Beware the most dangerous thing on the road or trail!
I've found the most significant danger on the road or
trail.
I'm a mountain biker. I try to ride pretty much every day when I'm not traveling, and generally end up going between 20-25 kilometers over some pretty hilly roads and trails here in the Alexandria, Virginia area.
Living just a couple miles outside the DC beltway, things tend to be pretty crowded on the roads as well as the trails. There are cars everywhere, joggers, other bicycles, and parents walking kids, just to name a few.
I've always been really careful around the cars, as they seem to be the most serious threat to the cyclist, but lately I've come to realize there's something even worse. Pedestrians with music players (generally iPods and other MP3 players).
That's right, these people are far more dangerous to the cyclist (and to themselves) than anything else I've found.
Cars generally stick to some semblance of traffic rules. I keep a safe distance from them and we all get along fine. Pedestrians with iPods, however, are another matter.
I try my best to be respectful and courteous to pedestrians. I always say hello. I always give them the right-of-way -- often going well into the grass to give them safe passage. When approaching them from behind, I always call out "passing" from a safe distance. All the things that you'd hope for from a cyclist sharing the road with pedestrians.
And there in lies the rub. I come up behind pedestrians and look for earphones now because I know they're more than likely to not hear my "passing" notice. Worse yet, they're apt to change "lanes" without notice. They're apt to panic when they eventually see me, often getting into more danger than they would have been otherwise.
I haven't hit one (yet), but I know it's a matter of time. For now, when I see earphones, I slow down and go *way* out of my way to avoid them. They're deadly.
I'm a mountain biker. I try to ride pretty much every day when I'm not traveling, and generally end up going between 20-25 kilometers over some pretty hilly roads and trails here in the Alexandria, Virginia area.
Living just a couple miles outside the DC beltway, things tend to be pretty crowded on the roads as well as the trails. There are cars everywhere, joggers, other bicycles, and parents walking kids, just to name a few.
I've always been really careful around the cars, as they seem to be the most serious threat to the cyclist, but lately I've come to realize there's something even worse. Pedestrians with music players (generally iPods and other MP3 players).
That's right, these people are far more dangerous to the cyclist (and to themselves) than anything else I've found.
Cars generally stick to some semblance of traffic rules. I keep a safe distance from them and we all get along fine. Pedestrians with iPods, however, are another matter.
I try my best to be respectful and courteous to pedestrians. I always say hello. I always give them the right-of-way -- often going well into the grass to give them safe passage. When approaching them from behind, I always call out "passing" from a safe distance. All the things that you'd hope for from a cyclist sharing the road with pedestrians.
And there in lies the rub. I come up behind pedestrians and look for earphones now because I know they're more than likely to not hear my "passing" notice. Worse yet, they're apt to change "lanes" without notice. They're apt to panic when they eventually see me, often getting into more danger than they would have been otherwise.
I haven't hit one (yet), but I know it's a matter of time. For now, when I see earphones, I slow down and go *way* out of my way to avoid them. They're deadly.
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