03/08/2018
This year I'm going to do something a little different than I have in the past 6 annual posts I've made on this dreadful day. I'm going to shed some light on some very sad statistics and provide those who don't know with information pertaining to my sisters death.
The latest research on pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes is from 2015, but it still gets my point across. In 2015: 5,376 people were killed in pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes, nearly 15 people every day of the year. This averages to one crash-related pedestrian death every 1.6 hours. This represents the highest number of pedestrians killed in one year since 1996. Change in pedestrian fatalities between 2006 and 2015: 12.1 percent increase.
For those that might not be aware of how my sister died: she was killed while training for her career as a professional triathlete/ runner. She was doing a training ride on her bike in rural Maricopa where she lived with our brother at the time. A semi truck passed in a no-pass zone at a popular intersection, causing a huge discrepancy in her normal range of visibility. The man who struck her was driving a family-owned work pick-up truck. He was according to witnesses "not paying attention." He was admiring a train that was on the side of the road. He took his eyes off the road for who knows exactly how long, but it was 1 second too long. Within seconds my sister was taken from her family, her friends, her dogs, from the insatiable goals she had ahead of her, from the world championship in Kona she was so looking forward to... so many things including her precious life...just gone. And if you're wondering- no, the man who killed Sally was not even cited. No ticket, no jail time. Just an "accident" as they like to say. There is now a light at this intersection, which wasn't functioning at the time of the accident. I will always wonder... would my sister still be alive had this light been up and running? Most likely yes she would be. She was a very safe rider. She would never go out into the road if it wasn't clear. March 8, 2011 she thought the road was clear. I wish every day of my life she had been right.
My post this year is to urge Every. Single. Person. who reads this to PLEASE watch out for pedestrians. Give cyclists the 3 feet of the road they deserve. You have a car that is an instrument capable of killing innocent people. Be mindful. Be responsible. Be patient. It's amazing how easily it is to get a license in the US- but during that test did they hammer into the brains of those taking it just how important it is to keep both eyes on the road? Do the tests stress just how easily vehicles can kill a pedestrian with one second of looking away? Not really. Do the people who hit pedestrians ALWAYS get off without even so much as a citation? No, but I can assure you taking someone's life deserves some sort of action. But because I can't change the laws I figure better to be proactive to try and prevent an "accident" from even happening in the first place. So please, do me a favor...be respectful to all those on the road... PAY ATTENTION... put the damn phone down..because you just never know when you might be responsible for running over someone and taking their life.
Thank you. This subject is extremely touchy for me so I appreciate your understanding.
We all miss you Sally. We love you. And we honor your spirit daily ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
