Blind Spots
WICKER PARK- Yesterday my friend was in an accident. As she patrolled her ten-speed to work, a minivan stopped short in front of her. She had little time to react, and careened straight into the trunk of the car. Despite being badly shaken up by the occurrence, she suffered only a few minor wounds, and worked a full day (ironically, on Labor Day).
The culprit was probably scared, and subsequently sped off. My friend was left to gather her damaged bicycle, and the slew of tears that ordinarily follow a traumatic experience.
Despite recently venturing through the ultra-cynical early twenties, there is still a part of me that wants to believe there is good in all of us. While I agree no wealth of young-angry-writer rhetoric would further the cause for banishing soulless commuters who would even think of doing such a thing, there is a great deal of good such angst can do to bring these realities to light.
There are a steady slew of individuals who are good drivers. This is not something to dispute. The Illinois DMV wouldn’t send a legion of hell raising NASCAR enthusiasts through the vein of our highways, would they? We are required by law to pass both a written exam, and driver’s test before being trusted to patrol the public streets.
This is all well and good, but what happens when a hit & run occurs throws a penetrating cork in the wheel of the process? What makes things difficult is the fact that drivers with clean slates don’t necessary collectively possess the unblemished track record their personal auto-history indicates.
Driving Records are state driver’s license reports containing details about a driver’s history including accidents and violations*. Fine. But what about those who flee the scene of an accident involving a bicyclist on their way to a thankless job (in this case, waiting tables for under-appreciative patrons)? According to the DMV, these altercations never happened in the first place.
None of this sits well, but I am neither an attorney nor a person in power. It’s true both of these realities are my fault, and a result of perpetual underachievement, but there is still a part of me that wishes there was something I could do.
This website may very well be just a professionalized-looking blog, but it’s this writer’s freedom to write that’s being exercised. Nothing more. Let’s just all be aware that these things happen everyday, so whether you are growing impatient behind the wheel, or enjoying a two-wheeled voyage from A to B, there are exceptions to every rule.
Be careful, my friends. Though not everyone meanders through their day apathetically, one thing is for certain: Everyone has a blind spot.
-Chris De Salvo
*-http://www.4dmv.com/driving_records.htm?nav_link=24
I am a biker in Chicago and I know who you are, I’ve seen you around.
This is not a case of a “hit and run” as you say in your post. This is a case of a cyclist hitting a car, plain and simple. To suggest that this reflects poorly on the driver and should go on their record holds no validity whatsoever. Trying to pass this off makes your post sound like it was written by a 14 year old with no knowledge of the “rules of the road”.
Your friend is lucky that the driver did not stop and call the police, because he/she would have been ticketed and ordered to pay for any damages to the automobile. Were you aware of this? It happens.
From someone who “enjoys riding his bike, throwing random objects at random cars…” maybe you should write more posts about that? Tell us all how you think it is the cars fault for driving off after you throw some “random” shit at it.
If you are going to portray yourself as a cyclist in this city, get your facts straight, grow up, or you will continue to be a poser just like the other 90% of “fixie” riders that litter this city.
Thank you for ready my post. I appreciate your criticism a great deal.
It’s rare people ever read the shit I sling, and I am absolutely
thankful you found what I wrote worth reading, let alone commenting
upon.
That being said, I might be and idiot, but I don’t have an ironic hair cut (and I’m not saying you do), and I don’t participate in the “take back the night” bullshit bike rides menacingly “left” punk
rocker/ultra cool “fixie” (as you call it) take in unison at night (again, not saying you are involved in such things), fucking things over for all car-driving commuters on their way home from a long day at work (or long night). My friend saw a red light switch to green, and a mini van jerked to a halt right in front of her. She’s a novice bike-commuter who was in the wrong place in the wrong time, and he (or she) who was driving the car, asked her if she was all right, and despite the fact they saw she was obviously rattled, crying, and bleeding, drove off without further consultation.
As for the “throwing random objects at cars,” comment— YES, I do have a sense of humor, and though I have no right to assume you know me, or how I socially interact, I have to insist making jokes in my “biography” is simply a result of my love to laugh at myself and how seriously people take things. Though I fully welcome those who don’t agree with this line of thinking, I have to ask them to think outside the box… Kind of like you’re insisting I do in this situation. That’s your right, but you know that. You don’t need my to tell you that.
As for “growing up,” Okay, you’re right, I’m a poser, I’ll man up to that. I’ve never been a bike messenger, and though I love riding “fixie,” there are probably thousands out there who are better fit to do so. Though I absolutely love this method of travel, I’ll keep in mind the fact that I’m just kidding myself.
I know the picture I chose for the website makes me look like a total douche bag. That’s the point. It’s funny. I know I come off like a know-it-all fourteen year old at times… You have every right to insist that I should grow up. But… My friend bled, and if their was significant damage to the car in question, it was the blood that crept from her nose as she limped into work.
I don’t know if you knew this either — It’s unlawful for a car to enter a bike lane and intrude upon a commuting cyclist. The car in question had turned on their turn signal to turn right, and then decided against it, choosing to slam on the brakes while in the bike lane. It’s illegal to overtake a biker and then turn in front of them.If that’s my friend’s fault I’d like to see the rule book you’ve consulted.
I get it though - You’re looking at this situation from all the angles, and that proves you are wiser. Point taken. If I am one of the 90% of the “fixie riders” that “litter this city,” well fuck it, maybe I am. But I adhere to the “rules of the road,” and I’ll try my best to stay the fuck out of your way the next time you “see me around.”
Thanks again!