My friend, Chris Cherry, a UTK engineering professor with a PhD from the University of California-Berkeley, is not only a smart dude, he’s a thoroughly good dude. He was a member of a Christian discipleship group of men I supervise until he and his lovely wife adopted two young NICU boys, which consumes every spare moment they have, while also parenting their two young biological daughters.
I mention Chris because he has recently engendered international recognition for his studies in alternative transportation, at least as that applies to America, an automobile-crazed society. Chris is positing the simple and lowly bicycle as an option. In furtherance of that, he has traveled extensively to study and then document how other American cities and countries have utilized the bicycle as a healthy and efficient means of transportation.
As many of you recall, I have raced bicycles throughout the U.S. and in Europe where I won national masters championships and a bronze medal at the world championships. I love to ride my bike. But I’ve also suffered some serious injuries, including separating both shoulders, multiple breaks of my left collar bone, concussions, road rash and 7 ER bicycle crash-related visits.
As Chris emphasized in his article, the bicycle rider must be extra careful of hazards which confront the cyclist, especially between the cyclist and motor vehicles. When it comes to who wins when there is a collision between the two, you know who wins. In my office at the moment I write this is a seriously injured man who was hit by a motorist who turned directly into his path: She told the investigating police officer that she simply didn’t see him before impact. Though the driver was clearly at fault, my client is suffering in my office several weeks later as a result of her negligence.
Here’s the bottom line: If you choose recreation or transportation by way of bicycle, be very careful at all times while on your bicycle. Remember what I recently wrote about my boot camp drill sergeant and being circumspect? On a bicycle, every motor vehicle is a potentially serious accident. So, though I encourage you to pedal for exercise and as an efficient method for traveling to your destination, I also encourage you to be at all times keenly aware of all that is going on around you. If not, it could cost your life.
