Iowa Bicycle/Car Crash Data

I had my own, bizarre car/bicycle/ped incident in rural Iowa

 Cyclists the world over have one similar issue facing all of them- That being the vulnerability they all share when traveling on roads with automobile and truck traffic. When a car or truck get into a crash with a cyclist, the outcome for the cyclist is often dire. We here in Iowa were recently made acutely aware of this when a cyclist was killed by the name of Wade Franck. 

That said, there are a lot of folks that don't believe cyclists belong on the roads, (they have every right to by law), and some that say cyclists cause a lot of their own issues by disobeying the laws, (some do), but neither excuse holds up and is not worth risking the life of, or maiming forever, a cyclist who stands no chance against distracted drivers, drunk drivers, or self righteous cowards behind the wheel.

Check out this Des Moines Register story with a poignant video interview with Heather Wince and many stats illustrating the issues, at least here in Iowa. There are some silly hoops you have to jump through to see the story, but it is well worth the minor trouble the Register puts you through.

Let's be safe out there and try to continue to work toward safer routes and better educated drivers.

Iowa Bicycle/Car Crash Data

I had my own, bizarre car/bicycle/ped incident in rural Iowa

 Cyclists the world over have one similar issue facing all of them- That being the vulnerability they all share when traveling on roads with automobile and truck traffic. When a car or truck get into a crash with a cyclist, the outcome for the cyclist is often dire. We here in Iowa were recently made acutely aware of this when a cyclist was killed by the name of Wade Franck. 

That said, there are a lot of folks that don't believe cyclists belong on the roads, (they have every right to by law), and some that say cyclists cause a lot of their own issues by disobeying the laws, (some do), but neither excuse holds up and is not worth risking the life of, or maiming forever, a cyclist who stands no chance against distracted drivers, drunk drivers, or self righteous cowards behind the wheel.

Check out this Des Moines Register story with a poignant video interview with Heather Wince and many stats illustrating the issues, at least here in Iowa. There are some silly hoops you have to jump through to see the story, but it is well worth the minor trouble the Register puts you through.

Let's be safe out there and try to continue to work toward safer routes and better educated drivers.

#RideForWade

Wade Franck died yesterday from injuries caused by a driver in a crash on Sunday.

Tragic things happen all the time, it is true, but when a tragedy occurs to a cyclist, and one who was a brother in your profession, it hits close to home. I didn't know Wade Franck personally. However; his death yesterday has touched myself and many others for several reasons. I won't elaborate on any of that here, but for the story on what happened to Wade, see this link, which details the crash that occurred Sunday morning and more.

I wanted to post this here for those of you who might want to honor a fellow mechanic and cyclist who died while riding his bicycle, by riding your bicycle, today at around 5:30pm-6:00pm. There are organized rides in the Des Moines and Ames areas starting at local bicycle shops. But that shouldn't stop you from riding alone, or forming your own ride to #RideForWade today. To honor Wade, and to remember that we as cyclists should be clamoring for better laws and for the laws we already have, to be used to protect us, and discourage others who are disregarding the law and rights of cyclists everywhere.

Following is a post made by Wade's employer, Kyle's Bikes, on Facebook yesterday afternoon:

"It is with deep sadness that we learned that Wade passed away this afternoon.

In the wake of Sunday's tragedy, it has been overwhelming, yet not surprising, to see how many people Wade has touched. That's simply who Wade was. Keep sharing your stories.

It's an emotional time for us, and we are certain for you too. 

There will be a fund set up for a memorial and we will update when there is information about how you can help. And we will organize a memorial ride in his honor."

#RideForWade

Wade Franck died yesterday from injuries caused by a driver in a crash on Sunday.

Tragic things happen all the time, it is true, but when a tragedy occurs to a cyclist, and one who was a brother in your profession, it hits close to home. I didn't know Wade Franck personally. However; his death yesterday has touched myself and many others for several reasons. I won't elaborate on any of that here, but for the story on what happened to Wade, see this link, which details the crash that occurred Sunday morning and more.

I wanted to post this here for those of you who might want to honor a fellow mechanic and cyclist who died while riding his bicycle, by riding your bicycle, today at around 5:30pm-6:00pm. There are organized rides in the Des Moines and Ames areas starting at local bicycle shops. But that shouldn't stop you from riding alone, or forming your own ride to #RideForWade today. To honor Wade, and to remember that we as cyclists should be clamoring for better laws and for the laws we already have, to be used to protect us, and discourage others who are disregarding the law and rights of cyclists everywhere.

Following is a post made by Wade's employer, Kyle's Bikes, on Facebook yesterday afternoon:

"It is with deep sadness that we learned that Wade passed away this afternoon.

In the wake of Sunday's tragedy, it has been overwhelming, yet not surprising, to see how many people Wade has touched. That's simply who Wade was. Keep sharing your stories.

It's an emotional time for us, and we are certain for you too. 

There will be a fund set up for a memorial and we will update when there is information about how you can help. And we will organize a memorial ride in his honor."