Fatal Accident

Saturday night two bicyclists were hit by an impaired driver on a narrow, dark county road some twenty or thirty miles outside of Bellingham. One was killed, the other is in the hospital. The story is reported in the Bellingham Herald -  http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/01/27/2855047/driver-facing-charges-in-death.html.

The first news item I saw on Sunday morning reported only basic facts about the accident, but the readers' comments that followed might be kind of an introduction to some local characters for people who aren't from around here, including characterizing neighbors as gangsters or gangster-mamas. The more detailed article published on Monday and cited above is also followed by lengthy reader comments that range over some far territory. (The advantage of blogging is that I get to post my ramblings freely here.)

It's interesting that when bicyclists are involved in accidents with cars, the character of the victims often becomes an issue. In this case, the driver of the car has apparently admitted to driving impaired, but many readers' comments are saying that the bicyclists must have been drunk or on drugs, and some believe that people ride bicycles because their driver's licenses are suspended after too many DUI charges.

Of course, there's also the stereotype of the spandex-wearing, conceited, self-absorbed, rich yuppie fitness-fanatic cyclist, but that hasn't come up in this case (yet).

According to the Herald story, the men were riding in the middle of a narrow, dark road with no shoulder, wearing dark clothes, with inadequate (but maybe legal) lights and reflectors on their bikes, and without helmets. Some readers commented that because of this, the accident was the victims' fault. I kind of share that feeling, because a couple of times this winter I have almost hit pedestrians from behind - they were walking in the bike lane at night wearing dark jeans and hoodies, and I couldn't see them until I was within twenty or thirty feet. But that doesn't mean bicyclists and pedestrians don't have any right to be on the road, and to be safe from reckless, impaired drivers.

The article and comments don't mention that Washington state has a Vulnerable Users Law, which doubles penalties for drivers who injure or kill pedestrians or cyclists. But this is a weak deterrent, and no use to someone who is dead.

One item to keep in mind for anyone thinking of exploring around Whatcom County by bicycle next summer is that there is no cell phone signal in many areas once you get twenty or thirty miles out of town, including some places along Chuckanut Drive, and on roads heading out towards Mount Baker or other scenic areas in the eastern part of the county. I discovered this in my first summer or two of bicycling, when I started carrying a cell phone for safety, then found it was no use to call for help if I ran into trouble someplace far away from bus routes, shopping centers and I-5. It gave me an incentive to learn to do road-side repairs and first-aid, and to be careful about carrying food and drink with me on long rides.