Steven Jordan was a father of three and director of the mental health division of North Carolina. The 49-year-old bicycling enthusiast was hit by a truck as he rode his bike along U.S. 401 in Raleigh July 4.
In his memory, a white “ghost bike” now sits at the location where Jordan was killed. It was placed there by members of www.ghostbikes.org, a New York-based organization that draws attention to the traffic problems facing cyclists by erecting memorials to those who have been involved in accidents.
The statistics are sobering as thousands of cyclists are killed or injured yearly in the United States.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 600 cyclists were killed and 52,000 injured in collisions with motor vehicles in 2010. That comes down to 1,000 accidents a week — mostly in urban settings between 4 p.m. and midnight.
While some may be attributed to honest mistakes, too many are the result of careless motorists who drive like they own the road and are not willing to share. When Cycle North Carolina participants pedaled into Washington, we heard comments from anonymous motorists who wanted to run them off the road and into a ditch.
Regardless of whether you drive a car or pedal a bike, public roads are there for the public to share. We have the responsibility to learn and follow the rules of the road for everyone’s safety.