Originally Posted by
michaelm101
~~In 2017, I was traveling about 30mph when a car bumped my bars and I wiped out. I was out of commission for 6 months. Indeed, it was a hit & run,
but I really don't think the driver even knew they hit me as they were probably occupied by their smartphone. Since then, my riding strategy has changed dramatically.
That is one HELL of an assumption to make. Drivers don't hit things at 30mph without being aware of it. Cellphone or no cellphone. Not unless they are driving an 18 wheeler. Give the 18 wheelers lots of unearned respect. And every driver on the road is not on their cellphone. Cyclists cannot blame every single accident they have on clueless cagers on cellphones.
There are plenty of us cyclists who have never been hit by a car. Ever. With decades of accident free miles in our rearview mirrors. We do it by not ascribing malicious or negligent motives to other road users. We monitor the road around us and deal with anomalies as they occur; in the moment, without ascribing malicious or negligent motives to other road users, until the crisis is safely in the rearview mirror. It would take at least one police cruiser for every five vehicles on the road to have a prayer of keeping up with the myriad cut-off's, stupid left turns, sideswipes, jackrabbit takeoffs, etc., etc. ... enforcement? Seriously? I don't know ... Josephine County has decided to go without any law enforcement whatsoever after the last bond measure failed. No law enforcement because
people don't want to pay for it. In a year or more, not much has changed. It was never about enforcement. Ride aware. Ride safe.