Danger, danger, the graveyard chamber

Safety.

We just had a ride about it, we all argue about it, and these days it seems to be on the forefront of everybody's minds.

Obviously it's on the cyclists minds since we're the squishiest thing on the street, with the exception of a crossing pedestrian. Yet the police believe that cyclists in the downtown and campus areas are the cause of our most recent safety concerns, prompting them to crack down specifically on the cycling community for minor traffic infringements. When the authorities think about safety, they see us as a problem. A detriment to the community. So do many drivers. Oftentimes, we reinforce this opinion through our behavior. Don't say you don't, I know y'all. I know myself too, and there have been times where I cut it too close and earned myself a well-deserved honk. Everybody could do a better job of being safe. Us, cops, drivers, everyone. Yet people would still get hit. Tragedy would still occur.

Safety's been on my mind even more in the past twenty-four hours due to the number of very brutal sounding accidents that have occured. The first I heard about was reported on the Bicycleaustin.info forums:

This morning at 9am a bicyclist was face down in the middle of 21st st. and Nueces, one shoe off, and his mangled bike posted against a curb. When I rode up, there was one officer on the scene, walking towards the young man. Standing a respective distance around the intersection, there were a lot of students, construction workers, and a middle aged woman crying hysterically. In the next five minutes I did not see him move at all. A few cop cars, a couple firetrucks, and an EMT arrived. It wasn't until the paramedics' cut his shirt off, flipped him over on to a gurney, that I believe I saw some movement from his hands/arms.

Does anyone know more about this?
It's been on my mind all day. I hope the guy is ok after such a traumatic morning.

There still hasn't been any additional details on this incident, either on the forum or through The Blotter. From the sound of things it was pretty bad.

The second incidence I heard about came to me in an email. A cycling witness saw a guy get hooked on Guadalupe, and here's what he has to say about the incidence and the cops response:

I was riding down Guadalupe when the cyclist in front of me was hit by an oncoming vehicle making a left turn. The rider had to go to the hospital and the police took my statement and got my information. They were questioning the driver when I left. The cyclist clearly had the right of way.

I've heard that the APD can be pretty lax when it comes to following up on theses kind of accidents. Is that true? Is there anything I can do to help make sure the right thing gets done?

Once again, this one didn't show up on The Blotter or as a police report (that I've seen) so I don't have any other details, but they are correct in the cops' usual response. For all the lip service we get regarding their concerns over "safety", when a cyclist IS hit their true colors show. It seems that their main concern lies with the smooth flow of traffic over the well-being of the victim. I'm sure there are cops who are exceptions, but they always seem to be dealing with other pressing concerns when I'm getting hit by cars.

Update: It turns out that the second collision was someone I know. OneLesCar was the victim and he's now at Brackenridge, under a lot of pain medication and recovering. He had surgery at 4am this morning and they're waiting to see how he's doing before deciding if more surgery is required or not. He went through the drivers' windshield. Ouch.

Every ride I'm on there are different factions, typically split along lines of legality/safety. I don't mean this in a Sharks and Jets sense. We all get along and ride together, but several different yet identifiable behavioral patterns seem to crop up time and time again with regards to rider safety. Some people don't run reds, EVER. Certain people ALWAYS run reds. Others stop, make sure it's clear, then proceed through the intersection. Which of these is safest? Logic would dictate NEVER running reds, yet in a group ride when everyone's trying to stay together and maintain cohesion this ideal (in some cyclists minds) often isn't attainable and in fact causes more ills than it cures.

I believe in risk assessment. I know that when I come up to a red and there is no cross traffic, I can slow, double-check and continue through it and be PERFECTLY safe in doing so. I also know that I can be taking a lane on a busy street, perfectly within my rights and in keeping with the law, and be sideswiped and killed instantly, without even knowing about it. We all need to be safe and take the law into consideration but it seems that any time I read about a collision, the people who are against cyclists using the roads seem to thing that if cyclists would only obey the very letter of the law, they'd be protected by an impervious mystical armor, at least as long as they're also wearing their helmet.

There is no magical armor and we CANNOT count on the laws of man to keep us safe. They're useful when dealing with drivers and police officers after the fact, but in the moment of impact the only laws that concern us are the laws of physics.

Everyone has different rules to live and bike by so as to be "safe", and yet in an instant everything we do to be safe can be shattered by the bumper of a vehicle. I don't know the first two cyclists but I know Les and he's one of the good ones. He doesn't take unnecessary risks, he wears a helmet, he rides with a brake, it there's a cyclist this shouldn't happen to, it's him.

And yet, we can only control ourselves. The environment bows to no mans whim, and even worse are the inattentive drivers, oftentimes in a hurry, texting on an iphone, fixing their hair, changing satellite radio channels, doing everything but paying attention to what is directly in front of them. You can do everything in the world right and it not matter one iota when the lifted dually clips you.

Enough of my ranting. That's all this is. The frustration of one man poured out into rambling, nigh-incoherent words. Obviously, safety is on my mind. Bottom line, I don't want to see my friends die and I especially don't want to die myself. Be safe, y'all. Lets not have another three-strike day.