Bel Air Cyclist Hit by Car: 'You Have to Have Stricter Laws'


[B' Spokes: Nice map of highest frequency of bike-car crashes in Maryland.]
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Crashes between cyclists and drivers are on the rise in Maryland.

By Josh Birch, CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE

Accidents between cars and bicyclists in Maryland increased sharply over the last five years, according to a Capital News Service analysis of crash data.

There were 841 accidents between cars and bikes in Maryland in 2012, according to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, a 5 percent increase over the 799 bike-car accidents in 2008.

Pam Moore of Bel Air never worried about sharing the road with cars until she was struck by one while riding her bike in August. She lost consciousness and suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs, abrasions and a concussion from the accident, she said.

“There was nothing I could do different,” Moore said. “I was following the laws. I was where I was supposed to be.”

In 2012, five people in Maryland died from bike-car crashes and 689 people were injured.

Many motorists do not view bicycles as vehicles that have an equal right to use the road, said Neil Buchness, president of Chesapeake Spokes, a bicycle group in Harford County.

“We’re actually people. We aren’t just something to contend with in the road or go around,” he said. “Give us a little more respect out on the road.”

Buchness said the state needs to ensure motorists know the law.

“I think the biggest thing that will help us is education. Getting it out there. The more people that realize that we are cyclists and we do have a right to the road,” the better, Buchness said.

According to the law, drivers must leave three feet between their car and bicyclists when passing them on the road.

“I think a lot of motorists feel that bicyclists are trespassing on the public roadways and that leads to resentment,” said Michael Jackson, director of bicycle and pedestrian access for the Maryland Department of Transportation.
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“You’re going to have people that don’t like cyclists, people who don’t like runners, people who don’t like that because they don’t want to share the road,” Moore said. “I think you have to have stricter laws.”
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<a href="http://belair.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/harford-cyclist-hit-by-car-you-have-to-have-stricter-laws">http://belair.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/harford-cyclist-hit-by-car-you-have-to-have-stricter-laws</a>;


by B' Spokes

Like most people I live a hectic life and who has the time for much exercise? Thanks to xtracycle now I do. By using my bike for daily activities I can get things done and get an hour plus work out in 15 minutes extra of my time, not a bad deal and beats taking the extra time going to the gym. In case you are still having trouble being motivated; the National Center of Disease Control says that inactivity is the #2 killer in the United States just behind smoking. ( http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/bb_nutrition/ ) Get out there and start living life! I can carry home a full shopping cart of groceries, car pool two kids or just get lost in the great outdoors camping for a week. Well I got go, another outing this weekend.
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