[SDCBC] FW: bike safety and good neighbor relations

[Brandon Vanderberg]

Evening all, 

I've been lurking here for a few months and would like to thank you all for the insight I've gained into the cycling world through this forum.  Though I am no longer able to ride my bike to work, I follow this list daily and am much more aware of cyclists sharing the road because of my exposure to discussions like this. And I thank you in advance for allowing me to add a couple of observations. 

I find it difficult to accept that a 'majority' of drivers, at any given time, are as dangerous as a .08 drunk driver -either through their use of cell phones, recent use of cell phones, or because they are thinking about a presentation. However I would agree that, at any given time, some are and that it does behoove us to ride accordingly. 

Having said that, is there any good reason to ride side by side? Chatting with one's riding partner would seem to be at least as distracting as thinking about presentations is to drivers. I would argue that whether it's 2 cars, 2 motorcycles, or 2 bikes, the road comes first and the conversation is best saved for the rest stops. 

Best regards,

Brandon Vanderberg


----- Original Message ----
From: Serge Issakov <serge at issakov.org>
To: Neil Brooks <neil0502 at yahoo.com>
Cc: sdcbc at bikesandiego.org
Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2007 6:12:37 PM
Subject: Re: [SDCBC] FW: bike safety and good neighbor relations



On 10/9/07, Neil Brooks <neil0502 at yahoo.com> wrote:

a) studies CONSISTENTLY show that cell phone users are as dangerous as drunk drivers, regardless
of whether or not they use a hands-free device, so ... 
What I've read indicates a cell phone user is about as dangerous as a .08 drunk driver, the least dangerous of all legally drunk drivers.  Just a few years ago .08 wasn't even illegal.  So I think it's not entirely accurate to say that cell phone users are as dangerous as drunk drivers, the most dangerous of whom are way over .08.


What's most interesting to me is that cell phone users are just as distracted several minutes after hanging up on the phone, which indicates it's the pure mental inattention that makes them be as dangerous as a .08 drunk driver, not the process of engaging in a cell phone conversation.  


In other words, I suspect a driver thinking deeply about a presentation at work, or how cyclists should stay in bike lanes "where they belong", is probably about as dangerous as a .08 drunk driver, or a driver using a cell phone.  Of course, that's a lot harder to test for in a study.  But if it's true, then probably a huge percentage of drivers, perhaps the majority at any given time, are probably as dangerous as a .08 drunk driver, even though they're stone cold sober and not using the cell phone.  In any case, it behooves us to ride accordingly.  So I try to avoid riding in a manner that has my safety depend on any particular driver paying attention without verifying as best as I can that they have noticed me.  In other words, it doesn't much matter to me whether they're .08, on the cell phone, or thinking about work.


Serge
 


-- 
NOTE: Any opinions expressed above are mine and not necessarily shared by any organization in which I am involved.



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