I posted a thread about this guy who was killed about a mile from my house:




According to the news, the driver veered off the road. The driver was not impaired, and it was not intentional.

Here's my thinking on this:

1. It's unlikely that it would have happened if the driver had noticed/paid attention to the cyclist. Sure, he could have noticed him, but sneezed or something, causing him to veer out of the lane, but my guess is that he just didn't notice the cyclist, and was reaching for something, daydreaming, or changing a CD, etc.

2. It's pretty hard not to notice a cyclist when he/she has a bright blinkie, like a Planet Bike superflash, even in the daylight.

3. I just can't imagine that someone thinks "Oh, look, that cyclist sure has a bright blinking light." and then drives into him.

Yes, there are a lot of "what ifs" here, but a blinkie could certainly help in a situation like this. I might buy a second one.