Crash Course
Sharing the road sounds good in theory. But in reality, motorists don’t always get along with bicyclists and runners.
Each year, more than 120,000 runners, walkers, and cyclists are hit by cars. More than 500 bicyclists die annually in the U.S. after a collision with a car. And while there is no specific statistic just for runners, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that nearly 4,500 pedestrian accidents result in fatalities.
That was the shocking case last June for Mike Fontes, who was on a training run in Denver with a local running group. He was running southbound on Downing Street when he attempted to cross Speer Boulevard and was hit and killed by a van.
Everyone who runs has to battle the danger presented by vehicles. Most drivers simply tend to be oblivious of pedestrians. These days, drivers often have many distractions in the car – chatting on a cell phone, texting, programming a GPS, or dealing with rowdy kids who are sitting in the backseat. I’ve seen drivers eating in the car and drivers putting on makeup in the car. You just can’t assume that they are always alert.
Rules of the Road
Here are some runner safety tips to consider:
- Run on sidewalks where available.
- Run on the left side of the road facing traffic, so that you are better prepared to react to any mistakes motorists might make.
- Run on roads with wide shoulders.
- Be prepared to jump onto the sidewalk or shoulder of the road, especially on blind curves or when cresting hills where you aren’t visible to approaching cars.
- Be aware of factors that affect a driver’s visibility – glaring sun, rain, snow, or fog.
- Run single file when running in a group – particularly in high traffic areas.
- Yield the right-of-way to vehicles at intersections. Drivers may not heed traffic signals or signs. It may be annoying, but this is how I was once hit by a car while running. I expected the car to obey the stop sign, but they rolled through it and hit me in the intersection. Now I wait and try to make eye contact with approaching drivers at intersections.
- Obey traffic rules and signals. Runners, as pedestrians, are bound by traffic laws.
- Be alert at all times.
- Use your ears as well as your eyes – don’t wear headphones.
- Wear bright, reflective clothing.
- Carry identification.
The bottom line is that a runner or cyclist will always lose when it comes to a collision with a car. It doesn’t matter who is to blame. Keep in mind that drivers aren’t looking out for us, so we need to look out for ourselves.
Stay safe!
Derek Griffiths