biker hit head on and died

[BooksAreNerdy]

My DH recently embraced the MMM blog and has jumped on board. We have a 40% savings rate this year and next year it should be up around 70%.

We have sold his classic corvette, our farm truck, our tractor, furniture collecting dust, etc. We are working on listing our hobby farm and buying some thing cash in town that we can reno and eventually rent out.

Our ER goal is 6 years and that will include 3 paid off homes, one to live in and two to rent.

One of the biggest, proudest changes for my DH was that he went from being a gear head to embracing the one car lifestyle. We live 10-15 miles from anything. I need a car to get the kid(s) to town on occasion. But DH has been biking 30 miles round trip to work. He is a lifelong distance runner, so it was actually not a big deal at all.

So, we were feeling like we were on the right track, making great choices. And then, last night, we got a phone call that there was a biker killed less than 2 miles from our house. We live on an old two lane HWY with several curves and no shoulder with  55mph speed limit. I frequently get passed by cars going upwards of 65mph.  It is not a safe road, but it is a very popular biking route as it is scenic and goes around the local lake. Apparently, a biker was going east, about to enter a curve and he was struck head on by someone who was trying to pass another vehicle as they rounded the curve. This was a no passing zone. The biker died on impact.

DH and I decided that it just isn't safe for him to bike to work on this road. I am not sure I'll even feel OK about him riding in town, though we do live in a very bike friendly town with paths and bike lanes.

We decided to look at a second commuter car, found a 93 corolla on craigslist. We had cut car spending from about $700/mo to $150/mo by going down to a single car that was only driven about 3 days a week. Now, I think we will be back up around $400/mo to have DH driving every day.  Obviously, no amount of money is worth his safety.

This whole tragic situation just has me floored. I just want to sell this house and move into town. The costs and risks of being out here are just too high. I hate feeling like car clowns every time we drive into town. I hate the wasteful gas chugging of driving so much. I love the idea of staying fit by running errands by bike. I feel like we have made so many positive changes, but the biggest impact is selling our home. Biking would have been a huge impact, but just seems like a bad idea until we are in town.

I guess this is just a big rant. I am still reeling after hearing this news. I can't imagine anything happening to DH. I can't even let myself play out a scenario like that happening. DH rode his bike around that same curve 7 hours before the accident. He rode home around that curve 5 hours after it happened. It just hit way too close to home.

[hybrid]

I'm with you OP. Biking in town on a multi-lane road in 25 and 35 MPH zones is one thing, sharing a single lane in a 55 MPH zone is quite another. I bike commute, but I would not do that bike commute. I think the old saying about being penny-wise and pound-foolish applies here, the money your husband is saving bike commuting on narrow, fast, roads is not worth the risk of a very high speed impact.

[naloj]

Would dropping him off a few miles from home somewhere safe be an option?  Doesn't have to be all or none.

[GuitarStv]

Were the cyclist driving a small car in the same scenario there's no guarantee that he would have survived the head on collision either.  Idiots who recklessly endanger people will always be present around you.

That said, 55 mph is a very fast road.  I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable doing my bike commuting with cars whizzing by at those speeds.  Only you can decide what's an acceptable risk to take into your life.  It sounds like you've already made your decision, and I can't fault you for it.


FWIW, in the past year there have been three cyclists killed within a couple miles of my house.  One was cycling at night with no lights or reflectors, going the wrong way through a cross walk.  One was cycling at night with no lights and was struck by a car from behind.  One was cycling during the day, going the wrong way.  None were wearing helmets.  Cycling can be quite dangerous, but it can also be made much less so.

[BooksAreNerdy]

A head on collision with a car could have been tragic as well. However, I think this event just made us both realize that there are a number of ways something could go wrong on this road.

I like the idea of doing a hybrid commute. There is actually a place to park just beyond the lake where DH could park during the day and bike the rest of the way in. Its 10 miles from our house to that bridge. I'm not sure if DH would find it worthwhile to get sweaty for a 5 mile bike ride. I'll run it up the flag pole.

[fallstoclimb]

Were the cyclist driving a small car in the same scenario there's no guarantee that he would have survived the head on collision either.  Idiots who recklessly endanger people will always be present around you.

+1 to this.  It could happen if he were driving as well.  My MIL was hit by a car just walking the dog, across a crosswalk.  It was at night, but what am I going to do now, not leave my house unless its light out?  You can't let fear rule your life.

That said:  I hate biking on any road where the speed limit is over 40mph.  It's a little bit of an arbitrary cut off, but it is what it is.  Riding a road like that at 8 am on a Sunday morning is one thing, but as part of your commute, it doesn't sound like a ton of fun.

THAT said, cyclist fatalities are actually pretty rare.  They're awful but they're rare.  I ran the numbers in a recent blog post:

Rarer still are fatal accidents: somewhere between 600 and 800 bicyclists die every year.  Of these deaths, 25% involved drunken cyclists, and 10% were children.  That means that only 65% of these deaths, or 520 at the high end, are situations where I am at risk.  Roughly 4 billion bicycle trips were made in 2009, and only about 500 of those trips ended in a fatality that could have happened to me.

So, its unlikely, but also, be smart.  It sounds like you already want to move to town, whats holding you back?

[hybrid]

Were the cyclist driving a small car in the same scenario there's no guarantee that he would have survived the head on collision either.  Idiots who recklessly endanger people will always be present around you.

That said, 55 mph is a very fast road.  I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable doing my bike commuting with cars whizzing by at those speeds.  Only you can decide what's an acceptable risk to take into your life.  It sounds like you've already made your decision, and I can't fault you for it.


FWIW, in the past year there have been three cyclists killed within a couple miles of my house.  One was cycling at night with no lights or reflectors, going the wrong way through a cross walk.  One was cycling at night with no lights and was struck by a car from behind.  One was cycling during the day, going the wrong way.  None were wearing helmets.  Cycling can be quite dangerous, but it can also be made much less so.

Agreed on all counts, and we all know that if the posted speed is 55 MPH a lot of vehicles will be going faster than that. There is a bridge downtown that I sometimes use to commute on. The southbound side has four lanes but regrettably no shoulder, so I take the center of the least busy of the four. The posted speed there is 40 but it is routinely ignored, and I am often quite uncomfortable when cars whiz by going 55 while I am doing 15-20, tops. I usually just opt for another bridge where the speed limit is 35 and cars tend to stay closer to that number because of traffic congestion. It costs me an extra few minutes and I gladly pay that toll every day I bike. There is just no way I could commute on a single lane 55 MPH road.

[Cheddar Stacker]

BooksAreNerdy - Good luck figuring out what works best for your family.

I have a question for the cycling enthusiasts based on something I saw last night. I realize drivers can be reckless as well, but this was the most dangerous move I've seen a cyclist making so far IMO.

So the question: Is it safe to tailgate (think hypermiling) a car while riding a bike?

This guy was in the middle of an evening commute, riding in the middle of his lane (2 lane road, maybe 40 MPH speed limit) and was about 10 feet behind the car in front of him pedaling as fast as possible to keep pace with traffic. Is this normal or crazy?

It seemed crazy to me. Any hiccup by him, the driver in front, or the driver behind (who was keeping his distance at maybe 25 feet) and the cyclist would have easily died.

[BooksAreNerdy]

Nothing is holding us back from moving to town except selling our current home. We expect it to take 6-12 months to sell. 20 acre rural property. We do plan to buy a fixer in town with cash to start renovating before our house sells to make the transition smoother. We had wanted to wait until spring to list our house for 3 main reasons- I'm having our second child in the next 2-3 weeks, it will sell better in spring, and we want to buy the project town house to get a head start on the reno.

Suddenly, waiting until spring seems like too long to wait. Patience has never been my strong suit.

[BlueMR2]

Biking does have risks.  Just in the last couple of weeks here we had 1 kid (14?) cycling die getting run over by another kid (17 years old) in a car that just never saw them and ran them over (going the same direction).

Then in the big local touring ride a cyclist had a angry person in a truck/trailer beeping at them, swerve out to pass, and clip them with the trailer.  He survived, but I believe he had a couple broken bones and the bike was destroyed.

[GuitarStv]

I have a question for the cycling enthusiasts based on something I saw last night. I realize drivers can be reckless as well, but this was the most dangerous move I've seen a cyclist making so far IMO.

So the question: Is it safe to tailgate (think hypermiling) a car while riding a bike?

This guy was in the middle of an evening commute, riding in the middle of his lane (2 lane road, maybe 40 MPH speed limit) and was about 10 feet behind the car in front of him pedaling as fast as possible to keep pace with traffic. Is this normal or crazy?

It seemed crazy to me. Any hiccup by him, the driver in front, or the driver behind (who was keeping his distance at maybe 25 feet) and the cyclist would have easily died.

I wouldn't draft a vehicle like that myself, I am not able to stop as quickly as a car when really hauling ass on my bike.  I do try my best to keep pace with traffic though, and usually succeed in the city.  The only thing the cyclist could do to mitigate danger from the front car in that scenario is to look through the windscreens to try and anticipate what the driver is going to do ahead of time, but it's a risky game.

The vehicle behind the cyclist is responsible for not hitting the cyclist in front, and there's nothing that a guy on a bike can do about that.

[hybrid]

I have a question for the cycling enthusiasts based on something I saw last night. I realize drivers can be reckless as well, but this was the most dangerous move I've seen a cyclist making so far IMO.

So the question: Is it safe to tailgate (think hypermiling) a car while riding a bike?

This guy was in the middle of an evening commute, riding in the middle of his lane (2 lane road, maybe 40 MPH speed limit) and was about 10 feet behind the car in front of him pedaling as fast as possible to keep pace with traffic. Is this normal or crazy?

It seemed crazy to me. Any hiccup by him, the driver in front, or the driver behind (who was keeping his distance at maybe 25 feet) and the cyclist would have easily died.

I wouldn't draft a vehicle like that myself, I am not able to stop as quickly as a car when really hauling ass on my bike.  I do try my best to keep pace with traffic though, and usually succeed in the city.  The only thing the cyclist could do to mitigate danger from the front car in that scenario is to look through the windscreens to try and anticipate what the driver is going to do ahead of time, but it's a risky game.

The vehicle behind the cyclist is responsible for not hitting the cyclist in front, and there's nothing that a guy on a bike can do about that.

Agreed again. There are times I keep pace with the 25 MPH traffic on a straightaway or downhill (for a little while anyway, especially when the light changes) but I never ride right on a car's ass if I am doing any kind of speed where my stopping quickly just isn't going to happen. Drafting just isn't smart, the benefits are minimal.

I am more than happy to see a knot of traffic (created by a stoplight) go right on by during rush hour, the road becomes surprisingly empty if you are not caught up in the flow of traffic. A lot easier to ride in.

[unpolloloco]

Just a word of caution: a 55mph head-on impact in that 93 corolla you're proposing would likely be just as deadly (rusted-out frame, no airbags, etc.)

[Mrs. PoP]

Is the driver going to be charged?   Isn't what the driver did technically vehicular manslaughter due to reckless driving?  (If he was in fact illegally passing in a no passing zone.) 

[MikeBear]

Not a bicycle, however I think it applies here, and I'll tell the story anyway:

My wife was totally against my son getting a motorcycle at age 16, but I let him get one:

My son will be 28 towards the end of this year. When he was 16, he bought an older Honda CL350, and wanted to get his cycle endorsement. I took him to the class, and he got the endorsement. We TOLD him to NOT take that bike on the expressway, because even though it was a 350, it was older, and slower than it should be. His uncle also told him the same thing, and his uncle owns a lot of bikes since he was a kid.

Anyway, 3 DAYS later, I get a phone call from him at 11:15pm. He just got hit by a car, and it totaled the bike! I woke up my wife, (who was scared to death when I told her what had happened) and we drove there with the trailer. He was already hauled away to the hospital in an ambulance, so I talked to the cop that was there. Here's what went down:

My son left his job at KFC in Midland Michigan that night, drove up Eastman to the expressway, and got on it. It's about 10 miles from there to the Sanford exit. He was going about 55mph, and it was dark. He made it about 2 miles or so, almost to the Stark road underpass and heard somebody behind him beep the horn a bunch of times. They then PLOWED him from the rear so hard and fast, they POPPED his motorcycle right out from under him like a croquet ball! They probably didn't realize he was driving only 55 or so, when they were going faster. Maybe they were drunk, who knows?

He ended up on their hood, and rolled off and landed on the road, full body-roll (which is also what helped save him). THEY KEPT GOING, while dragging what was left of his bike, until it shredded, and unhooked from the front of their car. We NEVER FOUND THEM, to this day. The cop on the scene was almost in shock, and couldn't believe my son basically walked away from this accident. He estimated that car that hit him was going at least 75 mph. So, my son absorbed about a 20mph hit, rolled off the car, and into the asphalt. He was wearing a good $100 helmet (it was mine, and it was trashed from road-rash, but saved his head), and a leather riding jacket. He only had on rough black KFC work pants. Those pants weren't quite enough protection, and he got some road-rash between the top and the leather jacket.

Anyway, we went to the hospital, and had him go through x-rays and the works to make sure he was ok. Didn't get out of there until around 4:30am. My son is fine today, and God saw to it that he has a second chance.

Two BIG lessons here:

1: He didn't listen to us, thought he knew BEST, and took a bike where it didn't belong. He knows to listen to us now.

2: He was wearing good protective equipment, Helmet and leather jacket. If he had also been wearing leather pants, he wouldn't have any road rash permanent scars today.

One 3rd lesson: Sometimes God protects us from our own stupidity, and gives us a wake-up call. My son got the wake up call of his life, he may never get another one if he didn't pay attention. Some people heed that call, and go on to live.

If you don't feel safe riding a bicycle in a certain place, it's probably a good thing to listen to that feeling and not do it.

[taekvideo]

I probably wouldn't bike there either.
I don't even bike on the main road in my (smallish) suburb because there's too much traffic, and it's 35-45mph.
Luckily I've figured out how to get everywhere fairly directly without ever going on it ;)

[Dicey]

Yeah, minority opinion, I know, but I wouldn't do it either*. Better to take a little longer to reach FI than to get there without him. Sure, there are lots of hidden dangers that could kill anyone in any of a zillion ways, but this is a case of avoiding a known risk. In this case, it's a bad road. Get the car, maintain it, drive defensively, enjoy your new baby and cruise to your goals next year.
*Yes, I used to be a serious cyclist. Often rode PCH between Ventura and Rancho Palos Verdes in heavy traffic without a second thought. I was younger then and had better reflexes and perhaps more courage/stupidity. Wouldn't do it now. Especially not if I had small children.

[MikeBear]

I certainly hope there's at least a manslaughter charge pending against the guy who killed him while he was illegally passing in a no passing zone. That could have been a small car with a young family.

[happyfeet]

My son left his job at KFC in Midland Michigan that night, drove up Eastman to the expressway, and got on it. It's about 10 miles from there to the Sanford exit. He was going about 55mph, and it was dark. He made it about 2 miles or so, almost to the Stark road underpass and heard somebody behind him beep the horn a bunch of times. They then PLOWED him from the rear so hard and fast, they POPPED his motorcycle right out from under him like a croquet ball! They probably didn't realize he was driving only 55 or so, when they were going faster. Maybe they were drunk, who knows?

He ended up on their hood, and rolled off and landed on the road, full body-roll (which is also what helped save him). THEY KEPT GOING, while dragging what was left of his bike, until it shredded, and unhooked from the front of their car. We NEVER FOUND THEM, to this day. The cop on the scene was almost in shock, and couldn't believe my son basically walked away from this accident. He estimated that car that hit him was going at least 75 mph. So, my son absorbed about a 20mph hit, rolled off the car, and into the asphalt. He was wearing a good $100 helmet (it was mine, and it was trashed from road-rash, but saved his head), and a leather riding jacket. He only had on rough black KFC work pants. Those pants weren't quite enough protection, and he got some road-rash between the top and the leather jacket.

Anyway, we went to the hospital, and had him go through x-rays and the works to make sure he was ok. Didn't get out of there until around 4:30am. My son is fine today, and God saw to it that he has a second chance.


One 3rd lesson: Sometimes God protects us from our own stupidity, and gives us a wake-up call. My son got the wake up call of his life, he may never get another one if he didn't pay attention. Some people heed that call, and go on to live.

If you don't feel safe riding a bicycle in a certain place, it's probably a good thing to listen to that feeling and not do it.

I moved to the beautiful state of Michigan a few years ago and will never get used to the driving up here.  Crazy crazy drivers.

Love your lesson number three.

And glad your son is ok.  What a story.  Just wow.

[Russ]

as other people have mentioned, head-on at 55 mph you're dying either way. If you're in a car you just get to take the other driver with you. If you wouldn't bike the road, I would recommend not driving it either.

[gt7152b]

I'd rather be on a bike than in a car for the situation you describe. Head on collision with 2 cars going 55mph would probably kill all occupants in all 3 cars. At least with the bike you can have the chance to swerve off road and possibly avoid injury altogether. Doing so in a car would be much more difficult. I would call this a freak accident just because the cyclist didn't have enough time to react and get off the road. It's no consolation to the deceased's family but the fact that he was on a bike saved at least two lives, regardless of whether they all deserved this outcome or not.

[BooksAreNerdy]

Yes, this is the same accident that someone posted a link to in Lawrence.

I am sure it was a freak accident. the driver was 69 years old. I am not sure if he will be charged, I hope so. I can't imagine someone being so reckless.

The biker was 66, a staple in the cycling community, and had decades of experience with riding and racing.

[beltim]

as other people have mentioned, head-on at 55 mph you're dying either way. If you're in a car you just get to take the other driver with you. If you wouldn't bike the road, I would recommend not driving it either.

This is demonstrably untrue:
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/5/546.full
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/153/3/219.full

[GuitarStv]

as other people have mentioned, head-on at 55 mph you're dying either way. If you're in a car you just get to take the other driver with you. If you wouldn't bike the road, I would recommend not driving it either.

This is demonstrably untrue:
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/5/546.full
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/153/3/219.full

Your first link indicates that with modern safety features, half of people with crashes at 55 mph die (http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/5/546/T1.expansion.html).  No, not everyone was killed . . . but those are pretty shitty odds.

[beltim]

as other people have mentioned, head-on at 55 mph you're dying either way. If you're in a car you just get to take the other driver with you. If you wouldn't bike the road, I would recommend not driving it either.

This is demonstrably untrue:
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/5/546.full
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/153/3/219.full

Your first link indicates that with modern safety features, half of people with crashes at 55 mph die (http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/5/546/T1.expansion.html).  No, not everyone was killed . . . but those are pretty shitty odds.

That table looks are crashes where at least one driver died.  Definitionally at least half of drivers die in a crash where at least one driver dies.

[GuitarStv]

huh . . . my mistake.  Could you point me to the data you were referring to that shows the numbers for deaths in head-on car collisions at speeds of 55 mph?

[beltim]

huh . . . my mistake.  Could you point me to the data you were referring to that shows the numbers for deaths in head-on car collisions at speeds of 55 mph?

I don't have the numbers for the likelihood of death in that sort of collision.  What I do have is data that shows a significant percentage of people surviving in those crashes even when there is already a fatality.

[Thegoblinchief]

I've biked on plenty of high-speed roads, but most of the bike-accessible roads with limits that high have generous shoulders or full bike lanes.

While I've encountered shoulderless 55+ roads and biked them just fine, I usually check Google Maps the next time I bike that area to see if there is an alternate.

Safety is something you can't put a price on, but I'd look for alternate routes before counting a 93 Corolla as any safer than a bike.

[dcheesi]

Had a similar incident here, except the rider was an experienced endurance bike racer, doing his last long-distance practice ride in preparation for a race. Woman driving on a suspended license clipped him from behind, shattered his leg and put him in the hospital with serious injuries. Probably ended his racing career, and came darn close to losing his leg altogether.

[okashira]

Had a similar incident here, except the rider was an experienced endurance bike racer, doing his last long-distance practice ride in preparation for a race. Woman driving on a suspended license clipped him from behind, shattered his leg and put him in the hospital with serious injuries. Probably ended his racing career, and came darn close to losing his leg altogether.

Here in around Houston she would have been patted on the back , sent on her merry way to main another. Cyclist would have been reprimanded for getting in the way and damaging her truck/suv

[Wildflame]

My personal limit is 60kph/40mph with a shoulder or bike lane. If there's no shoulder, 50kph/30mph. No way in hell I'd be willing to ride up a 90kph/55mph road without a shoulder. It's not that I don't trust my own skills on a bike; it's that I don't trust anyone else's skills in a car.

The thing I find truly amazing about high-speed roads is how readily drivers disregard those speed limits and actually get mad at people obeying them. The number of times I've been in a car doing the limit and been honked by someone passing who wants to do 20kph over the limit boggles the mind. Glad I don't drive much anymore.

[Paul der Krake]

The thing I find truly amazing about high-speed roads is how readily drivers disregard those speed limits and actually get mad at people obeying them. The number of times I've been in a car doing the limit and been honked by someone passing who wants to do 20kph over the limit boggles the mind. Glad I don't drive much anymore.

These drivers drive at whatever speed they find comfortable and get mad at others for not being as cocky as they are. In rural areas, this often means 10-20 above the posted limit as they drive those roads every day and have an inflated sense of security.

[Malaysia41]

I have a question for the cycling enthusiasts based on something I saw last night. I realize drivers can be reckless as well, but this was the most dangerous move I've seen a cyclist making so far IMO.

So the question: Is it safe to tailgate (think hypermiling) a car while riding a bike?

This guy was in the middle of an evening commute, riding in the middle of his lane (2 lane road, maybe 40 MPH speed limit) and was about 10 feet behind the car in front of him pedaling as fast as possible to keep pace with traffic. Is this normal or crazy?

It seemed crazy to me. Any hiccup by him, the driver in front, or the driver behind (who was keeping his distance at maybe 25 feet) and the cyclist would have easily died.

My husband drafted cars and trucks regularly commuting to and from work.  He'd then brag on FB about hitting a top speed drafting home.  ERGH.  We're lucky he made it to retirement - about 40 days ago.  When I called him on his recklessness he explained he felt safe because he moved with the massive #s of scooters on the road.  ERGH.   So at least he doesn't commute 30 miles everyday in heavy traffic anymore - but now he goes on long island rides.  For those, however, he avoids traffic.  However, I'm sure when he sees a drafting opportunity and 'feels safe', he's still doing it.  ERGH.

[Must_Stash]

I'm sure the experienced cyclist had a lot of experience on that very road, and felt safe there for that reason.  The same psychological paradigm was at work on your husband up to this point.

You and your husband are unusual.  You're re-evaluating that sense of safety now that you have a counterbalancing example.  People usually resist changing their perspective.  I think your background as a mustachian-- your "training" in making paradigm shifts-- may have helped.  Maybe MMM has saved a life!