My first commute in the rain was ugly and I pulled a hamstring. Did that stop me? No. Smart? No. This one time I was all alone on this quite country road, just a light mist, but what FREAKED me out was the rolling thunder that went from my far left side directly over my head and then to my far right. It was like a giant monster was stepping over my head. I thought for sure I would be stricken dead, and so violently there would only be a smoking smoldering mess of melted metal and torn flesh. Did that stop me? No. Smart? No. Riding in heavy rain is STUPID.

Please remind me the next time I do it. Thank you very much.

rumrunn6: I used to ride my Harley to work (40 miles each way) and had a few thunderstorms. Oh, and rain drops hurt at 50 mph!!! But the scariest were the times I rode in the rain at night. That, my friend, is insane.

Smart people. You should never be outside exposed during lightning if at all possible.

There are thunderstorms about 180 days in Central Florida. I'm a yearround commuter. Just pedal faster.
https://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm

I work on a college campus, and two graduate students were struck by lightening last week. One died right there, and the other is still in a coma. You can ride the same day that it is storming, but DON'T ride during an event. We used to hide-out under bridges, or stop somewhere for a drink or a bite to eat during thunder storms when I lived in Florida...

You do realize that 73 is a small number right?

https://www.unitedjustice.com/death-statistics.html

You're probably more likely to be murdered. Although we all know that "location location location" matters for murders, lightning strikes, traffic fatalities, and virtually every other way you can die.

My guess is that people's natural fear of lightning is their best protector from it. I know I'm afraid to go out in it, even for a couple minutes. If I had to I'd probably ride home in it, in the middle of the lane, as fast as I could.

Still, even if it only takes 73 a year, I'm not too likely to go out in it. I don't like going out and risking my life, even if the chance is pretty darn small.
However, I do go snowboarding, which takes some fatalities each year. And commuting takes lives as well.

[QUOTE=Fairmont;7156096]Here are some more interesting stats for fun:

The very first car accident in history happened in New York in 1896. The car hit and killed a bicyclist.

Here are some more stats on bike riding accidents from the Bicycle Almanac:

Where cyclists die or crash

U.S. cyclists are three more likely to be killed than German cyclists and six times more than Dutch cyclists, whether compared per-trip or per-distance traveled. (Reuters, Aug. 28, 2003, by Maggie Fox)

Cyclist fatalities occurred more frequently in urban areas (66%), at nonintersection locations (67%), between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. (30%), and during the months of June, July, and August (36%). (NHTSA, 2004)

Riding on the sidewalk is several more times more dangerous than riding in the street. (William Moritz, 1998)

Most deaths on major roads. Fifty-seven percent of bicycle deaths in 1999 occurred on major roads, and 37 percent occurred on local roads. (6)

Streets with bike lanes have a significantly lower crash rate then either major or minor streets without any bicycle facilities (38 and 56% respectively). (William Moritz, 1998)

Streets with bike lanes are safer than those without. Article also has information about the safety of bike paths. (BicyclingInfo.org, 2004)

Texas leads cycling deaths. Texas ranks 14th in number of cyclist fatalities per capita. (5)

Four states lead cycling deaths. Four states (California, Florida, New York, and Texas) accounted for 43% of bicycle deaths in 1999. (6)





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When cyclists die

Many deaths occur at night. In 1999, 39% of deaths on bicycles nationwide occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight. (9) (more on when cyclists died)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How many cyclists die

Deaths per year. 725, 629, 665, 732, and 693 cyclists died per year in 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000 respectively, and were about 89% male. (National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration, and Insurance Institute for Highway Saftey)

An average of 16.5 cyclists per million die every year in the U.S. (For motorists, it's 19.9 motorists per million.) (National Safety Council 1988)

Cyclists are 2% of road deaths & injuries. The 761 cyclists killed in 1996 accounted for 2% of traffic fatalities, and the 59,000 cyclists injured made up 2% of all traffic injuries. (5)

Cycling deaths higher in 70's & 80's. The number of cyclist fatalities in 1996 was 19% lower than the 941 fatalities reported in 1986. The highest number of cyclist fatalities ever recorded was 1,003 in 1975. (5)

Cyclists accounted for 12% of all nonmotorist traffic fatalities in 1996. Pedestrians accounted for 86 percent, and the remaining 2 percent were skateboard riders, roller skaters, etc. (5)

Cyclists killed SINCE 1932. Nearly 44,000 cyclists have died in traffic crashes in the United States since 1932 &emdash; the first year in which estimates of cyclist fatalities were recorded. (5)

Cyclists killed IN 1932. The 350 cyclists killed in 1932 accounted for 1.3% of the 27,979 persons who died in traffic crashes that year. (5)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




**************************************************
Interesting data there Fair. Would you please tell us about the Bicycle almanac. Publisher, etc. Never heard of it. thanks.

+1 to that. It rains every single day in the summer, actually it is raining here right now.
according to the forecast the next 5 days will all have thunderstorms, and heavy rain

Yeah, today was the third day in the last year that it was raining in the morning here in gainesville. Weird. I had actually decided to drive as I used my last tube/patch last week and got a flat last night, so I stayed dry. 5th day I've ridden in a car to work this year!

If it's this story, the boneheads were standing under trees. Nothing like standing under a 30 foot lightning rod. I bet at least half of lightning injuries are to idiots standing under trees.

https://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/a...97006268da.txt

Color me stupid as well then.

Hey aren't rubber tires insulators?

So is air, but lightning has so much voltage (around one gigavolt) that nothing short of a lightning rod or a Faraday cage can save you. (The Faraday cage explains why you're safe inside your car during an electrical storm.)

So, let me get this straight... Every year in the US:

Approximately 70 people die from lightning
Approximately 700 die while riding a bike
Approximately 14,000 die in falls
Approximately 43,000 die in car accidents

I'll take my chances with the lightning on the bike rather than take the stairs in the parking garage to get into a coworker's car.

I've seen a guy get hit by lightning. It was on Daytona Beach. One not too large cloud rolled in from over the ocean. The first lightning strike hit a guy about 75 yards from me. He dropped like a rock & never moved after that. He was picked up by an ambulance within a few minutes. My guess is that he died immediately.

Of course, I'm pretty wary of lightning. But, I commute to work most days on a bicycle & don't check weather reports. And this time of year in Florida, there is rain & lightning storms almost every day.

Video 1

Video 2

I used to have a better one where the guy filming got zapped right over his head.

One time I had lighning strike close enough that I felt the tingle a moment before the bang. It took out a tree 20' to my right. NOT an experience I care to repeat, thanks...

I'll go if there is a threat of storms (it paid off big time this week), but I'll seek cover if I get close to a storm. This really isn't enough according to the experts, though, because they say that lightning can strike ten miles from the center of the storm. A good way to tell if there's electrical storms is to tune to an AM station. You will hear the RF discharge sounding almost like a "cough" of static. If you here it pretty clearly, there's an active storm within 20 miles +/- 20 miles

Dude, you're so funny. You have any pictures of the Fredkenstein?

Video 1

HOLY CRAP!! Thanks for sharing, drjava.

Here's a beauty (ugly?!?) shot of Fredkenstein™ I.



Of course, subject to (several) future upgrades and enhancements.

Hello old thread. It's gorgeous (high 70's and sunny) right now. 50% chance of T-storms tonight. I'll risk it. It's only 4 miles. What's the worst that could happen?