Ghost Bike Memorials

Saw this today in the Chicago RedEye Paper. Would make me stop and think about bike safety!

as an avid rider, with 2 friends who were both hit by cars (fortunately both lived), I think about this every time aI climb on to ride. Never ceases to amaze me some of the people I ride with who are clueless, use IPODs, no helmet, don't obey tarffic laws, etc...

Spooky! I can't imagine wanting to ride a bike but I have co-workers who love it. And I can't imagine not watning to wear a helmet when on one. But less than two weeks ago one of my co-worker's father was killed and her adult son injured in an accident and my brothers' girlfiend's son was injured also in another accident. Drivers can be careless but sometimes those bikes are really hard to see. I thanked God when my son sold his several years ago.

I love riding my bike, but I admit I do ride with my iPod on, and do not use a helmet. I do know how to signal though, but I doubt many drivers know what the signals mean anyway!

Like Happy I am an avid rider and am very aware of the dangers. I invest in good helmets and always have my helmet on. I want my kids to see that Dad wears his helmet even if it is just doing circles in the driveway so they have to as well. No I-pods or other distractions for me either. I am fortunate to live in a rural community and for the most part the roads I travel have very wide shoulders to ride on and very little traffic. In some areas that I ride, there is more danger from wildlife than motor vehicles (thinking back to my encounters with black bears last year...). There are still dangers but reducing the risk with the right equipment and responsible riding helps a lot.

This really struck a chord in me because my oldest son rides his bike to work nearly every day in San Fran and did so in Chicago during good weather. He has been knocked of his bike by a car more than once and he is a careful rider, helmet etc.