As electric bicycles skyrocket in popularity and adoption rates soar, nearly everywhere in the US is seeing a higher number…
Florida, I knew it!
Though it’s actually not what I expected. It’s a town known for being anti-car. There was just a fatal accident with a 12yo riding an e-bike.
A 12 year old on an ebike killed a 66 year old that was riding a bicycle at night without lights. Maybe set age limits? Is the solution too obvious? Traffic education and enforcement?
All the laws to prevent this tragedy already exist, except maybe limiting powered bicycles on public travel ways to licensed drivers/riders. Bicycles (powered or not) are vehicles and require appropriate lighting at night or when conditions otherwise would require it for a car. That 66 year old would have been exposed to much more safety education about bicycle helmets over the course of their life than that 12 year old. I have trouble feeling bad for the 66 year old when that kid is going to carry the weight of that death for the rest of their life. Everything about this situation is awful though so it’s understandable that the town may have overcorrected based on emotion.
That 12 year old’s parents are in the shit too.
Lights at night. Wear a fucking helmet. Idiot.
“Police said there was no white light attached to the victim’s bicycle, and Andrews was not wearing a helmet. The report says there was a light attached to the e-bike, although the boy said he wasn’t sure if it was operating.”
Lots of stupid to go around here. From the pic, the kid was on a Super 73.
Lights at night.
I completely agree, but this still doesn’t fix the problem of motorists “not seeing you” when they are looking down at their phone.
I’ve nearly been hit a few times by turning cars… while wearing high-viz and reflective clothing… riding a bike that’s high-viz… riding on tires that have reflective sidewalls… while using a flashing front light, a solid front light… equipped with a flashing rear light… and riding in a slow, predictable way.
Being visible only works on those who are paying attention around you, and these days that means fewer and fewer people.
I assume nobody sees me. If I catch their eye and I know they’re actually seeing me, that’s about the only time. I wave at cars frequently, and usually get an acknowledgment, those people saw me too.
The one that’s gonna kill me someday will be the teenager twiddling their phone that drifts into the bike lane. Aside from not riding there at all, I don’t know what else I can do.
If I catch their eye and I know they’re actually seeing me, that’s about the only time.
I try to make eye contact, especially where multi-use paths venture into intersections on a cross ride, because people ALWAYS drive right into the cross ride as they “stop” for their turn. But I’m finding more and more that the tint on many vehicles makes it impossible to even see if the driver is looking at you. So, I’m often forced to stop waiting for them to stop, just so I can continue with my right of way. Incredibly frustrating, but you’ve gotta stay alive.
Heh, I was thinking about tint while running errands a few hours ago, exactly what you describe. You’re spot on.
I’ll still take whatever advantage I can to avoid getting hit by a car…
For sure. I’m only saying that the advantage we all seek really only applies when others are paying attention.
When I’m driving or cycling, I can see cyclists that are hundreds of meters away. Yet, a cyclist less than 10m from a motorist at an intersection is suddenly unseeable? No, someone was distracted or impaired while at the wheel.
I see so many riders without lights wearing dark clothes at night. Lights are ridiculously cheap too.
You keep seeing them but they aren’t visible?
