I awoke to a spring snow storm this morning. Snowy roads don’t scare me as a bicycle commuter, but there is something that does: inattentive drivers.
The Salt Lake City Council discussed banning cell phone use while driving a car Tuesday. Nothing scares me on my bike commute more than inattentive drivers. Driver inattention is a factor in four out of five vehicle crashes. Last week a Salt Lake City teen was killed by a driver who ran a red light because he was on a cell phone. Yet some council members don’t think banning cell phone use while driving is a good idea. They are avoiding the issue by claiming a city-wide ban wouldn’t be effective and that the issue should be taken up as a state-wide measure.
They’re missing the point. This is their chance to set a precedent. Just like California’s environmental policy tends to precede national environmental policy by five to ten years, Salt Lake City policy leads state policy in most issues.
If you live or work in Salt Lake City, or just visit it occasionally, follow this link to the City Council webpage and give one of them a call. Tell him or her that you want the city to ban cell phone use while driving. It will make the roads safer for everyone, and all the cyclists you know will thank you for it.
My favorite was the girl on the cell phone who pulled out right in front of me and then slammed on the brakes when she saw me. I hit my brakes as well and went over the handlebars (it was sort of a jump over the handlebars, I landed on my feet). When I gave her a look I could read her lips, "oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I just about hit this guy on a bike. Yeah, he's picking his bike up right now. I was like so lucky that I missed him" I hopped back on the bike and left. She never did say anything to me, it just gave her something to talk about on the phone.
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