Dear Readers:
On a weekday evening earlier this month, police and a small crowd across the street interrupted what had been a typical, quiet walk around my neighborhood.
They gathered around a boy lying on his back.
Beside me on our side of the street, a couple of teen girls explained how an SUV had struck the teen on his bike. One girl told me she heard a “thud,” looked up, and saw a woman frantically exiting her vehicle.
This was actually a recently redesigned crosswalk here in my community, with flashing lights (if activated) and large signs marking this crossing for a popular bike path. Yet despite this, that boy lay still, knees elevated, with first responders kneeling alongside him.
The body language and actions of those attending conveyed, to me, this wasn’t life-threatening. Meanwhile, the woman who hit him was distraught and police seemed as interested in comforting her as they were with having any kind of interrogation.
So I have no idea who was at fault. Neither did the group of adolescents. That same girl did tell me the driver was on her phone when getting out of her car. But whether this was a factor in why she hit him or her simply calling 9-1-1 is anyone’s guess.
Either way, the reality is that modern cars, with their large touch screens, are very distracting to operate. While I don’t have a large touchscreen myself, I do keep my phone mounted for maps, music, etc. It’s all become part of the driving experience.
Some of this goes for bikers, too, apparently.
The morning after the street scene above, I had my own close call with a young biker when backing up from my parking spot on a street. I heard a beep warning from my vehicle, looked around, and then saw a girl swiftly peddling away—with big headphones covering her ears. No room for a helmet over those, either. (The boy on the street, I was told, was wearing one.)
Ironically—or appropriately, I believe—with all this tech distracting us, it is other forms of technology like that warning beep (and the always-improving self-driving) that will be the corresponding savior to these problems.
People fear self-driving. I say we need it more than ever.
In meantime, whether it’s cyclists or drivers, those who are intentionally aware when navigating are the unsung heroes preventing more cases like this poor boy and the woman who hit him. They’ve undoubtedly had it difficult since this incident.
Be safe when out-n-about.
-Brandon