Distracted driving can be deadly for bikers and pedestrians
As a professional engineer, I thought I had done my part to make our roads safer.
It wasn’t until a few days ago that I realized that there are limitations to what we can do. We can’t force drivers to follow simple rules.
I’ve dedicated most of my professional career to designing safer roads and thought I was making a change by following the best designs for safety. Unfortunately, that was shattered when my team of cyclists and I went out for a bike ride and experienced the horror of seeing our own hit by a distracted driver.
It was hot on an early Sunday morning. We prayed before our ride, started slowly and followed our regular route to Sugarloaf Mountain.
We were following all the rider’s rules for safety: calling out cars and other obstacles behind us, shouting “all clear” at intersections, riding on the shoulder, wearing bright uniforms and helmets and turning our rear lights on.
What could possibly go wrong? Before we approached the famous climb along CR 561, I left two of my teammates.
As I was reaching the steepest slope, my phone started to ring. I could hear Siri telling me it was one of my teammates, so I answered the call on my smart watch.
At first, I couldn’t hear anything and shouted, “Hey, what happened?” Still no answer. Then I heard a voice of shock and horror say, “We got hit by a car!”
At that moment everything stopped. All I could do was shout to the rest of the team, “Jorge got hit by a car!”
I rode back as hard as I could. There are no words to describe the chaos I saw, the impotency of being unable to change anything, and the pain I felt seeing two of my teammates severely injured.
It was shocking to see the surprise of the young driver who hadn’t seen them; I realized how lucky they were to be alive after the hit. A bit of anger crept in when we discovered that the potentially fatal crash was due to distracted driving.
I then realized how powerless we are as pedestrians and cyclists, as transportation engineers who try to design safer roads, or even as law enforcement and public agencies who spread safety messages.
We won’t be able to achieve Vision Zero — a campaign set up to eliminate all traffic deaths in our country — without drivers pledging to drive safely. However, Vision Zero recognizes that people will make mistakes; these policies should be designed to ensure those inevitable mistakes do not result in severe injuries or fatalities.
Other solutions should also be introduced, like proposing legislation that penalizes or regulates these issues, demanding drivers be properly insured to cover these crashes, and working across industries to implement technological solutions to address these issues.
Many organizations are actively pushing for safer roads, but we continue to see fatal or nearly fatal accidents happening.
As a newly appointed board member of Bike/Walk Central Florida — a nonprofit advocacy organization for cyclist and pedestrian safety — and through my involvement with transportation projects in Florida, I see the hope we have toward achieving Vision Zero, but I know more can be done. I envision:
▪ Legislators pushing for reform to ensure all vehicles are equipped with technology to reduce driver distractions and prevent crashes.
The more technology and robust legislation added, the closer we are to achieving Vision Zero. I am hopeful for the day when people put down the phone while driving, when people no longer experience the loss of a loved one from distracted driving, and when drivers no longer experience the lifelong psychological pain from hurting someone.
Using technology to prevent vehicles from hitting pedestrians and cyclists the same way new cars stop when detecting an obstacle.
Vehicle and cellphone manufacturers adding technology that would further disable texting while driving.
More people getting involved in organizations that promote safety on the roads. I invite you to donate or volunteer time to those organizations.
You, the reader, to speak up by writing to legislators and raising awareness in your community.