Why we don't get Killed

When I'm working on a title for my post, I often reject titles that don't spin in the positive direction. The word "killed" is one of those words that can put the wrong spin on a title, but I think this title works for the topic I want to write about.

We were talking bicycles (as I'm apt to do) and one guy says he would love to put a trailer on the back of his bike and make all sorts of trips to the Farmer's Market and run other errands except he would get killed. I asked him what route he would take to get to the Farmer's Market and he named the biggest road between his house and the market.

I don't ride that road. I don't like that road when I'm in a car -- narrow, four-lane, twisty, with a fair number of shopping centers along the way. The phrase "I would be killed" is effective at describing this road whether or not it is an accurate statement concerning the safety risk.

The conversation moved along, but later that evening, I considered how I would get to the Market from his house. A cyclist's preferred route is actually not a bad route and is followed by many cyclists between our part of town and the Farmer's Market. Cyclists would recognize the street names along the route. Motorists would only know those streets if they lived there.

We don't get killed because cyclists find the "Good Routes". The Good Routes don't have lots of cars. The Good Routes do have lots of bicycles. The Good Routes are pleasant because the people can talk to each other and encounter each other at a human pace. They may be longer -- especially in a car -- but they are more satisfying.

We don't get killed because we are experienced cyclists. We follow the rules of the road and avoid situations that would antagonize or even surprise motorists.

We don't get killed because we've immersed ourselves in thinking outside the car.