i think he's (OP) from kentucky or west virginia? [MENTION=452833]sexy cyclist[/MENTION] - he mentioned riding "up to" Ohio in a post. tagging him here to see where he is experiencing this.

OP i empathize and feel sorry that you have to give up bike commuting, esp. as you have concerns over your kid(s) and responsibility as a father. i hope you find some solace in mountain biking and that those of us here feel your pain on some level.

both hubs and i bike commute everyday and we have a kid. my parents are constantly trying to guilt us into giving it up b/c both of us have endured trips to the hospital - one serious (the offender got away), one not (one of us was physically assaulted by another and that person was arrested and charged by the DA representing one of us). here in NYC the culture is not amazing but it is changing slowly. we feel if we don't, it will be a worse off world for the little one in the long term and we couldn't do that. we are both very cautious and law-abiding as we can be and very experienced altogether - however, i've learned a lot in our time bike commuting - and so has hubs. law enforcement is not on our side and judging by #blacklivesmatter - it never will be. i will sooner expect pigs flying. the ways in which i've tried to enact change is by following Transportation Alternatives in NYC and advocate at community boards and writing my local reps. that is the only time i've seen change happen. when we ride, we steer clear of unpredictable idiots for one, which means sometimes riding onto the sidewalk. our lives mean something to us and our loved ones but not to these heartless jerks on the road. driving should be a privilege - but it isn't treated as one in the U.S. - people act as if it's their right to own the road. it's disgusting, but it's also a very typical American thing to do (for example, Americans expect the French to speak English when visiting France - the behavior is imperialist and it's wrong).

until i see Americans change their attitudes, i will continue to expect to face this on the road. there's a general animosity. but most drivers that i see are simply oblivious of how badly they are driving, texting while driving, and just not paying attention to the road in general. so even if you get away from the heartless jerks, you will face the people who just haven't a clue and are looking at their phones while driving. these are the people that get into car crashes, killing themselves and others in the process b/c of their thoughtlessness. so it's not just cyclists - pedestrians and passengers and safe drivers have all suffered (if you see, car crash statistics are up year on year). Transportation Alternatives advocates for better infrastructure but i think it is really hard to implement in non-city areas.