Eric Chu

It's too bad the Bulletin couldn't check their own archive to check
the facts.

In a March 11, 2008 article Heather Clark already wrote:

"In 2006, 746 cyclists statewide were injured and 14 were killed in
crashes involving motor vehicles, according to the most recent crash-
reporting data from the Oregon Department of Transportation. About 20
percent of those incidents took place at dusk or in other low-light
conditions, and nearly half were caused by a motor vehicle failing to
yield to a cyclist."

my math says over half, but what's a few percentage points...

the "majority" comment from the Bend PD just doesn't pass basic
scrutiny. But I guess when you use generic, overly broad terms like
"problems"...they can probably come up with some kind of justification.

eric

Kevin

Here are some other facts compiled by ODOT (as posted to KATU's website a few weeks ago) that are even more favorable to bikes:
 
Raw data came from the Oregon Department of Transportation and covers crashes that occurred in the Portland Metro Area from 2002 to 2006.

Overall Fault

*
41.5 percent - bicyclist at fault
*
51.8 percent - driver at fault
*
6.7 percent - blamed on both drivers and cyclists, or were inconclusive

Fatal Crashes

*
73.7 percent - driver at fault
*
26.3 percent - bicyclist at fault

Driver Errors

*
79.5 percent - driver fails to yield to the bicyclist
*
3 percent - driver makes an improper lane change
*
2.8 percent - driver disregards signals
*
1.35 percent - driver's inattention
*
1.03 percent - driver turns into oncoming traffic

Cyclist Errors

*
26.85 percent - bicyclist does not have the right of way
*
19.9 percent - bicyclist is riding while facing traffic
*
13.45 percent - bicyclist disregards signals
*
3 percent - bicyclist's inattention

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What is happening in Kevin's corner of the bike world?
http://the-whir-of-spokes-in-air.blogspot.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Eric Chu

I don't know how many of you on the local "Il gruppo" e-mail list,
the bendcyling@yahoogroups.com list or on the OBRA chat....but in
case you missed it, there was an overall good article in the Bend
Bulletin on bike safety Thurs., but also an incredibly damaging and
blanket statement by a sergeant with the Bend PD.

“The majority of problems are the bicyclists’ fault,” said Sgt. Kurt
Koester with the Bend Police Department.

after many technical difficulties with their website, I posted my own
response and I encourage others to do so as well. If you're not
already a home delivery subscriber or e-edition subscriber, you have
pay $3 for a 3-day trial of the e-edition for the privilege of
commenting online.

my comments are below. they have yet to be approved and visible on
the bendbulletin.com website at this hour---eric
---------------------------------------------------

Lots of good information in this article, BUT the statement by Sgt.
Koester that the majority of problems are the cyclists fault is not
supported by the facts. Such as statement is careless and
irresponsible. It's unfortunate that the Bulletin chose not to
challenge the blanket statement or research the facts.

In 2006, the latest year for which data is available from ODOT, 56.5%
of motor vehicle
DRIVERS involved in a crash with a bicyclist were found at fault.
This is in direct contradiction to Sgt. Koester's assertion.

I totally respect that law enforcement officer see firsthand the
aftermath of poor decisions by pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
If Sgt. Koester has the personal impression that cyclists are the
cause of many or the majority of accidents, this should not be
offered or accepted as fact. I'm sure there are plenty of cyclists
who do foolish and dangerous things, for lack of education and
awareness of the rules of the road and their responsibilities. As a
community we have to reach out those folks as much as we have to
reach out to drivers.

However, as the head of the team of officers that investigate
crashes, Sgt. Koester's comments indicate a bias against cyclists
that is disturbing. If he makes such a statement, it should be
supported by facts. Likewise, if he were to say that motorists were
responsible for the majority of accidents, it should also be
supported by facts.

As it stands, according to the ODOT numbers, the fault in accidents
is roughly 50-50 which means that BOTH cyclists and motorists have
essentially equal responsibility and room for improvement in their
road and safety awareness. Assigning the blame to one or more groups
is not productive in the least, whichever way the numbers lean.

Any bias may not be intentional or malicious, but it is just as
damaging. By showing the photo of the cyclist who was hit by a
vehicle, not giving any information as to the cause of the accident,
and the stating the cyclist was not wearing a helmet implies
carelessness on the part of the cyclist. Yet another example of bias,
unintentional or otherwise. Whether or not the cyclist was wearing a
helmet just isn't relevant to the cause of the accident. Absolutely
no info was given on the determination of fault for the incident in
the photo.

In the future I would hope that the Bend PD would choose their words
more carefully or check their facts first, and the Bulletin could
also do a better job of challenging blanket statements, rather than
accepting them as fact.

Lots of great information in the story and a nice job overall, but
unfortunately, also perpetuates some myths and makes me wonder if I'm
involved in an accident, whether or not the incident will be
investigated objectively.