Chris Tietz:
I know I'm late to this discussion (as a new member, I've not explored the blog before), but it is important to note:
I see a new study just released out of Toronto indicating that 90% of bike/car accidents are caused by the car…To me, this means that we need to be defensive.
1) The rules of the road apply to bikes. All cyclists are safer when cyclists and cars adhere to the rules of the road. Period. With equal access comes equal responsibility…and this includes stopping for funerals…
2) Safety is never redundant. We help one another at the same time that we take responsibility for ourselves. I would never take someone elses "clear call" as authorization to risk my own safety, but likewise, redundancy breeds safe outcomes. None of us has license to "blow through an intersection" unless it's a closed course…and those don't exist.
3) The League of American Cyclists is sponsoring an LCI Certification this weekend coming weekend in Bloomington. I will be participating (and hopefully will become certified). My wife is LCI certified. Raymond Hess at the City is LCI certified. If we need to put on a special seminar for the club and it's members, let's do it.
Safety is a priority at our house after my wife was riding with a man when he was struck and killed in Evansville about three years ago. It profoundly affected her. Then, on his memorial ride one month later, my wife wrecked and broke a wrist, 5 ribs, collapsed a lung, and was hospitalized for 2 weeks.
Chris Tietz