The recent story about the tragic loss of local cyclists from a truck crossing the center line and crashing into a group of cyclists on N.C. 251 made me sad [“Asheville Cyclists, Mourning a Fatal Crash, Push for Federal Bill to Improve Road Safety,” Jan. 20, Blue Ridge Public Radio via Xpress]. I support the efforts by The White Line nonprofit to get federal legislation enacted that would require manufacturers to update automatic emergency braking vehicle software to detect cyclists and hopefully other road users.
However, the real cause of the problem of vehicles hitting road cyclists and other nonmotorized road users is drivers. Drivers have gotten more aggressive, distracted and impatient with any other road users other than cars moving at or beyond the speed limit in recent decades. This is a behavior problem that is difficult to change. Traffic enforcement is essentially nonexistent. Speeding and impaired (including drowsy driving and prescription and nonprescription drug use) have become the norm.
Other countries have created safer roads for nonvehicle users, but the effort in the U.S. is minimal…