One of Our Greatest Fears as a Cyclist
And what you can do about it.
For cyclists who ride on roads, we have an underlining nervousness: being side-swiped or forced off the road by a vehicle driven by a distracted driver.
New technology keeps us safer with a rear flashing light, video camera and an alarm. But the risk remains.
Keep reading for a way your voice can be heard to change things in Florida
Driving distracted is a major safety issue in Florida, not only for cyclists, but for other motorists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. Florida does not have a “Hands-Free Law”, while 34 other states do restrict holding a device while driving.
How big is this issue
In the past 12 years in Florida over 1,000,000 crashes were reported as being caused by a distracted driver. That’s over 80,000 crashes a year. Those crashes caused serious injuries to over 37,400 people and resulted in 3,219 deaths. All because someone was driving distracted.
What is the biggest distraction: holding a mobile phone while driving. Studies have shown that active mobile phone users spend a whopping 28% of their driving time ignoring the road.
Here are some facts about driving distracted with a phone in your hand
Just five seconds of glancing at your phone while traveling at 55 mph, is the same as traveling the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
On average, drivers who text cause 23 accidents compared to 1 accident caused by attentive drivers.
Just holding a phone in your hand, makes a driver four times more likely to be involved in a crash.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), interacting with a mobile device while driving is six times more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol.
Ohio passed hands-free legislation in April 2023. In the six-month period that followed, fatalities dropped by 25% compared to the same period the year before.
You can help make Florida roads safer for cyclists and everyone.
HandsFreeFlorida.org is an effort to get the attention of the Florida legislature to pass such a law.
Here is what you can do to make a difference.
Go online at HandsFreeFlorida.org and sign the petition that will be presented to Florida legislators.
Pledge to yourself and your loved ones that you will drive “hands-free”.
Encourage your family, friends and colleagues to take the same pledge.
Email your Florida State House Representative and your Florida State Senator and urge him or her to support the passage of the Hands-Free legislation.
If so inclined, present to your county commission a resolution in support of legislation requiring hands-free driving. Go to HandsFreeFlorida.org and email Michelle Avola-Brown, who is leading this coalition initiative for a copy of a prepared resolution.
Besides reducing the number of distracted drivers causing accidents, we all know that this will also help reduce or eliminate drivers being on their phone at red lights and stop signs, which will keep traffic moving and help prevent road rage.
Thank you for helping keep yourself and fellow cyclists safer.
This issue is close to home for the Clermont Triathlon Club.
Just this past week Gabrielle Suver, a beloved member of their club, was on her tri-bike and was severely injured in a hit and run accident on a country state road just north of Clermont, FL. Likely it was a driver, driving distracted. Gratefully some good Samaritans saw her by the side of the road and called 911 and provided comfort while waiting for emergency help to arrive. The most recent word was that she will survive. However, the road to recovery will be long. The Club has set up a GoFundMe page to help Gabrielle cover some of her medical expenses, not covered by insurance.
At the recent Florida Bicycle Summit (put on by the Florida Bicycle Association), I learned about the substantially increased risks of driving distracted. When I got home, I made a pledge to my wife to drive without holding my mobile phone. I signed the petition. And I emailed my Florida State Representative and Senator to encourage the passage of a Hands-Free law.
Ride often. Be safe.
Bruce