Irresponsible motorcyclists are organ donors in waiting:
More people are hopping on fuel-sipping motorcycles in Kansas City and around the nation, thanks to high gasoline prices. But that also means more irresponsible and careless motorcycle drivers are on the road. No wonder fatality rates are skyrocketing.
Bad cycle drivers are on the streets and highways every day.
They weave in and out of traffic. They tailgate. They speed. They ignore other traffic courtesies, like signaling.
And motorcycle drivers do all of this while being more or less unseen by a lot of car and truck drivers, who frankly don't pay enough attention to 'cyclists.
One result?
Motorcycle deaths were up almost 7 percent in 2007, the 10th straight year that fatalities had increased.
The feds say that, with more motorcycles on the road, car and truck drivers need to be a lot more vigilant.
Fine idea.
But let's have some more responsible driving by motorcyclists -- especially by the neophytes hoping to save a few bucks in gas money.
Now compare that story to some coverage by the Tallahassee Democrat of a bicyclist who was hit and killed by a Tractor Trailer:
Updated 9:45 a.m.
A friend described Arthur “Trey” Hayworth as an avid biker and a sensitive, thoughtful person, who had plans to bike up to Asheville, North Carolina.
“He liked everything about bikes,” fellow cyclist and friend Danny Wood said. “I rode bikes with him, and I saw him at All Saints when he worked at All Saints and at New Leaf when he worked at New Leaf.”
Wood said Hayworth was “an incredibly caring, sweet, loving man” who cared about the environment. Hayworth was from Melbourne.
“He was very sensitive and thoughtful and lived a very intentional, ethical life,” he said. “The last thing he would want would be for his accident to trigger people not to ride their bikes.”
Soon after the crash, Tallahassee cyclists were calling each other to find out what had happened. They realized it was Hayworth who had been struck when someone recognized his bike, Wood said.
“We’ll probably be doing a lot of memorial stuff for him, probably in the next week, “ he said. “He was a really just incredible person.”
Check back with Tallahassee.com for more on this story.
Updated 8:53 a.m.
Arthur Hayworth, the Tallahassee cyclist who was killed in a Monday crash was “a really nice kid,” said Daniel Kavanagh, the owner of All Saints Café.Hayworth, 24, known by his friends as “Trey,” was often seen cycling in the Railroad Square neighborhood.
He was one of the nicest people I’ve ever known - - friendly, always positive, always doing something,” Kavanagh said. “(He) loved bikes.”
Kavanagh said Hayworth knew a lot of the local cyclists.
“We are a cycling community,” he said. “It all sort of rotates around our neighborhood here. The commercial bike shops and Krank It Up and (All Saints), they’re the center of the bike community here in Tallahassee.”
Check back with Tallahassee.com for more on this story.
morning update
A bicyclist died Monday afternoon after apparently being run over by a tractor-trailer in Tallahassee.
Arthur Hayworth, 24, was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital after the crash and later pronounced dead, said David McCranie, spokesman for the Tallahassee Police Department.
The Tallahassee Democrat is working on a story about Hayworth. If you are a friend or family member and want to share your memories, please send an e-mail to Assistant Metro Editor Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com. Please include a phone number so we can contact you.
The crash happened about 3:30 p.m. at Gaines Street and Railroad Avenue. Hayworth was biking north on Railroad Avenue, and the tractor-trailer was also northbound on the street. The driver’s name was not immediately available.
“It appears that the bicyclist at some point was struck by the semi, but the details are still under investigation,” McCranie said.
McCranie added that results from a preliminary investigation show the cyclist was run over by the truck. It was too early to know whether charges would be filed. “The investigation is ongoing,” McCranie said, “and we’ll have to evaluate the witness statements and physical evidence in order to make a determination on what if any charges would be filed.”
The crash closed roads and snarled traffic in the area for about an hour.
It is painfully obvious that motorcycle riders are viewed through a different pair of glasses than bicyclists, pedestrians and even cagers. Despite our increasing numbers. While others are eulogized we are blamed. Even if the crash wasn't our fault, blame is insinuated by the additions of the words always found in a motorcycle crash report, "he/she was or was not wearing a helmet". There are is similar wording in this report. Is it because helmets are magically a factor in all motorcycle fatalities and play no role in bicycle or pedestrian fatalities?
I myself am having a difficult time understanding the continuing naiveness of press and government officials when it come to motorcycle safety. One can only conclude that either:
A. We are doing a terrible job of educating the press, or
B. The press is as guilty as other prejudicial people who still buy into stereotyping that which they do not understand.
Regardless of the reason of these ostracizing bias our continued failure to "set the record straight" may result in the segment of the population that hollers the most about "Freedom" may become the most regulated of the population.
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