"People make mistakes, and we need to design our streets and set up the rules of the road so there is some margin for error. A mistake by a driver or someone walking or biking should not be a death sentence, and one of the most effective ways to do that is to slow down traffic."
At an event on Wednesday, no one was more eloquent than the spotlight-avoiding father of the boy for whom Sammy's Law is named.
We also need a sane approach to passenger vehicle size. I hope people are commenting on NHTSA’s proposed new head protection standard.
Norway has speed limits (unless posted) of 80 km/h on roads and 50 km/h in built-up areas. We are fighting to make it 30. Oslo already posted almost all their streets and roads 30 or 40.
If you don't know Gary Eckstein and Amy Cohen, parents of Sammy, you should. They are heroes of the safe streets movement and I'm so grateful for their advocacy.
All it takes is a bit of respect. We can all get along and get where we are going but we need to be able to do so safely. Not everyone has the same viewpoint as we do. #Windshieldbias is a real thing. Its shocking how little compassion some drivers have towards cyclists.
We also need more and better sidewalks and protected bike lanes and more public transportation. Not forcing people to walk and bike on the roads is another important part of reducing non-driver injuries and deaths.