... in wealthy Bay Area suburb.

The search is still on for the Hit and Run driver. UGH!
Luckily there are several witnesses.

Here's a story on the local TV station web site.
http://www.kcbs.com/pages/kcbs/news/news_story.nsp?story_id=47330089&ID=kcbs&scategory=Computers

So much for the thought that we won't get hit from behind :mad:

The families of these two are in my prayers.

John

So much for the thought that we won't get hit from behind :mad:

Nobody ever said it wouldn't happen, just that it's the least common of all cycling incidents. Unfortunately, you can't do much about somebody trying to kill you -- on the bike or off it.

Update: The perp turned himself in. Below story is from 2/21 San Jose Mercury News article.

I'm very familiar with the area and consider Rt 9 about average in terms of overall safety -- adequate shoulders, road speed, etc. There are much worse areas. It seems the perp is just a true idiot. Probation violation -- I bet the story will only get worse.

My heartfelt regrets to the families of the victims.

=====

Driver sought in hit-and-run that left one bicyclist dead, another hurt, turns himself in

A man wanted in the fatal hit-and-run of a bicyclist Thursday turned himself in to Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police on Friday evening.

David Anthony Espino, 38, of San Jose was booked into Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of felony hit-and-run, a misdemeanor count of hit-and run, and a probation violation. Police said Espino was accompanied by his attorney when he turned himself in at the police department. He apparently was the registered owner of the van that hit the two bicyclists on Highway 9.

The bicyclist killed was identified Friday as James Dein, 53, of Mountain View. His 65-year-old riding partner, Ted Aberg, remains in critical condition at Valley Medical Center.

Dein and the other bicyclist were struck by a red Ford van about 1:35 p.m. Thursday as they rode east on Highway 9 near Ridgecrest Avenue. A witness told police that the suspect drove away from the scene, leaving the vehicle in the area of Wilderman and Bachman avenues in downtown Los Gatos, then took off on foot. Another witness who followed the driver gave someone at the scene a note with the van's license plate number on it, but did not stay to talk to police.

-- Mercury News

Any bets on what sentence he'll receive?

I'll say 1 month in jail and a $2000 fine.

I ran into the bicyclist who was killed at a local pub the night before the accident. I just stopped in for a beer on my way home from work at a local place in Mountain View and he was there.

He was decked out in his cycling gear, bike parked outside. I ended up chatting with him for a bit, he was telling me about how he just finished a ride to Los Gatos and back, taking Saratoga-Los Gatos ride... the very road where he and his partner were struck. He gave me some advice about increasing my stamina and some other things.

I mentioned that it was pretty ironic that he talked about S-LG Road, since I had visited a client of mine that very day who lives right off that road. Sadly, it's not a stone's throw from where they were struck. I have to visit the client tomorrow. I will bring flowers.

But I don't feel very good. I feel like maybe I'm going to quit cycling.

I can't stand this anymore. I can't leave my daughter an orphan.

But I don't feel very good. I feel like maybe I'm going to quit cycling.

I can't stand this anymore. I can't leave my daughter an orphan.
I sympathize with your anguish. But if you want to be realistic, give your daughter a reason to live life to the fullest, not live life out in fear, Jatkins.

If you really want to avoid further risk, take mass transit everywhere. That's the safest way to get around by far. Stay away from your car, it's a death-trap.

And ride your bike!

:D

I remember getting jury duty. The defendant was accused of crossing the center line in his vehicle while intoxicated with drugs and alcohol and killing an elderly couple travelling the opposite direction, having hit them head-on. When the counsel for the defense asked me during jury selection if I could decide on the defendant's guilt or innocence objectively, I blurted out, "I hope so!" I was passed over for jury duty. None of this stopped me from continuing to drive.

(I'm sorry for how bad you feel)

I feel like maybe I'm going to quit cycling.

I can't stand this anymore. I can't leave my daughter an orphan.

Don't. This could just as easily been a pedestrian or motorist that could have been killed. The fact that the one who was hit was on a bicycle has nothing to do with the accident. It has everything to do with how the driver was driving.

A more sure way to make your daughter an orphan is to stop riding, develoup heart disease and have a heart attack. Or drive more and get into a car accident.

Cyclists are allies of the medical prevention as not only they make themselves more healthy, they cause less harm to others in accidents.

A more sure way to make your daughter an orphan is to stop riding, develoup heart disease and have a heart attack. Or drive more and get into a car accident.

Cyclists are allies of the medical prevention as not only they make themselves more healthy, they cause less harm to others in accidents.

Thanks, but I think it's time to hang up my bikes. I exercise more in the gym nowadays anyway as it is.

I've been exercising there the last couple of months more and more because of the recent rains. And I have to admit that I'm actually a lot more relaxed afterwards than after I ride simply because I don't have to worry about cars running into me. I don't have to worry about my safety or my life being violently ended when I'm on the stationary bike or Stairmaster.

I understand both jatkins679's reaction to this incident and closetbiker's and LittleBigMan's responses. Since I work in electronics and since I have had many friends and relatives in greater Silicon Valley, I know the area quite well. Being the same age as the deceased makes this even more personal. I am not ready to give up road bicycling, the only sport I have ever truly loved, but I would probably ride alot more if I felt safer out there. Careless, distracted, aggressive, inebriated, stoned, and/or incompetent motorists are endangering all other road users, and our society is paying an unacceptably high price. Espino needs at least a decade or two of hard time, plus permanent driver's license revocation.

TWA Flight 800 crashes, killing 280 people, and we end up with a huge Federal investigation and multimillion dollar proposed safety enhancements to aircraft. Automobiles and trucks kill THREE TIMES that many people PER WEEK, and it's "business as usual."

...it's "business as usual."
I pray not.

I ran into the bicyclist who was killed at a local pub the night before the accident. I just stopped in for a beer on my way home from work at a local place in Mountain View and he was there.

He was decked out in his cycling gear, bike parked outside. I ended up chatting with him for a bit, he was telling me about how he just finished a ride to Los Gatos and back, taking Saratoga-Los Gatos ride... the very road where he and his partner were struck. He gave me some advice about increasing my stamina and some other things.


jatkins --
Damn. You have my sympathy; it's hard for any of us to hear about a cyclist run down by some careless (and the case of hit-and-run drivers like this one, cowardly) idiot. I know it would hit me even harder, though, if I realized that the friendly stranger I'd chatted with the night before lost his life the next day.


But I don't feel very good. I feel like maybe I'm going to quit cycling.

I can't stand this anymore. I can't leave my daughter an orphan.

Like I said, I'd feel like hell too. And I apologize in behalf if it sounds like I'm jumping on you for something you wrote when in an understandably dark frame of mind...but for the sake of any new cyclist reading this who's uncertain about what they're getting themselves into, I'm gonna say three things which I'm certain that you'll be saying as well once the initial shock wears off.

First: cycling is not more dangerous than driving. The exact numbers vary from one study to the next, and depend on how you decide to crunch the numbers -- should we measure risk per hour, or per kilometer traveled; how do we stratify the data by the experience level of the driver/cyclist, and countless other statistical headaches. The overall picture, though, is clear: cyclists suffer more minor injuries than motorists, but our risk of death or permanent disability is, at worst, comparable to that of drivers. I would go further, and argue that the data shows that an experienced and responsible cyclist, even in heavy traffic, is at significantly less risk than a motorist.

Secondly, far more people die prematurely from heart disease and other preventable health problems than from accidents. I'm certainly not implying that a cyclist who gives up riding would turn into a sedentary couch potato...but unless he/she already exercises well past the point of diminishing returns, those extra hours of cycling instead of driving would have done his/her health a lot of good.

And third, kids learn more from a parent's example than from anything else in life. (Though it goes without saying that, if they're between age twelve and adulthood, the entire Spanish Inquistion couldn't get them to admit this fact.) Your daughter is her own person, and will live her own life and make her own mistakes...but one of the greatest favors you can do for her is to let her watch you make smart and responsible decisions even in the face of an insane society. So when you decide to keep riding, you'll be doing it for her as well.


I wish it were otherwise, but this won't be the last time we mourn the death of a murdered cyclist, or send our thoughts and hopes to one clinging for life. It's right to be sad, it's damned well right to be angry, and we wouldn't be human if we weren't shaken to the core when it happens to someone we knew even briefly. But it's also vital to remember that the media and a large part of the public will view this as proof that cyclists are taking an insane risk every time we travel without a multi-ton armored steel box around us. So it's more important now than ever to get the true picture out there: we don't ride because we're daredevils, because we're foolhardy, or because we're martyrs. We ride because it's smart.


All right, I'll get off my damned soapbox. Again, apologies to jatkins for belaboring the obvious...I realize I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. And your kid is lucky; she's got a smart dad.

Take care,

- Paul

(Edited for a typo and to acknowledge that while I was typing, others made many of these same points a lot more concisely than I did. ) ;-)

TWA Flight 800 crashes, killing 280 people, and we end up with a huge Federal investigation and multimillion dollar proposed safety enhancements to aircraft. Automobiles and trucks kill THREE TIMES that many people PER WEEK, and it's "business as usual."

I think this is the whole issue here. It continually amazes me just how so many people can ignore the bigger risks that happen more often and are generally more effective in killing people, yet can focus on the smaller ones that frankly, don't happen all that often. I know the media tends to distort things with biased reporting and so on (particularly with the 100 pages of "cycling is dangerous" articles everytime a cyclist is injured in any kind of collision with a car, but rarely even a mention of driver fatalities).

I think what we need to be aware of is that every moment of our lives is a calculated risk, people get killed in cars everyday, just as they get killed in gymnasiums everyday, and in pretty much any other kind of activity (including being a couch potato). As I've pointed out before, the reason I continue to ride for transport is that I consider it to be a far lower risk activity than just about any other form of transport (apart from walking, which just isn't practical for the distances I need to cover).

Sure, cycling isn't perfectly safe, but neither is anything else.

jatkins --
First: cycling is not more dangerous than driving...

Sorry, but as a very serious commuter, I just don't buy this. The laws of physics are decidely against us, statistics aside. Though I've yet to have a single incident in my 7 years of commuting, I know that it'll take only one little bump to change this in a hurry. Besides, the acid test is that my wife and kids are far more concerned about my riding to work than driving.

Once a year or so I reflect on the risk-reward associated with bike-commuting. It sounds like jatkins is doing the same and coming down against biking. I have to say that the proximity and randomness of this sad event is having quite an impact on mine, too.

I'd like to thank all of you for your concerns about my Uncle Ted Aberg and Jim Dein. I will be seeing the family later today and pass on your feelings. You may have seen my cousin Mike - also an avid cyclist speak out last night and this morning on the news about the need for safety on the road. I will pass on the story about meeting Jim at the local place in Mtn. View to his family - they will appreciate hearing it.

I'll check back in from time to time and pass on comments to the family. Update on Ted, he is still critical but is doing a little better - we're beginning to get hopeful.

Tammy

San Jose Mercury News story from Sunday, the 22nd. (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/peninsula/8012796.htm)

Thanks, but I think it's time to hang up my bikes. I exercise more in the gym nowadays anyway as it is.

I've been exercising there the last couple of months more and more because of the recent rains. And I have to admit that I'm actually a lot more relaxed afterwards than after I ride simply because I don't have to worry about cars running into me. I don't have to worry about my safety or my life being violently ended when I'm on the stationary bike or Stairmaster.

You could ride on less busy roads... I don't know how busy that stretch of road gets thougn. Is there a wide shoulder? Bicycle Sunday on Canada Road is always nice.

San Jose Mercury News story from Sunday, the 22nd. (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/peninsula/8012796.htm)

That article explains it all. Another drunk driver. A very common tactic after an accident. Disappear until the alcohol is gone, then turn yourself in. The driver will probably be charged with vehicular homicide. The reason they wait until there is no proof of alcohol is California can charged them with second degree murder depending on the blood alcohol content. He's probably on parole for felony drunk driving anyway, but who knows? He'll probably blame it on the other car. If he hadn't been there, he wouldn't have bounced into the cyclists.
My condolences to the family, and I hope the other gentleman gets well soon.

I have to admit that I'm actually a lot more relaxed afterwards than after I ride simply because I don't have to worry about cars running into me.

If you choose not to ride your bike and continue to get your exercise that's great, but don't think your not going to have to worry about cars running into you.

There is generally a huge discrepancy between the true magnitude of a risk and a lay persons perception of it. For instance, questionnaire research shows that most people suppose the chances of their dying of a heart attack to be about 1 in 20; in fact, the risk is closer to 1 in 3. Similarly, the average person reckons the odds of dying in a car accident this year to be about 1 in 70,000; the real figure is closer to 1 in 7,000. Most of us don't think twice about taking a walk, even though there is a 1-in-40,000 chance we will be killed as a pedestrian this year. Riding a bicycle is less risky, where we run about a 1-in-130,000 chance of being killed.

If you want to stay inside and hide, check out the contrast. Here in Canada we have about 70 deaths of cyclists each year, but if we stay inside the house, each year we have 236 who die from falls on or from stairs or steps, 62 dieing from a fall involving a bed (and 9 from accidentally suffocating or strangulating in bed) and 21 died from a fall involving chairs or other furniture.

Put things into context and try to do the right thing.

It seems to me the issue here is the driver. If you want to say there will always be bad driving, look at how many bad drivers there are and assess your risk. That risk would be 1 in 7,000 vs. 1 in 130,000.

Looks like to me, that riding your bike looks pretty safe if you look at it in context.

I remember picking up my car from the impound once (I had let my insurance lapse. :( ) I walked through a sea of automobiles. In order to get to mine, I had to climb into a stranger's car, turn the key, and move it out of the way. As I climbed into the driver's seat, the first thing I noticed was an open beer, then I saw the rest of the six pack on the floor. The driver was probably charged DUI.

But that's not my point. I had passed a family-sized van which had a crushed side. The sliding side door was open. Inside, there was one small sneaker. Around the van was yellow tape which read, "Do Not Cross."

The only reason we "feel safe" driving is because we've forgotten the fatal crash that blocked traffic on the freeway at 6:00 am this morning. We say to ourselves, "When it's time to go, it's time to go, and there's not much you can do about it." We become desensitized to whatever might interfere with normal daily living.

The reason so many people "feel" cycling is dangerous is because cycling is not important to their daily routine. Yet those same people "feel" driving is safe, not because it is, but because they can't let fear stop them from living a normal life.

Cyclists have been painted as ignoring the "dangers of cycling" by those to whom cycling is a strange activity. But those same critics ignore the dangers of motoring on a daily basis. Even if we pass within 10 feet of a tangled mess of twisted metal and blood, we shake our heads but don't think it will ever happen to us. Motorists, if anyone, are in more of a state of denial then any cyclist ever was.

I want to echo Tammy's thanks to you all. This perhaps drunk driver was cognizent enough to get out of the car, pull Jim Dein off his windshield and onto the ground, then drive off. What kind of blood runs through the veins of someone like that. I hope this ups his sentence by years - the cold coward!

I'd like to thank all of you for your concerns about my Uncle Ted Aberg and Jim Dein. I will be seeing the family later today and pass on your feelings. You may have seen my cousin Mike - also an avid cyclist speak out last night and this morning on the news about the need for safety on the road. I will pass on the story about meeting Jim at the local place in Mtn. View to his family - they will appreciate hearing it.

I'll check back in from time to time and pass on comments to the family. Update on Ted, he is still critical but is doing a little better - we're beginning to get hopeful.

Tammy


Tammy --

Welcome, and thank you for giving us the update on Ted Aberg's condition. I live just over the hill in Santa Cruz, and I was quite sad to hear about Jim Dein's death and your uncle's injury. It's good to hear that things are looking hopeful for Mr. Aberg, and it's kind of you to take the time to post here and let us know how he's doing.

I read a profile of your uncle and Jim Dein in the Mercury News this morning, and your cousin Mike was quoted extensively. They all seem like great people.

Best wishes to you and all your family, and to your uncle Ted for a full recovery. Our thoughts are with you.

- Paul

I want to echo Tammy's thanks to you all. This perhaps drunk driver was cognizent enough to get out of the car, pull Jim Dein off his windshield and onto the ground, then drive off. What kind of blood runs through the veins of someone like that. I hope this ups his sentence by years - the cold coward!
I apologize. What's most important is these two men's families and the surviving fighter whose in the hospital. I shouldn't have talked about the relative safety issues.

God bless.

It continually amazes me just how so many people can ignore the bigger risks that happen more often and are generally more effective in killing people, yet can focus on the smaller ones that frankly, don't happen all that often.

I think the issue here is voluntary v.s involuntary risks. People are much more willing to accept voluntary risks (from smoking, from driving, or even from bicycling in traffic, for example), than they are involuntary risks (airplane accidents, for example), because they feel like they are 'in control' of the one risk (smoking the cigarette, operating the motor vehicle or bicycle) but not the other (operating or maintaining the plane, flying conditions). Human psychology is very complex and convoluted, and people can rationalize, or conversely deny, just about anything in order to justify and make sense of their own personal (and often distorted) world view.

The reason so many people "feel" cycling is dangerous is because cycling is not important to their daily routine. Yet those same people "feel" driving is safe, not because it is, but because they can't let fear stop them from living a normal life.

Cyclists have been painted as ignoring the "dangers of cycling" by those to whom cycling is a strange activity. But those same critics ignore the dangers of motoring on a daily basis. Even if we pass within 10 feet of a tangled mess of twisted metal and blood, we shake our heads but don't think it will ever happen to us. Motorists, if anyone, are in more of a state of denial then any cyclist ever was.

I totally agree with this.

Sorry, but as a very serious commuter, I just don't buy this. The laws of physics are decidely against us, statistics aside. Though I've yet to have a single incident in my 7 years of commuting, I know that it'll take only one little bump to change this in a hurry.

I think we need to remember that when driving it also takes only one little bump to change things in a hurry, too. The number of people killed in car accidents annually is testament to that. Unlike yourself, I have had numerous incidents while cycling both in and out of traffic -- and in every single case, my bicycle has been very forgiving. Sure, I've picked up one or two scars, but in many of them I would certainly have been dead had I had the speed and weight of a car propelling me at the time. About the only thing I've ever broken have been spokes.


Besides, the acid test is that my wife and kids are far more concerned about my riding to work than driving.

No disrespect intended to your wife or children, but I have to ask just how well-informed they actually are about the relative risks. Again, it comes back to my point earlier about media-coverage and hype. If every car death received the same media coverage (including editorials about "dangers") as every bicycling death receives, if cycling advocates would stop trying to promote cycling as "dangerous" and start selling the safety aspects as car manufacturers do, would the perception be the same? This is something I seriously doubt.

LittleBigMan said:
The reason so many people "feel" cycling is dangerous is because cycling is not important to their daily routine.

Actually, I feel cycling can be dangerous when those huge dump trucks, hauling a trailer, pass within two feet of my elbow at 55 mph! That makes me climb onto a sidewalk from the bicycle lane. These are "near misses," because they came so close. Different circumstances could have forced me into their path.

What we have here is a tragedy, and I've been hearing a lot about cyclists getting killed, enough to say that what is being done is not enough. You cyclists with your statistics really do not get the hurt that people are going through after one of these. It is enough to make one re-evaluate, and it should. To not do so would be to ignore the obvious.

I had to do this kind of soul-searching almost two years ago, after awaking an hour after the event in an emergency room. I still ride, and bicycling is very important to me. But...it aint worth loosing a life over. Please note that I needed to change almost every aspect of my bicycling, from route, to bicycle (I'm now commuting on a recumbant), to times, to choosing not to bicycle on Fridays (when the "sharks" here are feeding, to use a diver's language).

I'm very happy that Ted Aberg is doing better. I wish him a full recovery. The family and friends of Jim Dean need our thoughts and prayers now, not lectures on how we should feel about bicycling.

John

What we have here is a tragedy, and I've been hearing a lot about cyclists getting killed, enough to say that what is being done is not enough. You cyclists with your statistics really do not get the hurt that people are going through after one of these. It is enough to make one re-evaluate, and it should. To not do so would be to ignore the obvious.

I think you're missing the point. Nobody is saying that death is not tragic. Nobody is saying that people should not re-evaluate and so on. What I am asking is why don't people do the same kinds of re-evaluation with other activities that are just as (often moreso) dangerous?

to Tammy: thanks for the updates. this is very sad. we as a society need to punish these people as well as educate others that killing others through irresponsiblility and carelessness is not acceptable!!

The reason so many people "feel" cycling is dangerous is because cycling is not important to their daily routine. Yet those same people "feel" driving is safe, not because it is, but because they can't let fear stop them from living a normal life.
exactly! it really amazes me that "safety" freaks who read every product test reports and are virtually paranoid about what their children can/can't do EVERY day ignore probably the biggest risk THAT THEY COULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT (i.e. control) and that is driving. they buy the safest minivan with the best airbags and crash-test reports and ABS and whatever and go paranoid with everything else... but not driving or driving less is just never considered: the "price" of driving which is in lives lost is accecptable to today's society as it is as someone else said, "business as usual".

Besides, the acid test is that my wife and kids are far more concerned about my riding to work than driving.
while i understand that your family's concerns are important to you, this is exactly the point: people's PERCEPTION is off --- that driving is safe, and cycling not. if they are truly worried about you, they should be as or more concerned if you drive, especially in traffic or long distances.

When I read Jim Dein's brief bio in the newspaper article, I realized I had just lost another "good friend I never met," as I did when Cece Krone, Ken Kifer, and others were killed by drunk drivers. I realize not everyone agrees with me on this, but I would like to see another MADD donation campaign; we raised over $700 in Ken Kifer's memory.

Silicon Valley locals -- please alert the rest of us when this case goes to trial, so that we can mount a massive letter-and-email "friend-of-the-court" campaign. (I am convinced that the tactic worked in the Cece Krone case, when the defense attorney noted that "They got what they wanted; we just put a 50-year-old housewife in prison.")

Best wishes to "Uncle Ted" for a speedy, full recovery.

Chris L asks:

What I am asking is why don't people do the same kinds of re-evaluation with other activities that are just as (often moreso) dangerous?

That is a good question, and maybe I can shed a bit of light on it.

In the safety profession in Oregon, we found that loggers who got hurt were either fairly new to the job, or had been working in the woods for over 5 years. A new person to the woods was likely to have an accident because he (very few "she's" in the woods here) did not know where the hazards were coming from. The workers tended to keep their guard up for about five years, then relaxed a bit. So after five years, we saw an increase in very serious to fatal accidents. It took about that amount of time to feel comfortable enough about the woods to let their guard down.

People who have been driving for a long while have a feeling that "it won't happen to me." The do not re-evaluate, even when there is an accident, because it's "normal" to drive. To try re-evaluating whether to drive is something few are willing to do, as we (society) has a huge vested interest in seeing autos keep going. It seems that two-thirds of advertisements are for the "freedom" or sexiness of cars ("zoom-zoom"). TV ads surely do not show the auto accidents that claim more than 40,000 people a year. So there is a very unbalanced view of autos in the Western public. To question that perception of being safe is to question some very basic values this society holds dear.

I am a Vietnam Veteran, and am on a website called "Sparticus" where people can write me with questions about the Vietnam War and my perceptions of it. One college student recently sent me a list of questions, and I'd like to share with you my answer to one of them:

> 28. Why do you believe September 11 happen?
We do have enemies in this world. Osama Bin-Laden is one. We are rich, fabuously, unbelievable rich to some people in this world. They do not understand how we got that way, and a lot of people, some rightly, some wrongly, believe that we are to blame for the troubles their people are currently enduring. We do have a very high, vested interest in oil. Look around you and what do you see. You see a lot of asphalt. Where did it come from? Well, a lot came from the USA (Texas, Alaskas, oil country). But an even greater amount came from the Middle East. We burn up this resource in our cars daily, and we waste a lot of it (been in a traffic jam recently?). How many third world people have cars? How many have roads to drive on? What do they see in our movies? What of American culture do they see that is noble and uplifting? What would they think of the Superbowl, and its half-time show? How about the Daytona 500 last weekend; if that fuel that was used for this race, and the fuel that each fan used to get there and back were counted up, how many generators could use it for a year for electricity for communities in Africa, Asia or the Middle East? How much water could be pumped by the fuel we waste each day to give people without water that lifesaving necessity? Why do we have enemies? Because of who we are, how we live, and what we don't pay attention to. There are now people without hope who will strap explosives around their body to blow themselves and anyone nearby to smitherines in order to make this point. Have we taken this to heart? No, we have not been asked to make one sacrifice to help people in this world. We have sent our military to die, and we cannot save one gallon of gas, not one, to help the cause. We are, in fact, asked simply to do what we do best, ignore the main problem, and spend more money (that we don't really have).


Ted Aberg and Jim Dean, and by the way most of you reading this post, exhibit a contraryness, an unwillingness to take the accepted way of doing things, in order to make a statement about how we should be living our lives. I have also taken that path, because I think we need to do something different. I have had my run-ins with cars, and have continued to bicycle. I may discuss and argue with you about what's the safest way of doing things, but I believe it is critical that we do something different than be car-dependent. I think the whole auto scene has cost this society far more than it really knows, in health, in wealth, in lives, in property, and that there are many actively trying not to look at this.

Jim Dean lost his life, and Ted Aberg is recovering. I'd like the families to know that their decisions to ride a bicycle, even with the risks involved, was stating something about their own characters that needs to be stated in this society. We don't need to be, and shouldn't be, dependent upon cars for our lives. Like some have said, to do so is also a slow death.

I said on my last post that it is not worth dying for to bicycle. My whole life has been trying to preserve life. I don't want people tangling with cars, and so will continue to advocate for those measures which will help them ride safer. But I continue to ride. 'Sorry for the length of this, but some things have to be said. I wish some of those people in the third world could have seen Ted and Jim riding their bikes, showing that we are not as arrogant as we appear to be in this world's press.

John

thanks John for a super post! it's also great that someone is trying to not only question these things for himself, but in a position to possibily open the eyes of others (for example this college student)

my view about car-culture and the middle east/war is somewhat similar and among many Americans I am considered "un-American" because i attempt to see things from the viewpoint of others... (terrorism is not good, but maybe we should at least consider WHY not just blow up and kill a bunch of people because we can)

Very good post, John. Provided some answers to my question (and one or two others I had as well), and gave me some more thoughts. I did some re-evaluating of my own last August after I had a particularly painful (by my standards) crash on the bike. No car involved, just a bit of self-inflicted stupidity.

Perhaps it's just because biking is such a normal part of my own life, but I never felt comfortable catching the bus for that week in the immediate aftermath. I felt comfortable only when I was back on the bike. After all, it did forgive me for my act of stupidity. Having said that, I'm still more cautious about hazards on the road such as potholes, rocks and so on. Maybe learning from our mistakes is all we can hope for.

In anycase, It's been remiss of me to get so bogged down in this debate that I forgot to send my condolences to the families of the victims of this event. I'm with John E in wishing Uncle Ted a speedy and strong recovery.

Remember, assume that the motoring primate is less than human, repeat, less than human--the occupants of cars are predatory animals.

What we have here is a tragedy, and I've been hearing a lot about cyclists getting killed, enough to say that what is being done is not enough. You cyclists with your statistics really do not get the hurt that people are going through after one of these. It is enough to make one re-evaluate, and it should. To not do so would be to ignore the obvious.

I'm very happy that Ted Aberg is doing better. I wish him a full recovery. The family and friends of Jim Dean need our thoughts and prayers now, not lectures on how we should feel about bicycling.

John
John, I have to say that I agree with you that discussions on the safety of bicycling, which often seem to crop up whenever a cyclist is hurt or killed, are often brought up at the wrong time and that our heartfelt condolences to victims and their families are more appropriate after a tragedy. But I also feel that your post is unfair.

My reaction is always empathy whenever anyone is hurt. I feel it's best to refrain from any other comments until the discussion reaches that level. I never feel comfortable talking about bicycling safety in the aftermath of a personal tragedy. It's just not sensitive to those involved.

But I sometimes feel reluctantly drawn into defending the relative safety of bicycling when somebody uses a tragic incident as definitive proof that bicycling is extremely dangerous. It is usually these types of comments which precede, and precipitate, arguments defending the relative safety of cycling. My staunch opinion is that the shoe is on the other foot. Enough said.


So much for the thought that we won't get hit from behind

The families of these two are in my prayers.

John

Thanks much for your post, John R.!

I received some updates regarding this tragic incident that I thought I'd share with everyone:

Man clings to life after bicycle crash (http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2004/2004_02_23.bike23.shtml)

The following is from Mike Aberg, Ted's son (received by Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, I believe) ---

Hi All:

Just wanted to thank you guys for your support and say that you can count on me to be a part of- and advocate for SVBC in any way possible.


The Funeral for Jim Dein will be at the Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Ave, in downtown Palo Alto (corner of Webster and Hamilton) and will actually be on Sunday, February 29th, at 12:30pm. Cycling attire is encouraged.

The Memorial Ride Details are still in work, but for now, we are actually planning on starting from Bicycle Outfitter in Los Altos on Sunday, March 14th at 11am, and riding via Foothill, McLellan, Stelling(?), Rainbow, Saratoga-Sunnyvale, and Highway 9 to Downtown Los Gatos. I'll keep you posted.

We have asked that friends and relatives of Jim Dein's send donations to the SVBC. The family wanted to donate to a cycling advocacy/safety group, and I figured SVBC to be the ideal recipient.


Thanks again for your concern and support!

Mike Aberg

Finally, here's a link to Ted Aberg's website:

Ted Aberg (http://www.gabelfamily.com/tedaberg/index.html)

I have also heard through another source that the hit-and-run driver had four prior DUI convictions. It's guys like this that need to be thrown in jail for the rest of their life. I hope the prosecution is allowed to use that information during a trial.

I have also heard through another source that the hit-and-run driver had four prior DUI convictions. It's guys like this that need to be thrown in jail for the rest of their life. I hope the prosecution is allowed to use that information during a trial.

If they haven't found a cure for SARS yet, at least they've found a suitable research guinea pig.

The following is from Mike Aberg, Ted's son (received by Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, I believe) ---

We have asked that friends and relatives of Jim Dein's send donations to the SVBC. The family wanted to donate to a cycling advocacy/safety group, and I figured SVBC to be the ideal recipient.


Thanks again for your concern and support!

Mike Aberg


How can we pitch in?

How can we pitch in?

I have sent SVBC an email asking how donations in memory of Jim Dein. I hope they receive it and respond.

How can we pitch in?I recommend that you go to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (http://www.svbcbikes.org/) website. There is a section on "How to Join" as well as "Contacts". I am sure they will be more than happy to receive any contributions you may wish to make.

SteveE

Wow what a horrible situation. All I can offer is my condolences to the friends and families. My level of anger rises fiercely when the news comes out about this scumbag that hit these riders. I hope he goes away for good!

I am guessing that James and Ted were cycling enthusiasts that would not be put out of cycling if they heard of another fallen comrade. This is a sad situation but it should hopefully not prevent any of us from continuing on with doing what we love. I rode a century with a gentleman who’s wife was killed a month earlier by a car. Unfortunately the accident was caused by her error. But he and his wife rode cross the USA twice, commuted as often as possible and were involved in all sorts of cycling events all year long. I don’t think he could quit cycling if he tried and I think it proves even more of a devotion to his wife and to the cycling community at large.

Please keep the bike forum up to date on this matter. Now that tragedy is done perhaps we can see justice prevail. Once again, my condolences.

But I don't feel very good. I feel like maybe I'm going to quit cycling.

I can't stand this anymore. I can't leave my daughter an orphan.

115 people are killed in cars every day. Dozens are killed as pedestrians. It's only that cyclists being killed are more rare that it makes the news.

Cycling is one of the safest things you can do. Don't give it up because of the horror stories.

My condolences to the familes of the injured cyclists. I hope justice will be served.

If another cyclist wants to quit riding, let him.

We all know Cycling is less dangerous then driving. Driving a car isn't going to prevent injury, or death when you get hit by a drunk driver.

FOUR previous DUI convictions? I want this bozo locked up for life. Has anyone in SiliValley contacted the local MADD chapter? Also, find out when the trial is to take place and have a bunch of cyclists attend quietly, carrying their bike helmets, bright yellow windbreakers, or other cycling-specific attire. This tactic was used very successfully when Michele whats-her-name was tried for killing Cece Krone.

FOUR previous DUI convictions?

Didn't I say the issue here is the driver?

FUR DUI convictions? Why is this **** still even alive?

Didn't I say the issue here is the driver?

I also have issues with a legal system which allows this carnage to continue. I am MADD as hell.