Can Anybody Hear?

Since only about twenty to thirty people will read this, I doubt the post will impact anyone. But maybe it will. If you do read this, please consider what I say if it applies to you.

Likely you have heard about the cyclist killed at the recent Bikes, Blues[,] & Bayous. Already I have heard extreme negative reactions to the Commonwealth stating what appears to be the cause of this tragedy. Some were angry at the implications of fault. With the finding of fault, however, there is the chance to learn, and when it concerns life and death, learning is pretty important. Here is the thing, people need to know, and some people need to change some of their behaviors. Like most, or maybe unlike most, I was willing to jump to the conclusion that the driver was to blame. As a cyclist, I know how badly we are hated out there. That baffles me but as the saying goes, it is what it is. When I learned that it appeared the bicycle rider did not heed the warnings of the highway patrolman, possible because his earbuds impaired his hearing, a couple of things ran through my mind. 

One thing that ran through my mind was my continual bafflement at people who practice riding, walking, and running while listening to music. Doing it on a treadmill presents no issue, but on the open road is another matter. It's a free country, and if that is what you want to do, you should be able to do it. However, the obvious dangers of this slap me in the face every time I see it. Honestly, if I could not hear, I would not run, walk, or ride a bicycle unless it were not on a closed course. For me, my ears are my primary safety system even above my eyes. I hear almost all cars before I see them and that includes the ones coming from ahead of me. Often while running, I am looking down, sometimes out of necessity since we have some bad roads in Greenwood. I hear a car, I look up, and I always asses how the driver is motoring. Sometimes it's obvious I need to get off the road.

Another thing that ran through my mind was an experience I had four years ago. I was running Highway 430 about a half a mile north of the big hill. I was headed south, and like I was supposed to be, I was facing the traffic. I heard an automobile approaching from behind. I was running the white line on the other side of the road. I don't know what it was about the way that vehicle sounded, but it was different. I stepped onto the shoulder and instantly a small, older model pickup truck passed right where I had just been. He must have been going eighty miles per hour. I was stunned, startled, and angered. If I had not moved, likely I would have been hit, and there would have been no surviving that.

Amazingly the driver of that truck stopped at Acey's Store on top of the hill. I am not a hot head or a fighter, but I was still in a rage and wanted to go inside and jump the driver. I walked back and forth on the shoulder of the road outside. It was like I had a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. What I kept thinking was what the devil kept saying was, "He might kill the next runner." That was a pretty persuasive line. On the other shoulder, I had just enough wisdom or restraint, or grace to know that you can't go around beating people up even if they deserve it. Besides that, I probably would have got whipped anyway, banned from the store, and thrown in jail which could have led to all sorts of problems like me losing my job. 

Back to the issue. If you are a runner or rider or walker, don't trust car drivers to care about you life or drive safely. Pray before you leave the house, and take care of yourself. Don't exercise musically impaired. Listen to music in your home, in your car, in the grocery store even, anywhere but when you are vulnerable on public roads and need your ears. If you can't bear to do the sport without the music, it seems you don't like the sport very much. Maybe you should find another.