Holy cow, it’s amazing anyone rode bicycles in the 1940s after reading this bicycle safety guide on the Retronaut website. Every picture shows someone getting crushed to death, maimed, suffering multiple fractures or a ‘limp, lifeless body.’ And, in pretty much every example, the bicyclist is blamed for causing an accident that could have been avoided, although in several cases the booklet even points out that a car was following too close or speeding.
has anything really changed. I was struck by a truck dead on, broke three ribs and still had to ride to work for a minimum wage heavy labor job – very big ouch for a long long time. At new job a coworker was struck by a car while riding in a bike lane and broke some ribs now sworn off biking to work. I am considering that too but walking isn't much safer. Daily have cars try to beat me to the lane they are in and sometimes just come straight at me daring me to keep going in front of them. SO MUCH DISRESPECT!!! guess it's not a new thing after all
The mentality has been around for a long time that drivers are always right and bicyclists are to blame if anything goes wrong. That said though, just like there are bad drivers, there are also bad bicyclists. I saw someone just this morning riding his bike the wrong way up a one-way street downtown, not wearing a helmet and talking on a phone. I have heard that there is more awareness lately and drivers are being more courteous, but then I hear a lot of stories like yours too so it's hard to say how far we've really come.