The Chainlink

To the bicyclist that almost ended up as a hood ornament on my van, my apologies. I do accept some of the blame, as I failed to see you until you swerved in front of my van. But to those who ride the wrong way down one-way streets, without a helmet, and cut in front of rather large vans...please be careful. I'm a cyclist (and occasional driver) and would hate to be partially responsible for someone getting injured, or worse. And flipping us off and staring us down doesn't help, when all we wanted was to make sure you were ok. Hopefully the scare for both of us helps us each be more careful out there.  

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It sounds to me like you were already being careful.  I have no sympathy for cyclists like this.  The one time in my life I was well and truly pulverized while riding, it was by a wrong-way cyclist.  How ironic!

I have to agree with you. It almost sounds like that cyclist had a death wish. I wouldn't be surprised if he was ninja cloaked as well.

What does the lack of a helmet have to do with anything? I keep reading stories from drivers who almost hit a bicyclist who seem to think that not wearing a helmet means the bicyclist deserves what he/she gets. If the guy was riding naked you still don't get to stop paying attention.

Riding the wrong way is a whole different story, but I urge all drivers to stop treating bikers without a helmet as if they somehow deserve whatever they get.

What does the lack of a helmet have to do with anything? Well, it's my humble opinion that if you're going to indulge in risky behavior, like biking the wrong way down a one-way street, it might be prudent to wear one. While I fully support one's freedom to do most anything they please in life, I happen to think wearing one in those instances might lessen one's chances of death. That's the reason I brought it up. I don't see lack of a helmet as permission to stop paying attention. I certainly didn't mean to imply that. My point was that even with a cyclist behind the wheel of an oncoming vehicle (who does pay attention) a biker is at greater risk riding the wrong way down a one-way street, especially when choosing to veer into the path of an oversized cargo van. And having been on a bike in a crash with and without a helmet, I highly recommend having your crashes with one on. But if biking without a helmet, or even naked, is your thing...by all means, go for it. 

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