Crash! Neglecting safety leads to accidents | The Island Pedaler

As I was driving east on San Marco Road late Friday morning, I witnessed a car-bicycle accident that could have been worse. avoided if we paid more attention to safety on our shared paths.

This unreported accident will never appear on a record because the parties involved chose not to call the authorities. The motorist will likely pay to have the front of his car repaired after it was hit by a 60 pounds Electric bike passing by the intersection of Weeks Way and San Marco Road right next to Sunshine Ace Hardware.

The cyclist, who had apparently brought his lunch in a takeaway bag from a local restaurant, stood up dazed, with a graze about 2 inches in diameter on his right forehead. He was dazed, as if he had just taken a pretty hard hit – which he did, many times over. 4,500 pounds Heavyweight.

The car driver felt terrible. He offered the cyclist $100 in compensation because he felt he was in the wrong. The dazed cyclist declined the kind offer. He also refused medical attention when I arrived at the scene and suggested that he might want to get checked out. I also suggested calling the police so they could make a report. Neither of them wanted to do that.

The cyclist seemed to speak little English, but within a few minutes another cyclist, who was apparently friends with the accident victim, passed by and asked how he was doing.

The bike was still rideable. The car had some damage, but this did not concern the driver. The cyclist was well enough to continue.

I wonder how often such scenes occur islandwide.

The frustrating thing about this scenario is that this accident could have potentially been avoided if we had put more effort into making our roads and bike paths as safe as possible.

The driver explained to me that he had stopped at the white line (or what was left of it). As he drove on, he did not see the oncoming bicycle. Bang! A cyclist is lying in front of his car and both driver and cyclist are shaken.

The driver explained that as he slowly drove forward, he was also watching the traffic going west and east on San Marco. It was all happening so fast.

A quick look at the accident scene shows that the white line, the spot where a driver should first stop, is probably over 95 percent worn away. It looks basically the same as the rest of the road. It seems logical that many people don't even know that there was ever a white line there.

In addition, as the driver crept away from the white line and into the intersection, his view was completely blocked by an overgrown hedge at the corner, meaning neither the driver nor the cyclist could see each other until it was too late.

Solutions? One obvious solution is to ensure clear lane markings – especially at busy intersections. The intersections around San Marco Road and Barfield Drive are some of the most dangerous on the island.

I ask all cyclists to use the My Marco app to report unsafe conditions on our shared paths and bike lanes. It literally only takes a minute. I also ask our building inspector to take immediate corrective action when the safety of lives is at stake. Citing someone for a building code violation and giving them months to fix the problem simply isn't enough when lives are at stake, like in this incident at the corner of Weeks Way and San Marco Road.

And cyclists, please wear a helmet when riding. In this case, a bike helmet might have saved this rider from a head injury. I also encourage cyclists to use their lights, whether it's day or night. A flashing light will certainly make you more visible than no lights at all.

We can all do better. And I hope we can do that.