting a license in Europe is very difficult - you also have to be at least 18 rather than a naive 16 year old. In the US they cut the speed limit to a ridiculous 55 MPH to save lives and also raised the drinking age to 21 (a great way to encourage binge drinking and/or opting for drugs instead). What we should have done is raise the driving age to 18 and make it more demanding to get licensed. Of course the car lobby wouldn’t go for that because they would like to start selling cars as early as possible. Poorly trained drivers, often distracted by cell phones, text messaging etc. are the problem. My heart goes out to the family of every fallen cyclist.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!