Bikes Vs Cars

Warning: This is a bit of a rant, but I will strive to make a positive point out of it.

I got hit by a pickup truck today. I was on my way to my internship across town. Knowing that I was going to be riding on a short, busy section without bike lanes, I made a point to be aware of each car that was about to pass me. As the truck approached me, I scanned back to realize that his sideview mirror was going to hit me. I was clipped and pushed onto the curb. Thankfully--because of my awareness--I was not hurt aside from a few minor cuts.

It is required by law in Florida that drivers give bicyclists three (3) feet of clearance while passing.

Thanks, Joe Mizereck, for your hard work with this campaign!
Source: http://www.3feetplease.com/

If you can't give me three feet, be patient and wait until you can. The punchline to this awful joke?: The man turned right into a parking lot just about a hundred feet ahead. Did he not see me? Perhaps he thought that the extra second he gained was worth risking my life?

Today was the first time I've ever been hit by a car. However, trust that I have known and understood the inherent risks of riding a bike ever since I learned how to ride one. I wear a helmet. I own and use lights. I have reflective gear. I am aware of my responsibilities on the road. Many of the cyclists I know are responsible in the same ways. It is now the motorists' responsibility to be more aware of bicyclists.

The proliferation of bicycle awareness motivates me to complete and share the experiences of this tour (among other things to be discussed later). I want people to know my biking history, and to know that there is a huge community of cyclists just like me who want to their peers to stop being hit and/or killed by motorists.

I'll conclude this post with a documentary trailer my dad shared earlier this week. The film (aptly titled) is called Bikes Vs Cars, and I am very excited for it to come out. It's entirely relevant to this post, so if you feel compelled to comment, let me know what you think!

Cheers!

- Chris