Watch Out for Bicyclists – Put down your phone, pay attention to your driving.
Put down your phone, and drive. As I ride my bike I see many motorists who do dumb things. Most of these folks are using a cell phone. I see many folks with the phone to their ear, but I also see people looking at their phones. I do not know what they are doing, texting or surfing the web, but I do know they are being distracted from their primary responsibility, driving safely. Many of these folks drop their phone into their lap when they see me watching them. This indicates they know what they are doing is wrong. I guess it is going to take a tragedy in their lives before they learn their lesson. Unfortunately, the tragedy will be the wrongful death or serious personal injury of another Hoosier.
Although I do not know if distracted or drunken driving was a contributing factor in the injuries of two bicyclists, there is a high probability one or the other was the cause of the injuries. On Saturday, Jordin Ross, age 15 was struck by a car while riding his bike near Fall Creek Parkway and 30th street. He remains in critical condition at Riley Hospital upon last report. On Friday August 16, 2013 Alex Volz age 12 was struck by a car while riding his bike in the 7200 block of Southeastern Ave. It is likely that Mr. Volz suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the impact. We hope that both Mr. Volz and Mr. Ross recover fully from their injuries.
Put down your phone, pay attention to your driving. Be careful.