Distracted Cycling

Dear Editor,

I recently read an article by DEKRA, a German company that conducts automotive research and testing, about injuries to cyclists who wear earbuds or use cellphones while riding. The research indicated that minor and major injuries to riders have been dramatically rising since 2010 because cyclists are distracted while on phone calls, or listening to their playlists while wearing earbuds. Electric assist bikes, enabling even casual riders to easily achieve high speeds, are quite possibly accelerating these problems. I would extend this warning to hikers as well. I’ve seen a number of trail hikers (wearing earbuds or headphones) nearly jumping out of their skin when passed by a bike, even after the cyclist had slowed down, and rung a bell or called out “Bike on your right/left” before passing. Wearing only one earbud while hiking or riding might be a very simple solution to avoiding conflicts and injuries. This advice may likely fall on deaf ears (because no one likes being lectured to), but I hope some folks think about the possible consequences of their actions and are willing to change. Even a little bit.

–Rick Jones, Oakland