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Letter to the Editor

Max Brown
The Commuter

Monday, May 11, 2009

By Vernon Huffman

Please remember that a bicycle may be operated by a child or a severely disabled person. They have a legally protected right to use the public roadways, and they threaten nobody by doing so. Your licensed privilege to operate a motor vehicle, however, may be lost if your driving presents a threat to bicyclists or pedestrians. If it seems unfair that the rules only restrict cars, remember whose lives are most at risk and why drivers must behave responsibly.

Even if you have extensive experience with safe bicycling, it is not your job to teach bicyclists how to ride safely, and a moving car is never a good training platform. You should expect bicyclists to behave erratically, so drive cautiously at all times. Save your teaching efforts for your own family, preferably by bicycling along, so you remember how the world looks from the cyclist’s perspective.

Imagine the worst case scenario. What would happen if the bicyclist you are approaching in your car gets distracted by traffic, hits an obstacle (there’s lots of debris on roadways), and splays all over the pavement in front of you? Will you be able to stop safely, or will you add injury to insult by driving over her head?

The drivers’ manuals of every state gives clear instructions for driving around bicycles and other slow moving vehicles. You are to maintain a safe distance, slowing as necessary, until you can safely pass on the left of the bike. Stop if necessary to prevent an accident. Under all circumstances, you are solely responsible for keeping bicycles and pedestrians safe from the vehicle you operate.

What is a safe distance? Under no circumstances should you drive within four feet of a bicycle. If you need to follow a bicycle until it is safe to pass, stay back at least one car length for every 10 miles per hour. Use the four second rule. As the bike passes something, count at least four seconds before you pass the same marker. Err on the side of greater distance and slower speed.

There is no need to sound your horn. The odds are extremely good that the cyclist is aware of your car, but you may not be aware of obstacles the bicyclist is avoiding. Take a breath and slow down. Impatience causes accidents. Please drive safely if you must drive at all.

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