Dear Motorist: A Short Letter to Anyone Who Drives

You don't know me, but you more than likely are acquainted with or related to some facsimile of me, and even though we may have no direct connection, I am making a plea to you today: please stop driving inattentively and too fast.You are going to kill someone. It's only a matter of time.

You may wonder how I can say this with such conviction, or you may see the same issues yourself as you mosey down your daily path and think that it's a rarity, a situation that transpires because of one person's reckless behavior. You may believe that you would never hurt or kill someone while driving, but if you ever drive with your focus on something other than the road around you, if you ever speed, if you ever roll through stop signs or yellow (or red) lights making a right turn, if you have ever not come to a complete stop when required or not fully looked in all directions, if you've ever had a moment during which you've swerved/drifted into the shoulder or bike lane, you may be the next murderer behind the wheel.

I am a person who rides bicycles, a cyclist, if you prefer. You may now be rolling your eyes and saying to yourself that you see cyclists "all the time" who "run stop signs" or "ride carelessly." You may be telling yourself the long-repeated and still-erroneous statement that I don't "pay for the roads" because I'm on a bicycle. In truth, I would take this moment to remind motorists that cyclists were the ones who originally lobbied to have paved roads long ago. 

I will also say that I see the same things you do, and I see motorists do the same (or worse) far more often, and motorists are in two-ton machines that have the potential to do far more harm. Two wrongs do not make a right. We teach children this saying from a young age. We also ask them if they would do something just because a friend engaged in an unsavory activity. 

Yes, cyclists sometimes run stop signs or lights. Sometimes a cyclist may perform a lane change that seems unsafe, but I assure you most of us are far more concerned about our physical safety and do our best to be predictable so that you don't hurt or kill us. Most of us are very aware from our time on the roads that you don't like us, that you believe we are taking up your space or you think we don't "belong" on the roads. I could remind you, as others have over the years, that a person on a bicycle is taking up far less space than a person in a motorized vehicle. I could point out that we are not polluting the environment with the same intensity of a motorized vehicle - really, there's not much pollution to speak of for a bicycle. But, that is not my purpose today.

Cyclists come in all sorts of bodies and from all different backgrounds with different purposes on the road. Some are traveling to school, work, or to run errands. Some are out to exercise or clear their minds. Some are young, others are old, and a whole range in between. We have MAMILs (middle aged men in Lycra) who are riding their rides, there are racers and professionals out training, there are young children who are getting their first glimpse of freedom as they ride to school or to a friend's, there are moms and dads pedaling with their kids to make trips around town, there are group riders and solo riders, and so many more. People on bicycles dress differently too. Some wear stretchy tight clothing for aerodynamic and anti-chaffing purposes, some ride in work or everyday clothes, others choose to ride in gym clothes or baggier clothes, and there are so many other variations possible. Some of us (most of us other than young children) also drive, at least occasionally, a motorized vehicle. But what we all have in common is that we ride a bicycle, and we all want to arrive safely to our destination.

I could recount my personal tales of motorists coming very close to killing me (and there are many), but the stories have been told so many times in some form by others that I doubt it would make a difference in anyone's mind. I'm just another anonymous, faceless person. Until it's personal, most people don't seem to want to change. So I ask you to do this: make it personal. When you see a person riding a bicycle, imagine that s/he is your family member or friend, someone you love and care about. Would you want a stranger to show him/her/them consideration on the roads, to allow them to go about their business without harm? Would you want to be the family member who gets the call that your loved one has been killed or injured because of an inattentive/reckless/drunk/high/speeding driver?

My own mother has told me repeatedly that she worries every morning about my (and my husband's) safety while riding our bicycles.  She knows that we spend a lot of time on our bikes and having only shared a few of the many, many incidents I (and we) have had on the roads, she frets that one day she will get that call she dreads - one or both of us has been hurt or killed. I hope that day never comes, but after experiencing the roads first hand, I know her concerns are valid.

The answer is not, however, for people who ride bicycles to stay off the roadways. I do believe we can all share the space and reach our respective destinations without anyone being harmed. Safer passages are always nice, but realistically I know they are not likely to happen in most places - at least in the foreseeable future. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be built or fought for, but we - motorists and cyclists - are going to have to find a way to live and travel together peacefully, and without the ever-increasing threat to cyclist's lives.

My intent today is to plead with you to slow down, to take a breath when you're frustrated or in a hurry, to realize that wherever you are going, even if you are late, it is not worth someone else's life, to drive more cautiously when there are slower moving beings in the vicinity. If we start to live by the philosophy that we yield to and have patience for more vulnerable and slower road users, it would end so many needless injuries and deaths. I ask you to remember that when encountering someone on a bicycle who makes a questionable move on the road, it is not a reason that their life should come to an end. We are all human and have all made errors in judgement at one point or another. When you are in the heavier more dangerous vehicle, it is your responsibility to ensure you allow enough space and to slow down when passing safely isn't possible. I assure you the few seconds you may lose will ultimately be a far more acceptable price tag than the potential loss of life.