The word, the concept of
distraction, can have so many meanings – some positive, some
negative. I am sure you are thankful that I will not go into all
those meanings in this post. However, while biking yesterday, I
experienced a moment of distraction that could have been disastrous,
and I feel strongly that the story must be told.
I have been biking most
of my life. I love to bike. It’s great exercise, it frees my mind –
all those good things. I consider myself a very safe biker and follow
traffic rules carefully. I try to always be very visible with lights,
bright colored clothing, etc. I have four young men, my grandson
biker gang, for whom I have worked hard to be a good role model about
biking. I have discussed good biking etiquette and safety while we
are riding and often discuss why certain traffic situations can be
very challenging for bikers and why it always imperative to be alert
and vigilant when riding.
So, late yesterday
afternoon, after a couple of weeks of neglect, I take Double Shot off
the hooks to head north on our great trail. Double Shot is so
understanding in that I can neglect him for several days or a couple
of weeks and he doesn’t moan, groan, pout or accuse. He just
enthusiastically anticipates the current ride. No, I have not been
seeing another bike. Recently, I have been walking a lot so slacked
off on the biking. But yesterday, I was ready to do some pedaling
again. I think I was goaded by the fact that my daughter, Nicole (age
undisclosed) and her son, Emmit (8) cranked out 25 miles (Nicole a
few more than that) yesterday as part of a J-Hawk virtual event. I
provided some linking transportation for them and was feeling a bit
lame that I had not even had Double Shot off the hooks for several
days.
I had just finished
re-reading a great book (Jodi Picoult's, Small Great Things – you
should read it if you haven't > certainly speaks to the times), so
it was on my mind as well as other things that I spin around in my
head. Often, a good bike ride will act as a catalyst, clear my head,
and help me either implement the ideas spinning around or abandon
them as not feasible. In either case, it’s like a reboot, a kick
start that moves me forward.
So, I head out. As is
often the case after a bit of a layoff, I felt good, my legs felt
good. Double Shot was running so fine as he had recently had a
tune-up by that great bike whisperer, John, at BicycleWise. The trail
had very few people at that time although it had had many earlier in
the day. I’m pedaling along feeling righteous and thoroughly
enjoying myself and my thinking time.
I came up on County N.
You bikers know the spot. You’ve just come up a good incline and
need to cross four lanes of traffic. There’s quite good visibility
there in both directions. There can be a lot of traffic at times, but
it is never choc-a bloc full of cars. This is a place where a biker
needs to be very careful. For one thing you are a bit fatigued from
just coming up a hill. For another, while the speed limit is reduced
here for cars, most drivers seem to pay little attention to that, so
cars are moving quickly. You must watch not only quite a way both
left and right (due to the potential speed of the cars) but also
check for vehicles exiting off Highway 26. Bikers should always have
in their head that drivers may not have a clue, despite good signage,
that there may be bikers in the area. There is an island between the
east and west lanes of traffic, so a prudent move is to go halfway
and recheck traffic before crossing the remainder.
When I arrived I County N
yesterday, I knew all the things I just mentioned. I have safely and
prudently crossed that road many, many, many times. But yesterday my
mind was working overtime and I was DISTRACTED. No, I
was not on my phone, no I was not adjusting a radio, no I was not
reaching for my water bottle. I was simply lost in thought – very
good thought mind you, but I was not safe. It was clear left but
there were cars right. I thought, or maybe – in my distracted state
(which being distracted, I didn’t know I was in) I could cross
those two remaining lanes without stopping on the middle island. So
that’s what I did. Mind you, I was very visible but those cars were
coming faster than I had calculated, especially the one in the far
right lane which I couldn’t see as well as it was shielded a bit by
the car in the near right lane. No, I didn’t get hit or cause an
accident. I made it across with no mishap, but it was much closer
than it ever should have been. The cars slowed rapidly as I powered
across. There was no screeching of tires – it wasn’t that close –
but, I heard the horns and am quite sure I was given the # 1 sign.
How stupid and careless of me. Let me tell you, I was alert now.
This happened because I
was momentarily distracted by my thinking. It was a blink, a
microsecond that could have ended in a tragedy. My behavior was not
deliberate, was not intentional, had no malice or agenda behind it,
was out of character for me but, nevertheless, was incredibly stupid
and dangerous.
What if my foot had
slipped off the pedal? What if I had lost my grip on my handlebars
and had gone done? What if? What If? What if? All because of a blink
of the eye distraction. I could whine and blame this incident on so
many things, but the truth is I have no one to blame but myself. I
apologize to those drivers yesterday to whom I probably gave a scare.
I was angry at myself. I
had behaved in a way that I knew not to. I had behaved in a way that
I have taught my grandsons not to. I had behaved in a way that gives
a bad name to all bikers everywhere. All because of a moment of not
being vigilant.
Please, please, please,
learn from my experience. Be alert, stay alert. Never let up on
vigilance on a bike and being aware of your surroundings. Be better.
Keep your group alert. Follow traffic laws to the letter. Avoid a
tragedy that can happen in less than a second. Be safe out there.
#cruzan4milton#cruzan4bikesafety
No comments:
Post a Comment