Sun-Times Victim Blames in a Report of 17-Year-Old Cyclist Critically Injured in a Crash

While they referred to it as a "crash" and not an accident, the Sun-Times reports the victim was wearing "dark, non-reflective clothing". John Greenfield answered them on Twitter with a spot-on response (see below).

Sun-Times:
A 17-year-old bicyclist was critically injured in a crash with an SUV Tuesday night in northwest suburban Ingleside.

The boy was riding his bike south on Wilson Road when he collided with a Chevrolet Blazer heading west on Rollins Road about 9:15 p.m., according to the Lake County sheriff’s office.

The bicyclist was taken to Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he remained in critical condition Wednesday morning, according to the sheriff’s office. He was wearing dark, non-reflective clothing.

Full Article

John Greenfield's response:

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Yoav Kashiv on March 30, 2017 at 9:46am

John, I agree with most of what you wrote. While most/all the blame rests with the drivers (depending on the situations), definitely when they're drunk or distracted, one cannot, and should not, ignore the behavior of many cyclists, which could, and probably does in some cases, contribute to crashes. On a daily basis I see people riding after dark with no lights, people riding without helmets, people riding dangerously (e.g., crossing in red light without stopping/slowing down to see if the intersection is clear), and many times listening to music with earphones, hence having lowered awareness of their surroundings. I don't know if any of these is required by law (expect crossing in red light which is illegal), but it's a matter of common sense.  

Permalink Reply by mike w. on March 30, 2017 at 10:50am

Riding without a helmet is a personal choice and has nothing to do with whether or not it contributes to a crash. While i agree that many riders are not sterling examples of safe cycling, it makes little difference in crash avoidance if they chose not to wear their plastic hat.

"Rider was (was not) wearing a helmet" makes small difference in many fatal collisions, so why does it even get mentioned in the news and police reports except to give the driver responsible a possible out?

Permalink Reply by Yoav Kashiv on March 30, 2017 at 4:43pm

Wearing a helmet, like riding safe, is indeed a personal choice. Only these personal choices can save the rider's life. You are correct that a helmet does not reduce the chance of a crash, but it makes sense that it could save the rider's life or reduce the severity of a head injury. What is your statement that a helmet "makes small difference in many fatal collisions" based on? Even if the effect is small, it seems to me that it's better than none. 

Permalink Reply by mike w. on March 31, 2017 at 4:02am

In many instances death is caused by massive internal injuries- no helmet would have helped. While i agree that the use of a helmet is a good idea (i won't ride without one,) i find it irrelevant to mention in a news report whether or not the rider was wearing a helmet as if its presence or absence made any contribution to the crash.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on March 31, 2017 at 4:05am

+1

Permalink Reply by Yoav Kashiv on March 31, 2017 at 10:37am

My comment was independent of the news report. However, I think mentioning that the rider didn't wear a helmet is relevant, just as it is when mentioned wrt motorcycle rider that didn't wear a helmet or a driver that didn't wear a seat belt. In all cases not wearing doesn't contribute to the chances of the crash happening/prevented, but could contribute to the outcome.

You make again the statement that a bike helmet doesn't help. Post here reliable sources that support this view.

I did a quick search and found the page below on the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute site. I don't know what this organization is, but the US Department of Transportation refer to it. In it there are annual statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for the period 1994-2014 on bike crash deaths. According to these statistics, the percentage of bike fatalities of people wearing helmets varies between 2-17%. That doesn't prove that helmets prevented deaths, but it hints in that direction. I'm sure that there are additional studies on the topic and some may have opposing views.

http://www.bhsi.org/stats.htm

Permalink Reply by mike w. on March 31, 2017 at 10:52am

i never said that a bike helmet "doesn't help" in all cases. What i did say is that many deaths are due to massive internal injuries (and therefore) in those cases no helmet would have helped. What i tried to point out that it doesn't help anything to mention in a news report whether or not the victim was wearing a helmet. In fact saying in a news report that a person killed while not wearing wearing a helmet can be construed as a way of absolving a driver by implying negligence on the part of the victim: "They died because they weren't wearing a helmet, not because i ran them over."

i'm not saying by any stretch of the imagination that helmets do no good, but i am saying that no one should be gaslighted for not wearing one, and a helmet is no guarantee of survival in a bike vs vehicle collision.

Permalink Reply by Filka Bean on April 2, 2017 at 4:36pm
Sigh... here's a detailed recent article unpacking the helmet debate: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/mar/21/bike-helmet-cy...

There's no easy answers, in my experience, except that shaming injured and killed cyclists and pedestrians is tasteless, and that defending the throw-away commentary of mainstream publications as they pander to our car-centric status quo is lame. (See? Easy.)
Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on April 2, 2017 at 4:52pm

I don't know if helmets make a difference in crash avoidance, but they can help mitigate the injuries caused by crashes.  I would analogize wearing a helmet to a driver wearing a seat belt.  I agree that riding with a helmet or seat belt on doesn't help all the time, but it does help some of the time.  Mike, would you also favor repeal of the Illinois statute requiring drivers to use seat belts?  And many times, coverage of fatal auto and motorcycle accidents does make mention of whether the seriously and fatally-injured were wearing their helmets or seat belts, respectively.  Personally, I'm glad there are seat-belt laws, because there's no doubt in my mind that seat belts and other restraint systems save lives.  I generally think that helmets do, too, especially at this stage in cycling evolution in urban Chicagoland.  Maybe some day it will be like Amsterdam here, but it sure isn't now.  

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on April 2, 2017 at 4:47pm

Plus one on this, Yoav.   

Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on March 31, 2017 at 3:14am
  • I see so many drivers out there paying more attention to their phones than the road. There is so much inattention on the streets by drivers. Please be vocal with your family members and friends but not so much that the will get defensive and defiant.
  • As a society how do we get drivers to not drive distracted? Tough laws and enforcement are one way but that still leaves thousands dead and maimed as well as thousands of ignorant but otherwise law abiding citizens imprisoned and their families destroyed as well.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on March 31, 2017 at 4:05am

I think that peer pressure needs to be a major force in discouraging distracted driving.

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