Dear editor,
Thursday night a child riding her bike was in a crash with a person driving a car here in Iola.
I choose these words carefully to provide clarity about the responsibilities that adults take on when they sit down behind the wheel and those children take on when their feet hit pedals. One is driving a vehicle typically weighing 3,000 pounds or more, and the other is extremely vulnerable.
This was not an “accident,” a tragic, unavoidable happenstance. It was a crash, a predictable consequence of a society designed around easy driving.
We must ensure that our streets are safe for the most vulnerable users, and that puts the onus for action on drivers. I don’t know the details about the crash Thursday night and I hope and pray that the child was able to walk away with as few injuries as possible and that she recovers quickly. That sentence is painful to write. Little children shouldn’t have to risk serious injury or death to play outside in the evening. Our streets shouldn’t be a danger zone for anyone not safely ensconced in a crash-tested, airbag-equipped box. This should not happen.
The National Safety Council estimates that more than 38,000 people will die in automobile crashes, with disproportionate impacts on our children. In fact, automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for those age 1 to 24, according to CDC data.
The responsibility lies with us, the adults, to ensure that every time we turn the ignition, we drive with the extreme caution that is implied by the gravity of those statistics. If possible, we should choose a less dangerous way to move from place to place. There is virtually no chance that momentary lapses in attention while walking or riding a bicycle will result in serious injury or the death of another person.
When you drive, if you must, drive as if lives depend on it. They do.
Ben Alexander,
Pedestrian, cyclist, driver and concerned citizen,
Iola, Kan.
