Ride Right: A PSA

Image courtesy of the Tama County Sheriff Department

 A long time ago the Pirate Cycling League used to harp on riders participating in their Gravel Worlds events to "Ride Right". This meant more than the obvious. I was reminded of this maxim the other day when I saw a post by the Tama County Sheriff's Department showing a head-on collision between two vehicles on a gravel road. 

The vehicles were coming from opposite directions up a hill and when they crested, with both vehicles in the road's center, the head-on crash was the result. Both drivers are okay, by the way, according to reports. 

Why does this matter to gravel cyclists? 

Because, the old farmer's rule of "Drive Right" up hills was meant to help prevent crashes like this, and gravel riders would do well to also heed this advice. 

Maybe the old ways are not being passed down any longer, but I was taught to set my car on the edge of the road, as far right as possible, when cresting hills on gravel roads. Rural people, (at least they used to) expect this rule to be followed for the safety of all road users. Clearly, according to the story from the Tama County Sheriffs, this wasn't the case with the operators of these two vehicles. Perhaps even if one of the drivers was on the far right, the accident may have been avoided. 

However that goes, one thing is a solid takeaway here - You never know when you are going to meet a vehicle on gravel. I remember several examples of not even hearing a car before it was suddenly just "there" at the top of a hill. Riders cresting hills on gravel in the middle of the road or on the left side are taking a huge risk with possible consequences of death or serious injury.  

Don't be that gravel rider! Ride Right!