Safe on 2 WheelsDowntown Toledo was just waking up when I went for a short bike ride this morning on nearly deserted streets. I crossed the Maumee River on the MLK Bridge to International Park then glided over Main Street on the brand new bike/pedestrian bridge in East Toledo to Glass City Metropark.
Casually pedaling my favorite route along the river, I should have been thinking of nothing but the beautiful, humidity-free morning, making my own breeze and enjoying having my downtown neighborhood all to myself. But something else was occupying my mind this Sunday morning -- a story I read just before I set out from home: "Two dead, several injured after SUV crashes into Make-A-Wish bike tour." The tragic irony of that headline is crushing enough, but it gets worse when you read the details -- that it was another senseless slaughter by a drunk driver. This time, it happened in a rural township roughly between Lansing and Grand Rapids, Michigan, to participants in a 300-mile charity ride. Nearly 1,000 bicyclists die and over 130,000 are injured in road crashes in the United States every year, according to the CDC. The National Safety Council says the number of preventable deaths from bicycle transportation incidents increased 16% in 2020 and have increased 44% in the last 10 years. Cycling is healthy, clean and safe. But like anything, there are risks. We can't plan for the reckless disregard for others by careless or impaired drivers. We can, however, be extra vigilant, especially this time of year, when most crashes occur. We can remind motorists that we cyclists do, in fact, own the road, too. That we have a right to ride. And to live. My ride, like our first two MVA bike tours of the season, was incident-free. Most rides are. But let's never be lulled into a false sense of security, and never stop advocating for bike safety. Scott Carpenter
MVA President |
