Accidents That Happen

Today, I saw a bicycle accident.

On my way to work this morning I passed two cars on the side of the road near Aggieville. In front of them was a bicycle that looked a little crunched (it was hard to tell) and a person sitting on the road. If I hadn’t already figure it was an accident, the cop cars and ambulances would have confirmed it. It didn’t look fatal but it was still  jarring to see.

In this area, I’m actually surprised I don’t see these types of accidents more often. And before I bring down the wrath of any readers who are cyclists, let me disclaim that I’m only referring to my own observations in the area where I live. Bicyclists in this area drive me nuts. Not all of them. It’s mostly college students who don’t signal, cut cars off in traffic, take the middle of the driving lane or come close to running down pedestrians on the sidewalk (to be fair, the students who barely hit the crosswalk signal and refuse to look both ways before walking into the crosswalk anger me as well).

I don’t know all the rules of bicycle etiquette. What I see is people who pick and choose to follow the rules of automobiles and the laws of pedestrians as it suits them. It makes me nervous to drive around cyclists (children on bikes scare me even more). I feel bad for the person sitting on the ground this morning, and I hope that he/she wasn’t seriously hurt, but I can also sympathize with the person driving.

I’m all for saving money on gas, getting exercise, and reducing your carbon footprint if that’s your thing. Just be careful and considerate to those you share the road with. And if anyone does know the rules and etiquette, please share them so I too can be on the know.

A.