To Whom It May Concern:

[403.livejournal.com]

You probably don't know who you are either, given that you don't seem to have noticed me (on my bicycle, wearing a bright yellow hi-vis jacket) at all when you were making a left from Paulina St. onto Holland St. this morning, while talking on your cellphone. I count myself lucky that I was able to slow my bike enough on the wet road that you didn't hit me. Stopping short of hitting your van in the side (which probably wouldn't have hurt it, but might've done a number on me) involved skidding when my tires lost traction, losing balance, and falling on the pavement. You of course drove away - you never noticed me in the first place.

Next time, try putting down your phone before entering an intersection.

No love,
- 403

[For the curious, it was a blue van with yellow lettering, being driven by a white male. Didn't get the license plate number. The time was about 08:20. Three bystanders stopped and helped me to get disentangled from my bike. You three should know who you are, because you're awesome.]

Comments

[pywaket.livejournal.com]

This sort of thing happens way more frequently than it should. I know a few people who have helmet cams just for this reason - I've been considering on myself.

Glad you came out of it OK.

[403.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Me, too.

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I hate drivers talking on their phones. Even my daughter notices them and says "They shouldn't be talking on the phone when driving, Mommy." I'm sorry that you skidded and fell, but thank goodness it was not worse.

If he was taking a left from Paulina on to Holland St, he was also going the wrong way!!!
Or was he taking a left from Holland on to Paulina?

Anyway, he's still a big time jerk.

[403.livejournal.com]

I was going south on Holland St. The van approached the intersection from my right, made the barest minimum of a stop at the stop sign, and cut me off as it turned left (north) onto Holland.

It's also possible that I'm misremembering the name of the cross street, but I know I was quite close to Hodgkins park.

[ron_newman]

It's called Gorham Street on that side of Holland. I'm sorry to hear this happened to you and I hope you aren't seriously injured. You should probably replace your helmet now.

[zenala.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it still happens, but years ago a friend of mine was in a bike crash, and the helmet company sent him a free replacement helmet and let him keep his old one (free advertising for them, really)... so probably wouldn't hurt to call the helmet manufacturer and see.

[samus-aran.livejournal.com]

Geez. Glad you're alright.

No idea what was written in the yellow lettering, i take it?

[403.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I didn't really have time to read the side of the truck, unfortunately.

[samus-aran.livejournal.com]

Understandable. I was hoping you'd have scanned out a hint like plumber or landscaper... anything. *Sigh* Well, the important thing is you're whole. Safer travels.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Glad you didn't get hurt. Sad thing about drivers like that is that they say "Oh, I'm a safe driver when I talk on the phone, and I've never been in a near-accident as a result". That's because they don't NOTICE the accidents they cause around them when they are on the phone!!!!

[turil.livejournal.com]

After a few too many total wipeouts of my own, trying to avoid a crash, I learned to not do such drastic maneuvers, and instead just to slow down in a very controlled crash. This has always (for me) resulted in far less damage to myself and my bike, and far more legal standing for getting anyone to care about the dangerous driving that caused the crash. In fact one particularly terrible wipeout I had while avoiding being hit by someone pulling out into traffic from a parking spot in front of Carberry's in Davis Square several years ago, a cop who saw the whole thing said that he couldn't cite the car driver for anything because he never hit me.

Obviously if the other driver is going very, very fast, you'd be better off avoiding them if no other traffic is around. But as long as they are going a slow speed, you might indeed be better off getting into a crash if you can slow down and stay in control.

It sucks, of course, that people are so sick and stressed out that they can't even stop to take a phone call, or to wait until they are done driving to take it, or just are totally ignorant about how dangerous they are, period, while driving a several ton metal machine around residential and business areas. But the fact is that our society does indeed turn reasonably decent and even really good people into assholes as soon as they get into a motor vehicle. And there isn't much we can do about it without a dramatic change to the whole system, so that people don't ever feel forced to drive a car when they have something else they also want to do. And that's going to take some time. (But I'm working on it!)

I wish you well in finding more compassionate awareness on the roads in the future.