Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Dear cyclist...

Look, I respect your right to be on the road. And I will do my utmost to drive safely and with consideration. I'll leave plenty of stopping distance behind you until I am able to pass safely. When passing, I will allow plenty of space to the side (and if the road doesn't allow that, then I won't pass). And, lest you get the wrong impression, that's not some major sacrifice on my part, and I don't expect thanks, or hailed as a hero, or whatever - that's just your right as a fellow road user.

However...

If you decide to cycle along an unlit country road at night, while wearing dark clothes, and on a bike that has neither lights nor reflectors, you will eventually be hit. And when you do, you will come off considerably worse on your flimsy bike than I do in my large and heavy car. That's just a fact, unfortunate as it is.

If I do not have the ability to see you, I do not have the ability to avoid you.

#25: "Pathfinder: The Brinewall Legacy", by James Jacobs

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