Two cyclists are killed each day in the United States at the hands of drivers. From road design to the way crashes are investigated and reported, our transportation and legal systems all too often fail people on bikes. WE LOOKED AT DATA from RIDERs like you, THE MEDIA, AND law enforcement TO FInd OUT why—and what we can do ABOUT IT.

T h e L o s t the state of W h a t ’ s L e f t i T ’ s N o D o e s t h e Plus List your safety Behind Accident Punishment Vision Zero: Remembering Perspectives from 5 harrowing How word choice F i t t h e How Close Are riders who have 5,325 BICYCLING stories of riders creates a culture Crime? We? P. 52 been killed. P. 36 readers. P. 38 run down on the of victim blaming. What really Streets of the road. P. 40 P. 41 happens to Future! P. 54 drivers who kill 8 Things You cyclists? P. 44 Can Do Now P. 56 Icons: Peter and Maria Hoey

JUNE 2017 • Bicycling.com 35 the lost list Of the estimated 1,600 cyclists who were killed by drivers in 2015 and 2016, this list represents just 36 percent of them. They were mothers, brothers, fathers, daughters, sisters, sons. Here are their names.

Abdul Aziz ❘ Abigail Dougherty ❘ Adel Mikhail ❘ Ag ustin ❘ Dennis Jurs ❘ Dennis L. Lowe ❘ Densel Theye Jr. ❘ Dev in Westberry ❘ Johnny Ray Johnston ❘ Jonathan Petsas ❘ Jonathan Reber ❘ Paul Dang Pham ❘ Paul Graham ❘ Peggy Hillman ❘ Elizondo-Valverde ❘ Aiden Lupo ❘ Al Gorman ❘ Alan L. Ruth ❘ Federly ❘ Dieu Van Nguyen ❘ Dillon Dassinger ❘ Dominic Young ❘ Jonathan ❘ Joni Beaudry ❘ Jorge Penny Verdeck ❘ Peter Evans ❘ Peter Krichman ❘ Peter Loretta Alejandro Gonzalez ❘ Alexa Cioffi ❘ Alfred Zaldivar ❘ A llen Mongillo ❘ Don Meilike ❘ Donald Neu ❘ Donald Pinkerton- Covarrubias ❘ Jorge Leyva ❘ Jorge Solorio-Arroyo ❘ Jose ❘ Peter Murphy ❘ WE weRE sonS ❘ Peyton Knowlton ❘ Phillip Brumm ❘ Alonzo Cota-Alvarado ❘ Alvin Colon ❘ Amanda DeVito ❘ Donald R. Culton ❘ Donna David ❘ Donna Holliday “Bizzy” Luna ❘ Jose Antonio Resendez ❘ Jose De Jesus Ruiz- J. Geisinger ❘ Phillip Shourds Jr. ❘ Philo Ragni ❘ Pissanuk Phillips ❘ Amber Harrington ❘ WE weRE mothERS ❘ A min Clark ❘ Donnell Kiwone Eason ❘ Douglas Alton Foreman ❘ Villanueva ❘ Jose Felix Ortiz Plascencia ❘ Jose Martel ❘ Jose Jonathan Tansavatdi ❘ Priscilla Vallejo ❘ Rafael Macias Hopkins ❘ Anand Singh Asi ❘ Anastasia Ciolpan ❘ Anastasia Douglas Kania ❘ Douglas Oliver Benton ❘ Drew Schmidt ❘ Ruiz-Villanueva ❘ Joseph King ❘ Joseph Lamothe ❘ Joseph Herrera ❘ Ralph Myron Roane ❘ Ralph R. Conrad Jr. ❘ Ramiz Kondrasheva ❘ Andres Hulslander ❘ Andrew Fang ❘ A ndrew Duane Darling ❘ Duane Johnson ❘ Dum Gurung ❘ Dung Nguyen Myers ❘ Joshua Edward Duncan ❘ Joshua White ❘ Joyce Smith Hamzagic ❘ Randall Reyes ❘ Randolph Stephenson ❘ Randy Ray Gerard Malizio ❘ Andrew J. Nowak ❘ Andrew Russoniello ❘ ❘ Earl Lee Rhodes ❘ Ed Brophy ❘ Eddie Galindo ❘ Eddie Ray ❘ Juan Sandoval ❘ Judy Grossman ❘ Julio Torres ❘ June Whedon Robinson ❘ Raphael D. Sagarin ❘ Raymond Berson ❘ Raymond Andrzej Kurkowski ❘ Andy A. Whitener ❘ Andy Heines ❘ A ngel King ❘ Edgar Cosico ❘ Eduardo Castillo ❘ Edward Angi ❘ ❘ Justin Knorr ❘ Justin Murray ❘ Karen McKeachie ❘ Karl Brown ❘ Raymond Thomas Cochran ❘ Rebecca Ann Landrigan Preciado ❘ Anita Kurmann ❘ Anita Louise Froeba ❘ A nna Rios Bonilla ❘ Elijah Allen ❘ Emilio Simon ❘ Emily Akins ❘ Frederick Vanderwyk ❘ Karla Kalene DeBaillie ❘ Kather ine Smith ❘ Reed “Bart” Rutledge ❘ Ricardo Aguilar ❘ Richard Rodriguez ❘ Anne Davis ❘ Anthony C. Galanopoulos ❘ A nthony Enrique Zamora ❘ Ephrain Mateo-Morales ❘ Eric Badger Slattery ❘ Kathleen Walker ❘ Keith Habenicht ❘ Kelly Boe ❘ “Ricky” Montoya ❘ Richard Alley ❘ Richard B. Navarra ❘ Oliver ❘ Anthony Saluto ❘ Antoine Touma ❘ Arthur A. Bell Jr. ❘ ❘ Eric D. Taylor ❘ Eric Garcia ❘ Eric Gilbert ❘ Eric Ramlow ❘ Er ic Kendall Dontrel Savon Jackson ❘ Kenneth Najarian ❘ Kenneth Richard Brill ❘ Richard Tom ❘ Robert Agne ❘ Robert Anderson Arthur Ebilane ❘ Ashley Block ❘ Ashley Thames ❘ Austin Snider Jr. ❘ Eric Steven Glasnapp ❘ Alsaker ❘ Er nest Vieira ❘ Kevin Collins ❘ Kevin Fletcher ❘ Kevin Jiang ❘ Kev in ❘ Robert Clowder Jr. ❘ Robert Dickey ❘ Robert Horton ❘ Rober t Gilliam ❘ Autumn Fuller ❘ Barbara A. Calhoun ❘ Becky Sheehan Smith Jr. ❘ Ernest William Davenport ❘ Eugene Conroy ❘ Matthews ❘ Kevin Thomson ❘ Kevin Unverzagt ❘ Kimberly K. Kirn ❘ Robert Philips ❘ Robert Seymour ❘ Robin Ann Lachman ❘ Benita Diane Burks Gunter ❘ Benjamin Gregory ❘ Benjamin Eugene Gregory Thornberg ❘ Eugene Howard Rotberg Wyatt ❘ Kristina Cherie Goodrow ❘ Kristopher S. Smith ❘ ❘ Rod Bennett ❘ Roderick Bennett ❘ Rodolfo Tejedor ❘ Roger Meyer ❘ Bernard Etapale ❘ Bernard Jones ❘ Bernard Lavins ❘ ❘ Eugene Letendre ❘ Ezekiel Goodwin ❘ Fernando Gamboa ❘ Krystle Ann Klain ❘ Lance Torrey ❘ Larry Martinez ❘ Lawrence Haar ❘ Roger Roux ❘ Roger Villegas ❘ Ronald Alexander ❘ Bill Davis ❘ Blaine Kingenberg ❘ Blas Balderas Castro ❘ Bob Fernando Olivas ❘ Forrest Holmes ❘ Francisco Cruz ❘ Frank Lacroix ❘ Lawrence Smith ❘ Leah Sylvain ❘ Lee William Morel Ronald Corey ❘ Ronald Filepp ❘ Ronald Knowlton ❘ Ronald V. Lewis ❘ Bradley Miller ❘ Brandi Mendoza ❘ Brandon Dumond Towers ❘ Franklin Ling ❘ WE weRE fathers ❘ Fred A nton ❘ Leonard Williams ❘ Leslie Ronnigen ❘ Licio Alex Portillo ❘ Johnson ❘ Ronald Wayne Winter ❘ Rosamaria Ruminski ❘ Rose ❘ Brandon Ortmann ❘ Brennan Rube ❘ Brian “Buzz” Climis ❘ (Tony) Nelson ❘ Fred Figueroa ❘ Frederick Lonas ❘ Fr itz Lisa Knudson ❘ Lisa Kuhn ❘ Lisa Kuivinen ❘ Logan Lipton ❘ Peters ❘ Ruben Wharton Vanegas ❘ Ryan Franklin ❘ Ryan Brian Guerrero ❘ Brian Silva ❘ Brian Tomazic ❘ Bridget Dawson Philogene ❘ Gabriel Lossett ❘ Gabriella Vallinis ❘ Gannon Logan Snedeker ❘ Lorenz John (Larry) Paulik ❘ Ly nn T. Hoffman ❘ Ryan Matthews Hodder ❘ Sally Campbell Edwards ❘ Brock Eugene Mosher ❘ Brock McCann ❘ Bruce Leo Kehrer Allen Hejlik ❘ Garth White ❘ Gary Lowman ❘ George Kaufer ❘ Bemiller ❘ Lynne Frances Rosenbusch ❘ Michiko Day ❘ Maciek ❘ Santos Escobar Villatoro ❘ Sara Tonnemacher ❘ Saul Lopez ❘ Schneider ❘ Bryan Scott Goforth ❘ Bryce Douglas Caudell ❘ Gilbert Gutierrez III ❘ Giovanni Cali ❘ Giovanni Nin ❘ Glenda Malish ❘ Madio Jalo ❘ Madison Baird ❘ Mandeep Singh ❘ Manuel Scott Elliott ❘ Scott Erickstad ❘ Scott Hanni ❘ Scott Koch Bryon Arnold ❘ C. Nelson Schlatter ❘ Calvin Sapp ❘ Cameron Taylor ❘ Grace Harken ❘ Grace Petrelli ❘ Gregary Wade Franck Enrique Mendoza-Hernandez ❘ Manuel Olavarria ❘ Maohamed ❘ Sean Kevin Rey ❘ Sean Ryan ❘ Sebastian “Angel” Fragoso Jr. ❘ Curran ❘ Can Reng Ma ❘ Cara Cox ❘ Cari Widmyer ❘ Cairo ❘ Gregory Dominguez ❘ Gregory Jensen ❘ Gregory Stout ❘ Hans Faqay Mungani ❘ Marcia Deihl ❘ Marcus McCoy ❘ Margaret Sergei Musatov ❘ Sergio Reynoso ❘ Sergio Tapia ❘ Shane Joseph Castaneda ❘ Carlyon Jones ❘ Carol Eckert ❘ Caroline Joseph Pfab ❘ Heather Lough ❘ Heather Loughlin ❘ Heather Bengs ❘ WE weRE sisters ❘ Margaret Miland ❘ Margaret Farrell ❘ Shane Swope ❘ Shawn Melby ❘ Shay Swords ❘ Shelton Dawn Wortham ❘ Casey Ellis ❘ WE weRE brothers ❘ Cesar Miller ❘ Henry Peter Kuen ❘ Heriberto Ruiz ❘ Hoyt Jacobs ❘ Rugg ❘ Margo Symmonds-Lavanway ❘ Maria Crozier ❘ Mar ie Berel ❘ Sophia Campbell ❘ Sophie Stultz ❘ Stacey Bown ❘ Machuca Jr. ❘ Chandler Ray ❘ Charles Adkins ❘ Charles Hussein Yunus ❘ Inoe Dejesus Padilla ❘ Irene Diane Szczesniak Kent ❘ Mario Esquivel-Flores ❘ Mark Heigel ❘ Mark Heryer ❘ Stanley Marshall ❘ Stephen Arthur Guiney ❘ Steve Chatters ❘ Blackledge ❘ Charles Hawkins ❘ Charles McGuire ❘ Charles ❘ Irineo Martinez Martinez ❘ Isidro Razo ❘ Jack Allen ❘ Jacob Mark Hinkel ❘ Mark Jacoby ❘ Mark Robinson ❘ Mark Snopek Steve Perry ❘ Steven Garcia ❘ Steven James Lewis ❘ Steven Michael Phillips ❘ Charles Startup ❘ Charles Taylor ❘ Kato ❘ Jacob Schertz ❘ Jacob Thomas “Jake” Brewer ❘ Jaimes ❘ Mark Wendling ❘ Martin Curran ❘ Martin Greenough ❘ Marsh ❘ Steven Ortiz ❘ Sunkashka Soch ❘ Susan “Suze” Kilner Charles Vinson ❘ Chester Tela ❘ Christian Regan ❘ Chr istine L. Guadalupe ❘ Jamal Morris ❘ James Aaron Hope ❘ James C. Martinaino Pozos ❘ Marvin Rucker ❘ Mary Hasty ❘ Mar y ❘ Susan Cummings ❘ Suzanne Joan Sippel ❘ Suzi V. Ramage ❘ Nash ❘ Christopher Allen Jerkins ❘ Christopher Jerome Nielsen Jr. ❘ James Chadden Jr. ❘ James Gantt ❘ James Gregg ❘ Massengill ❘ Mary Wilk ❘ Maryanne Casalinouva ❘ Mashaylin Tadeusz Grabala ❘ Taeyon Richard ❘ Thanh Nguyen ❘ Thomas Shearer❘ Christopher Moshe Elliott ❘ Christopher Thurber ❘ James Hernandez ❘ James Loomis ❘ James Neidrauer ❘ James Green ❘ Matthew Billings ❘ Matthew Buck ❘ Matthew Driggers A. Santoro ❘ T homas Fazio ❘ T homas Galvan Munoz ❘ T homas Christopher Watson ❘ Chuyuan Qiu ❘ Clare Rhoades ❘ Clay Paiva ❘ James Pica ❘ James S. Thomas ❘ James Schneider ❘ ❘ Matthew Matteson ❘ Matthew von Ohlen ❘ Matthew Weede ❘ Palermo ❘ Thomas S. Landry ❘ Thuc Van Nguyen ❘ Timothy Charles Triolo ❘ Clepatrick Palmer ❘ Clifford Gouner ❘ Clinton Jameson Kennedy ❘ Jamie Lynn Cody ❘ Janice Wendling Maurice E. Minter ❘ Melissa Ann Fevig-Hughes ❘ Melissa Aloysius Holden ❘ Timothy Binau ❘ Timothy Canada ❘ Wayne Pannell ❘ Colby Garrett ❘ Crista Contreras ❘ Cr uz ❘ Jason Hearty ❘ Jason Holden ❘ Jason Markley ❘ Jason Michael Gravatt ❘ Michael Alfano ❘ Michael Anthony Curley ❘ Michael Timothy Kelly ❘ Timothy Michael Kelley ❘ Todd Barajas ❘ Cantu Alegria ❘ Cruz Gamez ❘ Cynthia Arsnow ❘ Cy pr ian Salisbury ❘ Javier Burgos ❘ Jealousis Pereria ❘ Jef f Aubrey Cory Tafoya ❘ Michael Grimwood ❘Michael Harmer Todd Steward Ballard ❘ Toedoro Arredando-Diaz ❘ Tomas Preut ❘ Dale Kimpton ❘ Damon W. Collins ❘ Dan Wilson ❘ McGrath ❘ WE weRE daughterS ❘ Jeff Potts ❘ Jef f rey Dav id ❘ Michael John Balfe ❘ Michael Keeler ❘ Michael McDermott ❘ Brewer ❘ Tony Chavez ❘ Tracy Butler ❘ Trey Goodrich ❘ Tuan Daniel A. Lehn ❘ Daniel Austin ❘ Daniel Bice ❘ Daniel Lafleur ❘ Cushing ❘ Jeffrey Donnelly ❘ Jeffrey Gonzales ❘ Jef f rey Michael Prater ❘ Michael Proxmire ❘ Michael Schenkman Duong ❘ T yler Finley Sims ❘ T yrone Miller ❘ U nchei Anderson Daniel McDonald ❘ Daniel Wilson ❘ Danny Josiah ❘ Darby Howarth ❘ Jeffrey Surnow ❘ Jeremy Clark ❘ Jerome Koch ❘ ❘ Michael Snowden ❘ Michael T. Solony ❘ Michael Wolff ❘ ❘ Valente Vasquez ❘ Vanessa Wilkes ❘ Vincent Foster ❘ Virginia Lutiarl Smith ❘ Darryl Fitzgerald Summers ❘ Darryl Weaver ❘ Jesse Beach ❘ Jesse Fulcher ❘ Jim Johnston ❘ Jim Lambert Michelle Koss ❘ Michelle Walters ❘ Miguel Angel Quintero ❘ Murray ❘ Von Eric T homas ❘ E. Hamrick ❘ Wayne Ezell David Alas ❘ David Burke ❘ David Cassidy ❘ Dav id D. ❘ Jimmy Lynn Fraley ❘ Joe Barnes ❘ John A. Harsch ❘ John A . Mikhail Tsitsiline ❘ Mildred A. Steele ❘ Mitchell Downs ❘ Wellman Joseph ❘ Wilberth U. Koyoc-Lizama ❘ William Christianson ❘ David Grotberg ❘ David Ryder ❘ David Tasgal ❘ Ashton ❘ John Bushman Sr. ❘ John D. Appenheimer ❘ John G. McBee ❘ Mitchell T odd York ❘ Monique Massey ❘ Mustafa Rafi “Matt” George ❘ William DeBoer ❘ William E. Phoenix ❘ David W. Collins ❘ David Winters ❘ David Zachary Parsons ❘ Seiler ❘ John H. Baskin ❘ John Haffa ❘ John Henrik Fauerby ❘ ❘ Nadia Silva ❘ Nadiia Misa ❘ Ned Tobias ❘ Nicholas James William Fred Tebbetts ❘ William Greulich ❘ William James Davis Hernandez ❘ De’Asia Henderson ❘ Deborah Ann John Jeffrey Abbott ❘ John Jump ❘ John M. Brennan ❘ John Mruk ❘ Nicole Lemar ❘ Oscar Mauricio Gutiérrez Osorio McCarley ❘ William McGill ❘ William Robertson ❘ William Wilkowski❘ Deborah Gresham ❘ Deborah Patterson ❘ Deborah Pastunink ❘ John Rideaux ❘ John Shapley ❘ John Venneman ❘ ❘ A. Harris ❘ Pat Lyon-Surrey ❘ Patrick Condray ❘ Pat r ick Scarberry ❘ Yadielys Deleon Camacho ❘ Young Rok Lee ❘ Robison ❘ Debra Ann Bradley ❘ Delilah Ortega ❘ Denis Genesse John Vos ❘ John William Bacon III ❘ John Zavisza ❘ Johney TeNyenhuis ❘ Patrick Wanninkhof ❘ Paul Brown ❘ Paul C. Zachariah Doll ❘ Zachariah Wood ❘ WE we RE PEOPLE Reporting by Lynn Donches, with assistance from the following organizations:of Arizona Bicyclists, Bicycle Coalition Iowa Bicycle of Maine, Coalition, BikinginLA, San Francisco Coalition Bicycle Coalition, and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.

36 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 JUNE 2017 • Bicycling.com 37 In february 2017 we asked readers to take a survey* about their experiences the state of your safety riding on the road. an astounding 5,325 of you responded. the bottom line: Things need to change out there— and you’re fired up to make it happen.

dangerous driving is epidemic. And it’s affecting the way you ride.

When it comes to The good news? of you know aggressive drivers… 41% at least one 66% You’re still of you observe “Three of you who pedal cyclist who distracted riding. four or more drivers on most friends were has been hit or every ride days a week have biggest reasons been hit 2 by a driver killed while you give for not 3,260 on their riding outside: 20of you have% been followed bikes. Had 48% 22% “I am now convinced I will eventually die on my bike by 8,000 “I don’t like riding miles reader suzette wanninkhof —Jeffrey Oehm, to quit of you know at getting hit from behind by a distracted driver.” Denver in traffic.” rode from Alaska to Florida to least one cyclist honor her brother patrick, who who was killed my daily by a driver was killed by a distracted driver Percentage of cyclists who are at least sometimes concerned that they will commuting.” 43% be harassed or harmed by a driver when they are riding on the road: 76have seen a% driver “I’m concerned I 69% turn into your path will be harassed “I’m teaching my kids to recognize at an intersection Steve Hendrix, or harmed by cyclists from the car by playing a driver.” Percentage of cyclists from the three deadliest states for cyclists (FL, DE, LA)* who agree: Pensacola Beach, FL a game: counting bikers we see 61% 76% while driving around town.” of urban Percentage from the safest states (VT, WV, MO) who say the same: 46F Percentage of you who have Matt Jankowski, Norman, OK riders have 32%of you have been hit by a vehicle been doored while riding a bike 64% stopped riding certain routes *According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention due to safety concerns related riders younger have31 been the% target than 30 are 15% “I can’t even keep up with how many people I know who have been hit.”—Aster Murphy, Philadelphia of a thrown object to distracted drivers more likely to Drivers rarely face consequences. Women may be especially at risk. what’s our role? believe that “When I am harassed “I see cyclists emailing drivers who “I was hit by a van that was pulling into # while riding, darting in hit cyclists a roundabout. Even though I was sig- and out of traffic, not naling, had lights on, and was wearing by drivers it is usually even remotely observing are given hi-viz in the middle of the day, I still 52% of the traffic signals or women say they insufficient wound up in the hospital. There were when I am with my laws. This not only places experience aggressive no legal repercussions for the driver, those riders at risk, penalties, and I didn’t want to live through the reason cyclists kids. I have been told driver behavior on at 1don’t report but also the rest of us, experience again by filing charges.” least some of their rides. compared with aggressive drivers: 33% of men say because their behavior “I didn’t think law to get off the road, riders 65 and the same. Courtney Gunn, enforcement would erodes any sense of Philadelphia do enough.” and have nearly been respect we hope to get older—which from drivers and police.” means that run over in the bike —Rick Boothman, Ann Arbor, MI the call for “The police never filed the report. I contacted lane. One driver even the department and the officer stated that the “Once I rolled down my window safer streets and fussed at two riders that had driver never hit me. I asked, ‘Then how did I end threatened my son.” Female cyclists are twice as likely as just dangerously run a red light. is only going men to report that they’ve cut back on The response: “F— you!” up under the truck?’”—Andy Smith, gloucester, VA —Tracy Beeson, ann arbor, MI 2X road riding due to driver behavior. —Robert Baldwin, Birmingham, AL to get louder. *Survey conducted online and shared via newsletters, social media, and BICYCLING.com.

38 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 JUNE 2017 • Bicycling.com 39 police report. Vaccaro then went to the scene (The police still won’t comment on the case.) of the crime to secure the video surveillance “It was upsetting to say the least,” Canton footage from building superintendents. One says. “This guy is still out there. If you’re a bystander had found the broken-off side mir- motorist and you get into a fender bender, ror of the Camaro—which was parked only you call the police, they show up, and they a few blocks away. write a report. If I had been in a car I would It’s tough to imagine a more open-and- have been treated differently.” L e f t shut case than Canton’s. They had video. The injustice of Canton’s situation is stun- They had witnesses. They had physical evi- ning, but it’s not surprising: BICYCLING dence in the form of the side mirror and found that fewer than half of the drivers who F o r Canton’s mangled bike. They had plate num- kill cyclists are convicted of a crime; many bers—and the alleged perpetrator identi- aren’t even charged (see p. 44). Dead fied. But the New York City Police Depart- After the crash, Canton paid regular visits ment never pursued the case, even as Canton to a therapist for post-traumatic stress disor- endured months of medical visits and physi- der. It was a year before she could ride again. And the police cal therapy. Officers had shown up at the Today, almost three years since the crash, did nothing scene and filed a report but didn’t follow she works for advocacy group Transporta- up. And Canton says they wrote down the tion Alternatives. She’s also a dispatcher for wrong vehicle number on it, which delayed NYC’s bike share program, CitiBike, which her insurance claim. They even declined to she says helps to normalize the sight of bikes contact the man who had allegedly left her on city streets. lying unconscious in the middle of the road, “The benefits of cycling far outweigh the despite a volley of letters from Vaccaro. risks,” Canton says. “But more so than hel- “We did everything we could and the mets and gear, your safety is in numbers— police basically ignored us because they and knowing you have a right to be on the said they didn’t have time,” Vaccaro says. streets.”—Caitlin Giddings

it’s no accident

too often, media reports on driver-cyclist collisions foster a culture of victim blaming

The words reporters use archive for appearances of an event was planned?” The when detailing how a cyclist either “accident” or “crash,” starkest trend has been at is injured or killed often give without the other, in cycling- the LA Times, where uses of drivers a pass. For example, related articles, revealed “accident” have plummeted they may refer to a collision some telling details. In those over the past 25 years. “The as “an accident,” suggesting three papers, “accident” has Times doesn’t have a policy that it was unpreventable. always appeared more often on crash vs. accident over- There is no industry stan- than “crash”—but the gap is all,” says staff writer Laura dard for when to use “crash” narrowing. Nelson. “When it comes to versus “accident.” The The use of “crash” has hit-and-runs, though, our Associated Press Stylebook been creeping up at the Chi- guidance is clear: Choosing calls both terms “generally cago Tribune, while “acci- to leave the scene is a delib- acceptable” for collisions dent” has fallen sharply over erate act, and should not be and wrecks, but suggests the past couple of years. “I described as an accident.” avoiding “accident” when can see an argument that The good news: City and  he first thing Dulcie Canton heard when she came to was, “Is she alive?” It was almost midnight “if i had been negligence is claimed or sometimes the word ‘crash’ state governments are get- in a car I would have been on August 7, 2014, and a crowd had gathered around her. Her friend Jay, who had been skate- proven. However, the in- is a somewhat more neutral ting the message. In May treated house style guides at the word than ‘accident,’” says of last year, the New York differently,” boarding alongside as she pedaled her bike down Bleecker Street in Brooklyn, New York, was . Chicago Tribune, New York Margaret Holt, the stan- Times reported that at calling an ambulance. ¶ Surveillance cameras had captured the whole thing—from the moment Times, and Los Angeles dards editor at the Tribune. least 28 states, as well as the Chevrolet Camaro struck Canton from behind, to the driver speeding off without slowing to Times list no stated pref- However, she says, “If you’re New York City, had updated Tcheck that the 37-year-old cyclist was, in fact, alive. ¶ Canton was hospitalized with a broken shoulder, erence. BICYCLING’s own going to argue that the word their policies to avoid using research sheds light on the ‘accident’ is a biased term, the term “accident” when fractured ankle, and a massive brain bleed. At 2 a.m., an employee at the bike shop where she worked prevalence of the terms. does that not also imply a referring to road colli- put her in touch with local cyclist- and pedestrian-rights lawyer Steve Vaccaro, who filed an additional Combing the Nexis news judgment about whether sions.—Oliver Roeder

40 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 Photograph by Chris Schoonover eff Dusenbury, 51, had just set out on his bike to meet friends for an all- day ride in his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, on the morning of July 19, 2014, when he was killed by a driver in a hit-and-run. The motor- “ a d r u n k ist, 17-year-old Alexandra Ellis, had been driving backward down the driver road—and took off after allegedly making eye contact with a witness Jwho waved at her to stop. ¶ Officers found her at home less than a half-mile killed away with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit and THC in her system. my dad” She’d just relapsed from substance abuse treatment and had thrown a par- ty at her parents’ house the night before. She was charged as an adult with manslaughter, leaving an accident without assisting the injured, and a DUI. A family struggles with But in August 2015, Ellis was sentenced to The worst part for Madisen was the sug- what’s left only one year in jail after she pleaded guilty gestion that her dad was somehow at fault. behind to DUI and a reduced charge of criminally The most egregious example came when the negligent homicide—and she was allowed to defense brought in an “expert” to suggest that finish her spring semester of college before Dusenbury had been pedaling at 30 to 35 miles reporting to prison in May 2016. per hour when he was hit. “The courtroom As part of the plea deal, the judge dropped full of cyclists erupted in laughter,” Madisen the hit-and-run charge, a decision that angered says. “It’s not possible. He was on a flat road Dusenbury’s daughter, Madisen Dusenbury through a neighborhood, on the first mile of Shannon, 25. “It was inhumane to leave him a leisurely 90-mile ride.” there to die,” she says. She was livid when the Madisen wants people to know her dad was  dusenbury’s wife, defense argued that the alcohol in Ellis’s sys- more than just an avid cyclist or some anon- melissa Holder (left) , tem wasn’t to blame—but that her flip-flop ymous victim. He was the guy who fixed all and daughter,Madisen Dusenbury Shannon had gotten stuck under the accelerator. the kids’ bikes in the neighborhood. He was

42 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 Photograph by TREVOR PAULHUS patient, kind, humble. “There was a bike race Does the Punishment he was doing and the temperatures were in the negative,” Madisen says. “After the first lap every- one stopped because it was so cold, but my dad Fit the Crime? continued on to the second lap. Everyone else We researched fatal crashes in seven US cities to was like ‘You’re crazy, man.’ He joked to his bud- find out what happens to drivers who kill cyclists dies, ‘Hey, why suffer a little when you can suf- fer a lot?’ ” Scott Mullen was It’s no wonder 65 per- cities: Albuquerque, New pedaling his bike home cent of respondents said Mexico; Baltimore; India- from work in Chicago they believe that drivers napolis; Los Angeles; St. on May 10, 2007, when a aren’t given appropri- Louis; Milwaukee; and dump truck driver turned ate legal penalties when Madison, Wisconsin. left and hit him as he was they’re at fault for hitting We couldn’t investigate riding through the inter- a cyclist. them all—police often section of Chicago and When motorists kill withhold driver names, It was Milwaukee Avenues. “I cyclists, do the penal- reports aren’t always was in a bike lane, on a ties go far enough? To public record, the media sunny afternoon,” says find out, we combed the doesn’t cover every case, inhumane Mullen, now 44. “I broke National Highway Traf- and some hit-and-runs my back, arms, and fic Safety Administra- go unsolved. For the hands. The driver didn’t tion’s Fatality Analysis 38 cases for which we of her to even get a traffic viola- Reporting System for were able to determine tion.” Our reader survey cyclist deaths in 2014 the outcome, prosecu- (p. 38) surfaced hun- and 2015, and analyzed tion was inconsistent at leave him dreds of stories like this. 78 cases from seven best.—Dan Roe

there to die.” how the cases played out

cases we investigated About 1,300 mourners came to Dusenbury’s 5% funeral—dozens of whom made the statisti- 31% Driver charged, cally unlikely claim that he had been their best Investigators deemed crash to be sentence pending friend. “I didn’t even know half of the peo- an “accident,” no ple there who said it,” Madisen says. “He just charges filed always made everyone feel like they were the 8% most important person in the room.” 24% District attorney Cyclist charged driver, Dusenbury’s friends held a “Justice for Jeff” determined to but driver wasn’t rally in protest of Ellis’s sentence, as well as a be at fault jailed memorial ride. And they put up a ghost bike in Dusenbury’s honor in a park at the location 16% 16% where he was killed. More than 200 community Driver jailed for Driver jailed for more five years or less than five years members showed up—many of them on bikes. “He doesn’t have a headstone, so that’s a place people go to pay their respects,” Madisen says. cases we couldn’t investigate “I like the idea of people going to something that represents what he loved to do.” It’s been nearly three years since she lost her 42% dad. She has managed to forgive Ellis, who was No report of crash to match released in July 2016 after serving just 74 days NHTSA records (the judge credited time spent in a rehab facility 18% Hit-and-run went toward her sentence). But Madisen still believes 40% unsolved that Ellis would have faced a significantly lon- Driver name ger sentence if her dad hadn’t been on a bike. withheld by authorities “Forgiving her is something God would want me to do,” she says. “I am more disap- pointed in how the State of Alaska handled this case.”—C.G.

44 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 here’s a wooden board nailed to a on the driver’s part, and a grand jury instead of five—which the state passed. tree outside of Lexington, Ken- declined to prosecute the crash. And the Zombies are spearheading efforts tucky—the word “UNBROKEN” The criminal case in Hinkel’s death to introduce a three-foot passing law in painted on it in blocky letters. still hasn’t been resolved, but at press Kentucky. Every time Mike Kennedy sees it time, Paz-Salvador was scheduled to What-ifs still haunt Kennedy, who can’t as he cranks up that last hill on appear at trial in late April on charges stop thinking that if only he were riding the road back to town, he thinks that include murder, first-degree wanton wingman that day, he could have saved t h e y of his former cycling buddy endangerment, and DUI. In the mean- Hinkel. Or maybe he would have been Mark Hinkel. The inscription time, there have been some positive hit too. “Every time I ride I wonder, ‘Am d i d n ’ t comes from the title of Hinkel’s outcomes: Hinkel’s family endorsed an I going to come back?’ ” Kennedy says. favorite book—a biography of enhanced DUI look-back law—meaning Perhaps remembering his friend’s signa- Olympic distance runner Louis that alcohol-related offenses would stay ture saying, he adds: “But you can’t ride c o m e Zamperini—and is something on a driver’s record for up to 10 years scared.”—C.G. Hinkel always said, punctuated by a round of back fist bumps, when he and his teammates con- Tquered the final rise. The sign hangs in memory of Hinkel and his fellow rider, David Cassidy. Both were killed Heartbreak strikes a by drivers less than a year apart—a devas- Kentucky cycling club tating blow to the Zombie Zone cycling club, twice in one year made up of roughly 18 “old guys, and some women, too,” Kennedy says, who ride togeth- er on weekends and travel to events like the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge in Chattanoo- ga, Tennessee. Kennedy unwittingly coined the group’s name when he was riding with his teammates during the final climb of the 2013 Challenge and remarked: “We’re in the Zombie Zone now—we’re like the cycling dead, and the only way we’re gonna get back is to pull each other along.” Hinkel, 57, was a lawyer and the group’s unofficial emissary. When the Zombies encountered other groups on the road, Hinkel would immediately roll up to get acquainted and to try to draw new people into the club. Sixty-two-year-old Cassidy, a cardiologist, was the route planner of the bunch, a rider who “used to struggle up the hills but had recently started setting the pace and coming into his own,” Kennedy says. In May 2015, Hinkel was at mile 99 of the region’s premier event, the Horsey Hundred Century, when a pickup truck crossed the centerline and hit him head-on. Witnesses called 911 immediately. The driver, 29-year- old Odilon Paz-Salvador, who had a history of substance abuse and was allegedly drunk at the time, continued three miles down the road until police pulled him over at a mobile home park—as Hinkel lay bleeding on the truck’s bed cover. Emergency responders found Hinkel there and rushed him to the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Zombies wore team kit to Hinkel’s funeral at his family’s request and held  zombie zone memorial rides for him. They were still in cycling club mourning when Cassidy was killed on April members put up this sign to 17, 2016. He was training for the Challenge honor their teammate’s when a driver, who says she didn’t see him, rallying cry. changed lanes on US Route 68 and struck him. There was no indication of wrongdoing

46 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 Photograph by Jonathan Willis or the first time in her life, Nako support. “I got a lot of messages saying, ‘The Nakatsuka felt hopeless. On April 6, same thing happened to me—what should I 2014, the typically upbeat biochemis- have done differently?’ ” she says. try grad student and member of the A year and a half after the crash, Nakatsu- UCLA triathlon team had been mak- ka was able to get back on the bike and return ing a left turn off Santa Monica Bou- to triathlon training again. Her injuries still levard on her road bike when a car I got a lot of messages bother her, but the fear of being hit by a car t h i s drifted into the turn lane and hit her saying, ‘The same thing again—without seeing it coming or having from behind. But it wasn’t the crash the opportunity to react—is what’s lasted the that got to her—it was what came in happened to me—what longest. That, and she’s struck by a sense of can’t be the mail a month later: an insurance should I have done?’ ” injustice—that her body, life, and finances were bill for damage to the vehicle that hit her, along upended by a negligent driver who never suf- happening Fwith the threat of a lawsuit. fered any legal consequences.—C.G. Things had started off normal enough post- crash. According to Nakatsuka, then 23: The she was struck from behind— driver got out of the car, apologized profuse- and the driver sued her ly, and even fetched water for her as she lay dazed in the middle of the busy road. (Because Nakatsuka fears additional legal action from the driver, we’ve agreed to withhold the motor- ist’s name.) But when Nakatsuka contacted the driver’s insurance company about her medical bills—she’d suffered a concussion, severe bruising, and permanent damage to her glutes—she discovered the LAPD had never filed a report, despite issuing her a receipt for one. The driver had also told her insurance company that Nakatsuka had caused the crash by backing her bike into the vehicle. “I think they thought I was on a motorcycle,” she says. “I was like, ‘No, I was on my bicycle— how could I even do that?’ ” The LAPD wouldn’t put her in touch with  the cops who had been at the scene. When she t wo ye ars contacted the branch responsible for traffic after her cr ash, collisions in the area, she was told the LAPD nakatsuka is r acing almost never files crash reports for incidents triathlon involving bikes. (The LAPD disputes this: A again. media relations rep said that any time some- one reports a crash involving injuries, officers always take the report, give it a number, and file it.) Although the division was able to deter- mine that four cop cars and an ambulance had been at the intersection at the time of the crash, there wasn’t much Nakatsuka could do but file a belated report. In the meantime, notices from the driver’s insurance company kept coming, the damages increasing until they topped out at $4,000. Nakatsuka got a lawyer to help her reach a settlement with the insurance company. They dropped the lawsuit and paid her $2,000— which didn’t come close to covering the $10,000 she owed in hospital and legal fees. “My lawyer said, ‘No matter how hard you fight this, you’re going to pay for it more than she does, even if we go to court, even if we win,’ ” Nakatsuka says. “ ‘Her insurance will pay for her stuff, but for you everything will come out of pocket.’ It was a lose-lose situation.” Friends convinced her to start a GoFundMe campaign, which prompted an outpouring of

48 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 Photograph by Shane Mc Cauley then-mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office. Some sympathized, some said it was a lost cause, she says. But every year around the anniver- from grief to sary of Asif’s death her mission got atten- tion from local media. Finally in 2015, after action working with local groups Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets, Lizi’s persistence paid off. Mayor Bill de Bla- a mom’s mission to get a bike lane on the sio took interest in the project and the city street where her son was killed began installing bright-green protected lanes on both sides of the road. “We were not going to allow any street in this city to be called the Boulevard of Death anymore,” de Blasio said at a press conference. “It had to become sif Rahman got his first bicycle On February 28, 2008, the 22-year-old was a boulevard of life.” before he was even tall enough riding home from work in Queens when he By the end of the year national advocacy to reach the pedals. From veered around a double-parked car on Queens organization People for Bikes named the that moment on, bikes were Boulevard and was killed by a truck. The driv- Queens Boulevard bike lane, which separates an important part of his life. er wasn’t charged—and Lizi says the assistant bikes from car traffic with curbs and plastic As he grew older—and devel- district attorney told her there would be no posts, one of its “10 Best New Bike Lanes of oped interests in photography, investigation. 2015.” Lizi says fighting for those buffered spoken-word poetry, and beat- Shortly after her son’s death, Lizi visited stripes of paint kept her going in the hard boxing—he explored New the site of the crash and was shocked to dis- years of adjusting to life without her son. She York City on two wheels, zip- cover that there was no bike lane. “I told my still feels his absence every day and rarely ping from borough to borough, family I have to put one on Queens Boulevard leaves the house now except for work and fam- far beyond his family’s home to save other lives,” she says. ily errands. But she continues to work with in the Jamaica neighborhood But getting a bike lane on the congested Families for Safe Streets to turn her loss into of Queens. His mom, Lizi, worried about his thoroughfare, nicknamed the “Boulevard of a source of community pride. “It won’t bring safety, but he would always say: “Don’t worry, Death” for its crash rate, was no easy task. Lizi my son back,” she says, “but I’ll know he gave AMom—there are bike lanes everywhere.” started by emailing Asif’s story to officials in his life for a good cause.”—C.G.

50 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 Photograph by STEVEN LAXTON Vision Zero: How Close Are We?

Tracking the progress of three municipal safety initiatives By Dan Roe

n 1997, the Swedish par- liament implemented the world’s first Vision Zero NEW YORK CITY To protect the growing NYC cyclist population, Mayor Bill traffic safety program based year started 2014 de Blasio’s Vision Zero program completed more than 100 on a simple ethos: “It can goal year 2024 street redesigns last year, as well as 18.5 miles of protected never be ethically accept- bike lanes. The campaign touts zero deaths on Queens Iable that people are killed or Cyclist fatalities Boulevard in 2015 and 2016 as proof of progress (138 seriously injured while moving 2013: 12 pedestrians and 5 cyclists died on the so-called “Boule- within the road transport sys- 2 0 1 4 : 20 vard of Death” from 1990 through 2014). “We’re proud of tem.” It was a federally funded 2015: 14 the progress New York City has made toward Vision Zero,” campaign for all road users— 2016: 18 says Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation motorists, cyclists, and pedestri- Alternatives. “Though overall traffic deaths are at historic ans alike—and over the past 20 lows, some key Vision Zero statistics have been moving in years it’s more than halved the the wrong direction—cyclist fatalities rose sharply last year.” fatality rate. In 2014 some Amer- Steely White’s short list of needed advances includes deploy- ican cities, including New York ing more speed cameras near school zones, facilitating City and Los Angeles, began traffic enforcement against reckless drivers, and ensuring rolling out Vision Zero programs cycling infrastructure, such as protected bike lanes, grows. with the goal of eliminating all traffic deaths as early as 2024. Today there are more than Boston No cyclists died in Boston last year. Transportation Depart- two dozen US cities in the year started 2015 ment Commissioner Gina Fiandaca attributes the progress Vision Zero Network, now goal year 2030 to common sense adjustments, such as lowering the city’s a national nonprofit initia- default speed limit. (A review of international traffic tive. Their mayor’s offices and Cyclist fatalities studies determined that a decrease in automobile traveling departments of transporta- 2015: 3 speed of just 1mph would lead to a 5 percent reduction in tion must work with legislators 2016: 0 crashes.) Fiandaca is also spearheading a change in rheto- to allocate resources within ric: “Accidents,” she says, should be called “crashes,” as city budgets and advocate for they’re almost always preventable (see p. 41). The police improvements. They’re using department has hired a data analyst to identify dangerous crash data to prioritize bike streets, and the Neighborhood Slow Streets program helps infrastructure and traffic calm- install signage, pavement markings, and speed humps. ing measures—such as narrower vehicle lanes that encourage slower driving—in the most Los Angeles Much like Boston and New York City, LA is using crash data dangerous corridors. “We can year started 2014 to construct protected bike lanes where they’re needed control the environment, we goal year 2025 most and putting neighborhoods in charge of the improve- can control the policies, and ments. “That’s what we’re most excited about,” says Tamika we can control speeds in order Cyclist fatalities Butler, executive director of Los Angeles County Bicycle to eliminate deaths,” says Vision 2012: 9 Coalition. “Organizations are being paid to do work in their Zero Network founder and 2013: 17 own communities.” New for 2017 is a citywide outdoor director Leah Shahum. 2014: 6 media campaign for responsible driving, says Nat Gale, Since Vision Zero’s success 2015: 15 director of Vision Zero at the LA Department of Transpor- hinges on overhauling entire 2016: 22 tation. “We’re trying to be very direct in asking people to transportation systems, Shahum be aware,” Gale says. Yet local cycling advocate Ted Rogers says the change won’t happen says the stagnant fatality rate is reflective of a bias favoring overnight. To check on progress, drivers. “We built a whole city around cars,” Rogers says. we talked to transportation “In a lot of places, we’ve got 12-foot-wide traffic lanes and experts and local advocates on straight streets that encourage speeding because there’s the ground in three major cities nothing to slow drivers down.” to get the lowdown on Vision Zero’s initial strides.

52 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 Infrastructure and tech innovations that could Streets of the Future! make cycling safer for all of us By Joe Lindsey

s urban cycling gets The Networked Protected more popular—bike Commuter Lanes commuting rose 61 percent from 2000 In the future, com- After years of trying to integrate cyclists to 2012 according to muters will talk to Bike-Specific with auto traffic, city US Census data— each other, with Signals sensors in cars and planners did a 180 Acity and transportation Bike signals can give after data showed bikes sharing data on planners are incorporat- position, speed, and riders a crucial head that separating bikes ing bike facilities into even route. An early start on same-direc- increases cycling street design. The trans- version: a collabora- tion auto traffic (key rates—riders feel portation network of the tion between Volvo, for getting up to a safer. Compared with future isn’t about cars, the telecom company stable speed), or sim- road miles for cars, but mobility: moving peo- Ericsson, and helmet ply give them their bike infrastructure ple around. Autonomous and apparel maker own signal phase. is cheap, especially if done using easy- vehicles and mass tran- POC that lets drivers to-install materials sit are part of that, but so Crowd-Sourced detect cyclists even such as plastic posts Reporting around a blind corner. are bikes, which could be and paint. “the glue between modes,” User-generated, says futurist Greg Lindsay, real-time data author of Aerotropolis: The from cyclists could Way We’ll Live Next. be used to create For cycling, the key isn’t smarter transporta- any single element, says tion grids: Examples Martha Roskowski, vice include Strava’s president of local innova- Global Heatmap and tion at People for Bikes. the Stress Map on Instead, she says, it’s tak- the Ride Report app, which shows the best ing the often disparate and worst bike routes strands of bike infrastruc- in your city. ture, a map she likens to Neighborhood “a few pieces of spaghetti Greenways thrown at a wall,” and con- necting them so riders can Often, just a block safely get anywhere they or two away from a main car artery is a need to go. (A 2013 study quiet parallel street of protected bike lanes in that’s ideal for walk- Toronto found cyclists’ ing or biking. Urban injuries dropped 75 per- planners are using cent compared with other elements such as sig- locations in the city with- Bike Boxes nage, speed bumps, out them.) And as technol- and median land- Intersection ogy changes transporta- These green- scaping to designate Bumpouts these resources as tion, a light footprint is painted areas at urban greenways. key: Massive, expensive In urban environ- intersections cre- projects may look cool, ments, sidewalk ate a space for but they’re hard to repur- edges that protrude cyclists to converge at the front of pose when needs change. into the intersection traffic waiting for a Lightweight, flexible, and not only shorten the crosswalk, but also green light and help connected is the mode of keep bikes from the future. Here’s what make cars slow down by narrowing the mingling with auto we hope to see on more of roadway and forcing traffic at the start tomorrow’s streets. tighter turns. of a signal change.

54 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 Illustration by Peter and Maria Hoey JUNE 2017 • Bicycling.com 55 8 Things You Can Do NOw By Joe Lindsey

under 18 and only 15 use but they do help increase meetings where transporta- incident, and direction and reflective materials a statewide curriculum. awareness and offer guid- tion is discussed, and speak the harasser is headed. (If also dramatically improve 1 The courses are generally ance to law enforcement with your employer about you’re in imminent danger, drivers’ ability to see us good, but could be better. about how to cite the driver incorporating cycling into call 911 instead.) Use a POV from farther away (which In several state curricu- if they’re at fault. If your its commuting and health or cell phone camera if you gives them more time to Stop Distracted lums, “dooring” is never state doesn’t have a VRU, incentives for employees. can; the evidence is usually react). But you needn’t First, some refreshing Driving mentioned despite being a contact your local or state admissible in court. Yes, be swathed head to toe in significant cause of cyclist bike advocacy group and the chances the police will screaming yellow. Research news: Even as the All but four states have crashes. Instead, all states ask how you can help them find, let alone punish, your from Clemson University’s some kind of ban on texting should be calling out the campaign for one. harasser are low. But in Vision Perception and number of cyclists while driving, but a 2014 problem like New Mexico 5 some states, state patrol Performance Lab suggests study found that those laws does, and recommending a reports are entered into a that adding fluorescent on the roads has lead to only a three percent specific solution: the Dutch database. In Colorado, if colors at the feet/ankles, reduction in traffic fatalities Reach, a simple behavior Ride Responsibly the same license plate num- knees, and wrists helps cre- increased, fatalities (possibly because many where drivers open their 4 ber comes up three times, ate what’s called “biomo- people do it anyway). Tech- door with their right hand One reason cyclists don’t the driver gets a warning tion,” which helps drivers largely have not, nology that prevents drivers when parallel parked, which get more respect is we letter including details accurately recognize us from texting while driving twists them in the seat so Demand Better don’t consistently uphold of the incidents. Another as human as opposed to a meaning that cycling is will likely be more effective, they can better see overtak- Infrastructure our own responsibilities option is the Close Call stationary object. says People for Bikes presi- ing traffic like cyclists. If as road users. You see Database, a privately run safer now than it was dent Tim Blumenthal. That your state or school district “There are more safe places the culprits: riders who website created by cyclist technology exists (the app doesn’t have a program, it’s to bike in this country pedal against traffic, blow Ernest Ezis to supplement 10 years ago. But it’s Cellcontrol, for example, worth lobbying for. than there used to be,” through stop lights, roll police reporting world- which you can program Blumenthal says. “But we stop signs when other wide and help build a case 8 still not enough, and to disable functions like don’t have enough intercon- traffic is present, or sprawl against serial offenders. texting while the car is in nected systems. A single across the road in packs, Register online at closecall- even the perception motion). And the National bike lane or ‘Share the Road’ oblivious to cars stuck database.com or through Above All, Highway Transportation 3 sign won’t meaningfully behind them. That breeds your Strava account. Keep Riding that cycling is unsafe Safety Administration increase ridership.” What calls for cyclists to take recently announced design will, he says, is changing the road tests or pay a use There’s safety in num- stops many people guidelines for car and phone Fight for Laws message of bike advocacy tax. Those will be much bers—and evidence to back companies to create a kind that Protect from “cars-are-the-enemy” less powerful if we are bet- it up. In 2003, a study in from riding. If we’re of “Driver Mode” that’s Cyclists to “bikes-are-the-answer.” ter ambassadors. 7 the journal Injury Preven- akin to airplane or do-not- Businesses want com- tion examined data from going to change the disturb settings. Given that In 2014, the League of munities with amenities 68 cities in California and the guidelines are voluntary, American Bicyclists con- that attract workers; when Be Visible 14 European countries culture so that cycling it may take more assertive ducted a study of media workers see rideable com- and found that when the measures to get companies reports and found that in munities as valuable assets, 6 Drivers are responsible for number of cycling trips is not only less risky to fall in line. more than 600 documented their employers do too, and paying attention, period. doubles, the injury rate cyclist deaths in 2012, just push for them. Politically, But there’s a grain of truth per capita drops by a third, but also perceived 12 percent of the drivers in- bikes should be positioned Report Hostile in that teeth-grinding re- when adjusted for the rise volved were punished. That as a solution to problems Drivers frain drivers often fall back in trips. Newer studies have as safe, here’s what may be in part because only like traffic, parking, and on when they hit cyclists: “I yielded similar results. For 2 nine states have Vulnerable pollution. “Instead of saying Program the nonemergency didn’t see him.” So be seen. example: A 2016 study in needs to happen. Road User laws, which help what government can do for police and state patrol A study from Denmark Hong Kong found that the ensure equal protection for bike riding, we say ‘Here’s dispatch numbers into published in 2013 found benefits even accrue at the Push for Improved cyclists, pedestrians, and what bike riding can do for your cell contacts. If you’re that riders with daytime neighborhood level, sug- Driver’s Ed motorcyclists when they’re your community,’” Blumen- harassed, call in a report running lights were 19 gesting that when drivers struck by drivers. VRUs thal says. How can you help? giving the best descrip- percent less likely to be hit see more cyclists in a par- Today only 23 states require usually specify minimum Join local bike advocacy tion you can of the vehicle, by drivers than a control ticular part of town, they driver’s ed for motorists fines rather than jail time, groups, attend city council license plate, occupants, group without. Fluorescent drive more carefully there.

56 Bicycling.com • JUNE 2017 JUNE 2017 • Bicycling.com 57