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Youth on Bike Hit by Motorist

September 16, 2006 Bicycling, South City 6 Comments

Tonight, on my way home, I witnessed something I never thought I would: a youth on a bicycle getting hit by a car. I could see it about to happen and I was helpless to prevent it. As someone trained as a bicycle safety instructor (League Cycling Instructor is the proper title) we hope to prevent such accidents from happening, not be a witness to them.

I ask that you keep the youth in your thoughts. I can think about nothing else.

I don’t want to go into any of the specifics of the accident. In short the kid completely disregarded the traffic signals (Grand & Chippewa). I was heading South on Grand and I saw the kid crossing the intersection even though those of us on Grand had the right away. A northbound car struck him. I was on my scooter and was able to stop right there — others ran from their cars to the boy. While others attended to the boy (making sure not to move him) I called 911 (it appears others did as well). At first we all thought the car left but I think it took him a second to figure out what happened — the driver couldn’t have seen the kid crossing in his path until the moment of impact. The driver was understandably shaken. After giving my statement to the police the paramedics were about to take the youth to the hospital.

Please, everyone, if you have children teach them how to cycle properly. Don’t let them out on the street without a helmet (and properly adjusted). Yes, as kids we all rode our bikes without helmets and we survived. Well, not all survive. Don’t let them out on the street by themselves at 10pm at night —- on a bike or otherwise. If they are bicycling at night lighting is critical. Bicycling can be safe and enjoyable but only if done properly.

Many members of the St. Louis Bicycle Federation are also trained as an LCI (League Cycling Instructor), perhaps we can put together some local youth training sessions. I’ve already alerted this group to the accident.

Here are a couple of good sites to learn how to teach your kid to properly ride a bike:

Bike Safety
Safety City

I ask that you take the time to teach your kids about bike safety. Don’t have any? Teach your niece or nephew or have a conversation with the parents down the block.

Peace,

Steve

 

Currently there are "6 comments" on this Article:

  1. cautious driver says:

    I hit a bicyclist once, an adult who tried to barrel through an intersection around the wrong side of a car when I had right of way at a four way stop. Like your driver, there was no way for me to see him until he hit me. Rest assured, he was fine. He snatched his bike up and raced off before I could get any information from him about repairing damage to my hood.

    Adults should attention to your suggestion as well.

    I’ll keep the youth in my thoughts and hope he recovers quickly.

    [UR – Yes, adult cyclists need to learn how to properly cycle in traffic as well. An exceptionally skilled urban cyclist can get away with breaking a few rules here and there but only with extreme caution. Not paying attention can be fatal.]

     
  2. Michael M. says:

    While crossing the flow of traffic seems to have been the major problem in this accident, your post reminded me of several recent lighting posts. Just over a week ago, the Missouri Bicycle Federation had this story about bicycle lights. I know that I need to improve my own visibililty, and I have been trying to find good comparisons of the available products. A slightly older story states that Missouri requires lighting from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise.

     
  3. oakland says:

    As someone else has said, disregard for traffic laws is not unique to youth cyclists.

    I’ve lost count of the number of times while driving I’ve come close to hitting cyclists who disregard stop signs or traffic signals. “An exceptionally skilled urban cyclist” should not be even trying to break rules, regardless of their ability to get away with it. Sharing the road means just that.

    A coworker of mine was pulled over by a policeman for his failure to stop for a stop sign while on a bicycle. While we all gave him a good hearty ribbing for being pulled over on a bicycle, I hope he also learned a lesson that’d keep him from getting killed.

     
  4. Greg says:

    I’ve always had issues “sharing the road” with cyclists. I’m a very careful, defensive driver. I’m very conscious of cyclists, and always do my best to give them plenty of room, and generally respect them. Unfortunately, as a motorist, I often feel I’m not afforded the same respect by cyclists. I’m not sure how the situation can ever be remedied, but hearing a story like this doesn’t surprise me in the least. I’m also very surprised to hear you, Steve, say, “An exceptionally skilled urban cyclist can get away with breaking a few rules here and there but only with extreme caution.” Even the most exceptionally skilled urban cyclist can make a judgement error. Would you ever say, “An exceptionally skilled urban motorist can get away with breaking a few rules here and there.”? I hope not.

     
  5. 15thWardSTL says:

    What a horrible incident. A similar situation occurred not too long ago in Tower Grove South where a motorist appeared to have coasted through a stop sign.

    As a sometimes bicycle commuter, my position is similar to Steve P’s – it is never ok for a motorist to break the rules, but there are some that a bicyclist can/should be able to bend.

    The reason? When the driver of a 3,000 pound vehicle makes a mistake at 50 miles an hour, they kill people. When a bicyclist makes a mistake at 16 miles an hour, people get scrapes and bruises. Because our streets are designed for autos, with little regard for bicyclists (and often little regard for pedestrians), there are plenty of situations where a bicyclist must “break” the rules in order to remain safe.

    Disregarding traffic signals isn’t one of those situations, but I find myself sometimes forced to ride on the sidewalk as a safer alternative on Kingshighway, for example.

     
  6. James says:

    I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I still bike some, but until about a year ago (primarily due to my second child) I was an avid cyclist. Ok, who am I kidding. I was a cycling fanatic. I spent more time on my bike than with my wife. I raced competitively, trained on average 15+ hours a week, and did a race in France that followed the same course as the last Tour stage in the Pyrenees. And was a bike commuter and advocate.

    All that is just to say I rode a lot. In general I followed the rules of the road and was usually more frightened by the behavior of recreational cyclist. I (almost)*never* ride on the sidewalks, for instance. Kingshighway, Manchester, or Lindbergh. And I am usually adamant about claming my space, even the whole lane, if the situation warranted.

    However, I certainly bend and break the rules to fit my needs. Multiple times on every ride, I’d guess. The way that I’ve been able to justify it to my self is by the order of my 3 priorities:

    1. My safety. I will do whatever I need to be able to make it home alive. As a hypothetical situation, I’m heading to turn left onto a side street from some busy road. Traffic coming at me is stopped at a light, but I can tell that they will beat me to the intersection, I might cut the turn early and even ride a bit the wrong way on the shoulder. I’m more exposed stopped in the middle of the road waiting to turn left that going the wrong way on the shoulder.

    2. My momentum. It take a lot of energy to get up to speed from a dead stop. I don’t have the luxury of being able to just press an accelerator. I provide all the power. So, if I can clearly tell that an intersection is clear, of that I have (even if stopped) a clearly establish right of way, I will not stop at the stop sign. I slow down at just about all, but seldom stop.

    Likewise, if I’m waiting at a stop light and there is obviously enough space for me to cross (w/o violating priority 1) I will run the light. This is especially true at a light like Broadway (south) at Arsenal. Broadway along the brewery is narrow. If I run the light I can usually make it up to or under the highway bridge before any cars (especially trucks) need to pass me. It is safer for me to get to the wider lanes than wait at the light.

    3. The rules of the road. My 3rd priority. It is the law, after all. I don’t ride on interstates, even though they usually have great wide shoulders and are direct routes. I don’t habitually ride against traffic, only in certain instances.

    So, basically, if it enhances my safety or allows me to keep rolling without jeopardizing my safety, I’ll break the rules.

    As a last point, I can only think of a couple of instances where my actions caused a near-accident (and frankly, I’m embarrassed by them) yet I know there are hundreds where my skill and attention prevented an accident due to driver inattention.

     

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