PeteHski

Very true and well put.

rsbob 

My mother will be 91 in May. I have watched her steady decline for the last 15 years to the point that she can no longer read (her favorite pastime) write, or perform simple tasks like fixing a bowl of cereal. She has a care taker to make sure she takes her meds which she never remembers on her own. Her life is full of problems and crises just like the one I helped her/actually her caretaker with yesterday, doing a change of address on a bill to mine. Reopening an envelope and writing my address was just too much. Then there are the indignities of personal cleanliness, the ever present pain, dizziness and virtually routine trips to the ER courtesy of the local EMTs. Her quality of life frankly sucks, but she endures.

I have my Will in order and have vowed to not go down the same road. Watching her and helping her I have resolved that I will never allow myself to go this way. Selfish? Perhaps, but I find burdening others or living so disabled is not something I choose to do. I have lived a life of few regrets (regerts) and with many privileges compared to the greater world. I will take a swift death, rather than the alternative. Just my take. TMI?

OldTryGuy

r.e. 1st bold -- If you are incapacitated your will could be meaningless. r.e. 2nd bold --How does one take a swift death without self directing????

My exit will be on my own terms before my Quality of Life has diminished.

jppe

Any updates on finding the vehicle and driver?

smoore

I'm very sorry, you have my condolences Sir.

gobicycling

that's what my sister has always said. But things happen in little chunks and little pieces, and it's pretty hard to determine where on that slippery slope you want to make your choice. There are family and friends you still want to see and things you can still do. So you may be somewhat incapacitated, but still be able to lead a pretty full life for quite a while. It's not as easy as people think. My sister is finding that out.

My son is fully paralyzed from the shoulders down for 35 yeard, yet he is a multi millionaire attorney who lives a very complete life with his attorney wife. They travel go to shows have large groups of friends and are listed as one of the top lawyers. Many would consider him disabled, and some would choose death, but after talking to him for 5 minutes, the disability disappears and you know you are talking to a brilliant person

MoAlpha

Thank you for this. Needed to be said.

John E

Thank you. Takeaway: One Size Does Not Fit All. Different people have different needs and desires, and these should be respected without judgment by others.

beng1

The older you get the more dead people you know, most in this section probably know more dead than living. No matter if it is sitting in a chair watching TV, or climbing a mountain, if you are enjoying the activity when you kick the bucket then you are a winner. If you are an adult then you know the risks involved and decided it was worth dying for that tv show or that ride and only non-adults will judge you for it.

MinnMan

True that. That's also the black lining to the silver cloud reward of living to an extended age. When my mother died at 91, pretty much her entire world except for her children had predeceased her. I think it's one of the reasons she seemed so ready to die.

bike eagle

One thought I always have about these kinds of incidents relates to the discussion about the driver leaving the scene. I'm not advocating that leaving the scene should ever be excused, but of all the damage someone could do to me by hitting me with their car, only about 10% of it is leaving the scene. The other 90% is hitting me in the first place.

It's like, in the court of public opinion, if someone hits a cyclist, all is forgiven if they stop and render aid. Nope. You still hit me, and I'm still injured.

rekmeyata

I'm sorry to hear of your loss, how tragic. The stupid semi driver just left; I wonder how someone can live with themselves after doing that? I hope that this semi driver can't sleep well, and they are haunted for what they did for the rest of their miserable life.

While bicycle accidents are on the upswing due to distracted driving, still, it's not really common, especially out on rural roads. Hearing stuff like that won't stop me from doing what I love to do, it is what it is. There are a lot of activities where you hear of people getting killed, surf board hits a surfer in the head and dies, or a shark eats them; skydivers chute malfunctions or hits another diver; the list goes on, bad things happen, you just can't dwell on it or riding a bike will no longer be fun, but instead be an activity of fear. Just try to avoid riding a bike in Florida, not only do you have regular distracted drivers, but you have a huge population of old people, and some of those are distracted; anyway FL has the highest cycling death rate of any state in the US.

Bully4

Along with bikes, I also ride motorcycles. I guess I have a two wheel fetish. Many give me the look of disgust when they find out I still have the motorcycle. My opinion is that bicycling is more dangerous than the motorcycle. On the motorcycle, I can outrun most cars on the street. On the bike, I kind of feel like a mouse among a flock of eagles.
I hit a deer on the motorcycle and a car on the bicycle. Luckily, I came away with only some stitches and bruises. It takes a little while, but I end up riding again. I firmly believe that life is a forever battle. When you give up and sit on the couch, you are basically waiting to die. I'd rather go while doing something that I enjoy.

My condolences to all who have lost friends and those who inevitably will.

rekmeyata

I had a friend who was killed when he hit a deer on his motorcycle. It sort of happens with some degree of frequency where I live.

Fkmueller

Indeed. I almost died doing something I loved (not cycling). I am thankful that I can still ride a bike even with the resulting spinal cord injury that keeps me seated at all times and with a left leg that is only about 50-70% the strength of my right.

Be thankful for every day.

MinnMan

I've kept my eye out, but haven't seen anything. A shame.

50PlusCycling

I used to ride motorcycles. I think I lost my third motorcycling friend before I was 20, and by now the number of friends and acquaintances who have died while riding is well into double digits. I quit riding motorcycles when I turned 40, believing that if I kept riding, my number was homeless to come up. I don’t have that feeling while riding a bicycle.

greatscott

I sometimes wonder if being killed on a motorcycle isn't a bad thing...WHAT! you scream? I had a friend many years ago that was left a quadriplegic, suffered immensely for 15 years then died anyways at the age of 34, wanted to kill himself but he was unable to and no one would do it for him. I have a friend now who had an accident about 20 years ago, he walks with a very noticeable slant to his right in his upper body, limps, is hunched over, and has to take pain pills every day, he's 55, he still rides though! But he says the older he gets the worse his pain becomes, he thinks there's coming a time when the pain pills won't work. I know there are many MC riders who have gone through life changing injuries, and some of those would have been better off dead instead of years of pain. I'm I cruel or mentally disturbed to think like that?

Sure cycling has its risks as well, but we're not moving along at 75 mph either, so chances of survival is higher. Even a simple front tire blowing out on a MC at freeway speed will force you to crash, on a bike that won't happen, unless you're going around a real sharp turn, but then you will also be going quite slow.

Bully4

I have thought it through a million times. I wear much more safety gear on the motorcycle. My biggest concern is getting hit from behind on the bicycle. I’m not fast enough to avoid that scenario. I guess it’s best to assume the risk and move on. I’m not quite ready to sit on the sidelines.

PeteHski

This is also my biggest concern by far. I find a Garmin Varia helps to some degree as it provides warning for both distance and speed of approaching vehicles. Its range is long enough to give you time to react if something is looking ominous. Its not going to save you from someone intent on mowing you over with a last second swerve, but I have pulled off the road a few times for fast approaching trucks/cars that were not moving over. But the main advantage is the extra situational awareness it provides without having to check a mirror or look over your shoulder. For example if I get a warning bleep as I'm about to take a drink or get something out of my pocket, I will wait until the approaching vehicle passes. Obviously it works best on rural roads, with relatively light traffic. It wouldn't be of any use in a city.

rydabent

A manager I had was a well known golfer in our city. He died out on the golf course, probably the way Ed would have wanted it.

My goal is to be out on the bike path and at the age of 102, they will find me pulled over on my trike assuming ambient temp.

Bully4

Definitely!!! I never leave without my Radar connected. Most cars instinctually move over at least a little when they see you. It gives you warning that they are approaching so you can monitor in tour mirror. The red light blinking also helps; drivers tend to notice red lights up ahead.

MinnMan

Wow. By that yardstick, bicycles sound comparatively safe!

I'm not questioning anybody else's choices, but I'm glad that I've never had a hankering for a motorcycle.

gobicycling

[QUOTE=PeteHski;22776163]This is also my biggest concern by far. I find a Garmin Varia helps to some degree as it provides warning for both distance and speed of approaching vehicles. Its range is long enough to give you time to react if something is looking ominous. Its not going to save you from someone intent on mowing you over with a last second swerve, but I have pulled off the road a few times for fast approaching trucks/cars that were not moving over. But the main advantage is the extra situational awareness it provides without having to check a mirror or look over your shoulder. For example if I get a warning bleep as I'm about to take a drink or get something out of my pocket, I will wait until the approaching vehicle passes. Obviously it works best on rural roads, with relatively light traffic. It wouldn't be of any use in a city.[/QU, ha)OTE]

As I recall (ha, ha) from some research years ago, getting hit from behind is not a frequent accident cause. Number one was the right hook - car passing on left, makes a right hand turn in front of you, and you get a real fast T-Bone steak! I will try and update my research.

According to an NHTSA National Survey on Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behaviors, the six most common causes of injury to cyclists were:

• Hit by a car (30 percent)
• Fell (17 percent)
• Roadway not in good repair (13 percent)
• Rider error (13 percent)
• Crashed/ collision with fixed object (7 percent)

PeteHski

[QUOTE=gobicycling;22776706]It depends where you are riding. On the narrow rural UK roads where I ride, getting hit from behind is my only real concern.