Testimony to the House Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Steve Wartenberg, Cycling Safety Advocate

Nineteen cyclists died after being struck by vehicles in 2013. I was almost the 20th.

It was November 3, 2013, about 11:50 AM, a beautiful fall day and I was on a bike ride, on McCoy Road in Upper Arlington. A long, straight road with two lanes in each direction and minimal traffic. A safe road used by lots of cyclists.

The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital on the following Wednesday afternoon and wondering what the heck had happened to me. I was bruised and broken from head to toe and had a fractured scalp and traumatic brain injury, collapsed lung and about 15 more broken bones. Several doctors and nurses told me I was lucky to be alive.

I was hit from behind by a drunk driver, so I’m not sure if a 3-foot law would have prevented this incident. However, soon after I woke up in Riverside Hospital, I decided that I wanted to do everything I could to make cycling safer for everyone in central Ohio and beyond. The thought of someone else going through what I went through – or worse - is my motivation. The thought of another spouse having to walk into an ICU room and see their loved one hooked up to a ventilator, with tubes in their chest and head and arms, is why I’m here today.

My near-death experience has made me a cycling safety advocate.

And I am totally convinced that enacting this 3-foot passing law will save lives and prevent bad accidents. It’s common sense that you need to keep a safe distance between you and a cyclist or pedestrian when you’re driving a car or truck. But let’s just say that not everyone uses common sense when they drive. I see it all the time. Someone on a bike is in the right lane and the driver of a car tries to squeeze between the cyclist and the car or truck in the left lane as they pass the cyclist.

It makes me cringe and fear for the safety of the cyclist. A couple of times I have driven behind the cyclist, acting as a shield between him or her and passing vehicles.

Like most cyclists, I’ve had people pass me in an unsafe manner numerous times. It’s a given when you ride your bike a lot. I’ve had people honk their horns at me and give me the finger and shout at me to get off the road because … well, I guess because they don’t think bikes have a legal right to be in the road. Or that maybe, just maybe, slowing down to pass us in a safe manner adds a few seconds to their drive and they don’t like this.

People just don’t seem to want to be bothered to slow down and pass safely. They’re in a hurry. Or they’re texting and talking on their phones, fiddling with their radios.

So, we need a way to let people know this isn’t safe – or acceptable - behavior and that when they pass cyclists in an unsafe manner they are putting the health and lives of a fellow human being at risk.

And that they’re breaking the law … if you pass this law.

I’m hoping that the law itself will draw attention to the problem and make people aware of how their driving can impact – literally – someone on a bike.

To me, this law is similar to the school zone signs – and laws – that require motorists to slow down when they drive by a school to prevent accidents and deaths.

How is this any different?

More and more people are riding bikes. And the numbers will continue to rise. This isn’t some fad, it’s becoming the norm for more and more people. People on bikes are riding to work and school. They’re doing shopping and other errands. They’re out with their family. They’re training for charity rides such as Pelotonia.

And, they’re riding in our streets.

Sure, there are bike paths in Columbus and Franklin County and all over the state. But sometimes you can’t get to where you need to go on a bike path, and you have to ride in the street. And the law says we can.

We bikers aren’t this fringe minority any more. We’re everyone. Surely all of you know someone who rides a bike. It could be a family member, friend or co-worker. Maybe you ride a bike. Or maybe you’d like to ride a bike, but are scared of being hit by someone in a car. In my opinion, you – and we – owe it to our family members and friends and community to create as safe an environment as possible for them to ride their bikes.

My wife rides her bike from time to time.

And I do not ever want to have to go to a hospital room or morgue after someone in a vehicle has hit her.

Thank you.