[SDCBC] FW: bike safety and good neighbor relations

[John Eldon]

Overall I think Jon's statistics probably are correct, Abulifia, but they
apply to all cyclists, including the clueless folks who ride on the wrong
side of the road or unlit at night. For those of us who do ride defensively
and responsibly, most collisions with motor vehicles are the fault of the
motorist, and I believe that is the point you are making. (Those of us who
have been struck by errant motorists have an understandably different
perspective than those who have not.)

I still do not understand the big divide and flame wars here, since all of
us are ostensibly on the same side. What I strongly advocate is personal
responsibility, which includes rational, lawful vehicular, defensively
assertive bicycling, plus enhanced education and accountability for every
road user. These goals are entirely mutually compatible and worth pursuing.
I have seen where one person can make a difference in local politics (been
there ... done that, myself), and I have seen groups such as MADD and
Americans For Nonsmokers' Rights make a big difference at the national
level. I believe strongly in the ability of the individual to affect
prevailing attitudes, and all of us need to help make inattentive motoring
socially unacceptable. It can be done!

Best regards,

John E.
  -----Original Message-----
  From: sdcbc-bounces at bikesandiego.org
[mailto:sdcbc-bounces at bikesandiego.org]On Behalf Of Abulifia
  Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 8:16 AM
  To: sdcbc at bikesandiego.org
  Subject: Re: [SDCBC] FW: bike safety and good neighbor relations


  Are these stats your own personal opinion or did you pull it from some
other source?  in either case, I call it a great big steaming pile.

  You've never been run over by an SUV have you, Jon. That is what allows
you to live in blissful ignorance and spout your myths.


  JonIsaacs at aol.com wrote:

    A few thoughts

    -  Most cycling accidents are do not involve motor vehicles.

    -  Of those that do, somewhere around half are the fault of the cyclist.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.bikesandiego.org/pipermail/sdcbc/attachments/20071012/3ed7a68a/attachment.html