LESSON LEARNED 2: SAFETY FIRST

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When it comes to sharing the road, REMEMBER that safety comes first.  Here are my top 3 lessons learned on safe biking:


1) Wear Appropriate Biking Gears

Before we left for biking that day, Marcel was being very unusual in pushing me to wear my biking jacket and long biking pants.  The one who normally says, "It's cold outside.  Don't forget to wear your jeans and put on your jacket" is me.  Marcel is someone you would spot wearing shorts, flip flops and short sleeve T-shirt in a 40 F.  Season in the US only comes in 1 form - Summer - for Marcel.


However, the day we went biking, it was 75 F outside.  I tried to insist that the jacket's not necessary.  Marcel would not take a NO that day.  He made me wear the jacket and long pants.  So I did.


Guess what?  If I didn't have my jacket and long biking pants on, my skin would be in direct contact with the asphalt resulting in perhaps more severe injuries.  When I returned from ER that night, I saw the scratch marks on my jacket, pants, and helmet.

So, it's VERY important to wear the appropriate biking gears when you bike: helmet, biking shirt/jacket (to block wind and keep you warm), pants (the one with gigantic gel pad), and shoes. 


2) Give Other Road Users Benefit of the Doubt

When the lady driver (Ms. R) stopped, I thought she was giving me the right-of-way.  Thus, I started to pedal again.  While in fact, she stopped not because she saw me stopping and getting ready to cross in front of her.  She stopped because she was watching the incoming traffic from her left.  I, on the other hand, was coming from her left.  Since she never saw to her right, she never saw me there.  That's why she pressed the gas as soon as the left traffic's cleared up on her. 

So, it is important to give the other road user benefit of the doubt and safe yourself from all the trouble.  For my situation at the time, the benefit of the doubt would be to assume the driver didn't see me.  With that assumption, I would have avoided the accident by continuing to stop and letting her pass before me first.


3) Have ID and Insurance Card Ready

When the police came, the first thing he asked was my ID.  Of course I didn't have it with me (duhhh!).  I only had my Road ID - a bracelet ID Marcel gave me that contained only my emergency contact and my phone and email.  Not the kind that the police can use to validate my identity.  :-)


Then, when the paramedics were taking me to the hospital, they asked for my Kaiser (health) insurance card.  Of course I didn't have it with me either (duhhh duhhhh!).  Praise the Lord, I have been a very faithful patient of Kaiser.  Thus, they could ring the system with some personal identifications for verification.


So, it is important to have your ID and insurance card ready even when you are not behind the wheel.


Stay tuned for more lessons learned.

May this be a blessing! 

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