A cyclist, apparently with earbuds jammed in, rode in front of a moving TRAX commuter train in Salt Lake City. He died enroute to the hospital. Story HERE.
How sad is that?!!
The guy was 32 years old.
The poor conductor - he saw the guy and sounded the horn. But you can't bring a train to an instant stop.
Cyclists who listen to the earbuds should sit up and take note. Are you sure you can safely surrender your sense of hearing? It would have to be some righteous tunes, to be worth losing your life over!
Tireless advocate for the most efficient form of
human transportation ever devised - bicycles!
4 comments:
Admittedly, I listen to an earphone while biking. In my defense, I only place an earbud in my right ear so I can hear traffic with my left, and I usually listen to ESPN or some other talk format with lots of breaks in audio.
I don't text while biking, either, so I'm not completely irresponsible.
Scott, yesterday I came up behind a gal who I'd guess was in her mid-teens. She was on a cruiser-style bike on a public road. I noticed she didn't have hands on the handlebars, and she was swerving back and forth somewhat. As she approached a busy intersection... she put her phone in her pocket and her hands on the bars. She had obviously been riding and texting.
Deaf folks can get a driver's license. Not being able to hear does NOT necessarily make driving or riding hazardous... as long as you compensate for your lack of auditory input by being particularly diligent about visual input!
I don't often wear phones... but even without, as I approach an intersection I look both ways... then look both ways again.
There is an old carpenter's saying: "measure twice, cut once". There should be an old cyclist's saying: "look twice, cross once".
This will be my 4th year riding in Boise, and I can't imagine riding without music. Of course, I'm part of the generation that was brought up with constant stimulation, so silence isn't something that is tolerated well. However, I've never had a problem with not knowing what is happening around me. If I'm going to be crossing traffic lanes, say to make a left turn, I always look over my shoulder. The same goes for crossing intersections and any other time there is a possibility for interactions with vehicles. Personally, I would happily trade hearing for sight when riding, as I trust my eyes much moreso than my ears.
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