My Google Alerts

“It’s difficult to encourage people to go out and use the roadways if we don’t have laws to protect them.”

Said Clinton Parks and Recreation Department Director Ray Holloway, quote taken from the Clinton News in Clinton, Mississippi.

According to the same article Tupelo, Mississippi is the first city in the State to adopt a 3-foot passing law!  Currently there is no such law on the books in New York State.  If Mississippi can do it, it can be done anywhere!  I would also like to point out that for the past few weeks Oprah has been on air urging people to stop texting while driving and to turn off their cell phones entirely, I applaud her for that.  I along with BIKESNOBNYC would love it if she’d spend a minute pointing a finger towards the helmet-less hipsters thumbing away on their iphones while pedaling down the roads on their fixies.  Utterly hypocritical of cyclists to ask drivers not to text and drive, all the while texting and riding?

So instead of coming up with clever ways to urge people to drive and ride safer I am going to share what comes to my email inbox every morning.  Before 9 am there are three Google alerts waiting for me to read, the first search term and most heart-breaking: hit and run, the next is: bicyclists and the third simply: cyclist.

If you are not familiar with a Google Alert here is the definition: Google Alerts are emails automatically sent to you when there are new Google results for your search terms

In an effort to make the biggest impact I am going to copy these alerts from Wednesday January 28, 2010 and Thursday January 29, 2010.  I chose these two days arbitrarily.

Wednesday Jan 28, 2010. Google Alert for Hit and Run

Teacher injured in hit-and-run

A Central Kentucky teacher is in serious condition at UK Hospital after being hit by a car.

Police: Hit-And-Run Driver Was A Woman – Connecticut News Story

CANTON, Conn. — Police say they have located a car in connection with a hit-and-run in Canton that left a 7-year-old girl injured. Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

Two Suspected Drunk Drivers Crash Into Each Other in Van Nuys

The driver of the truck was put under arrest for a felony hit-and-run and is still under investigation for a misdemeanor DUI. “It was ugly,” Los Angeles Police Officer James LaForce said in the Los Angeles Times.

Girl’s father recounts hit and run

A seven year old girl is recovering after being struck by a hit and run driver. Tonight, her father is talking about the accident that nearly took his

KCBS – 4 Injured in SF Hit and Run

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Four people were injured Wednesday morning following a hit and run crash in San Francisco’s Ingelside Heights neighborhood.

Hit-and-run charge added for U.S. soldier indicted in Okinawa

A US soldier charged with negligent driving resulting in death over a fatal accident last year in Yomitan, Okinawa Prefecture

Infant injured in Fife hit-and-run dies | Local News – The News

Jan. 27, 2010 – A 3-month-old boy hurt in what police say was a hit-and-run accident Sunday in Fife died Tuesday.

Hit and Run in Chubbuck, Police Look for Suspect – KPVI NEWS 6

Best source in East Idaho for news, weather and sports. Live streaming video. Covering Pocatello, Blackfoot, Rexburg, St. Anthony, Soda Springs,

Witness Helps Police Find Driver In Hit-And-Run – Pittsburgh News

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police are crediting a witness for helping them catch the driver of a vehicle involved in a hit and run in Butler County late

Thursday January 29, 2010 Google Alert for Hit and Run

Trooper nearly struck during hit and run

Chicago Sun-Times The vehicle the trooper had pulled over was not hit either and no one was hurt, he said. ISP are hoping that video cameras installed on the squad car have a

Pedestrian injured in hit-and-run

BBC News, A 30-year-old man is being treated in hospital after he was deliberately struck by a car in a hit-and-run incident in Barlanark in Glasgow.

Saugus Man Killed By Hit & Run Driver

WBZ 84-year-old Christo Agganis was crossing Central Street near Saugus Center just after 5 pm on Thursday when he was hit by a dark colored, small to mid-size

Houston police: 1-year-old injured by hit-and-run driver

Houston Chronicle, A toddler was injured after he was run down by an apparent hit-and-run driver last weekend in north Houston, police said. Police initially today said the

3-month-old hit-and-run victim remembered

Northwest Cable News by CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News FIFE, Wash. – The Candles lit up a Fife neighborhood. You could see them from a few blocks away – each one, representing a

$50000 Reward Offered For Hit and Run Killer Of DHS Girl

KPSP Local 2, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has offered a $50000 reward for information leading to the identity and arrest of the hit and run driver who

Suspected Hit & Run Driver Injures School Crossing Guard

KESQ This afternoon, police say 39-year-old Mandy Guntman of Palm Desert was arrested, and booked for felony driving under the influence and hit and run.

One-year-old boy injured by hit-and-run driver

HOUSTON (KTRK) — Authorities want to find the driver who hit a baby and fled the scene. Police say at about 4:30pm Sunday, a one-year-old boy was found in

Two women injured in hit-and-run

BBC News Police said a 46-year-old woman was struck by a black-coloured BMW car as she crossed Union Street, near Argyle Street at about 1315 GMT on Thursday.

Macon man found guilty of vehicular homicide, hit and run

Macon Telegraph By AMY LEIGH WOMACK – awomack@macon.com A Bibb County jury has found a 28-year-old Macon man guilty of vehicular homicide and hit and run.

Tiptree hit and run leaves family shaken and road closed

Daily Gazette By Adam Cornell » A FAMILY has been shaken but not seriously injured in a hit and run crash in Tiptree. Police are trying to trace the driver of a white .

Hit-and-run charge added in Okinawa soldier’s case

Stars and Stripes By David Allen, Stars and Stripes NAHA, Okinawa — A soldier charged with vehicular manslaughter now faces an additional charge of hit-and-run.

Elderly man hurt in Harlingen hit-and-run

KGBT-TV Harlingen police are asking for the public’s help in finding the driver of an SUV that hit an elderly man and fled the scene. Investigators told Action 4

Driver Wanted for Hit-and-Run

Goose Creek, SC – The South Carolina Highway Patrol say they are looking for the driver of a burgundy Pontiac Bonneville in connection with a hit and run on

Two women injured in city centre hit-and-run

Glasgow Evening Times The pair were struck by a black car as they tried to cross Union Street yesterday afternoon. It happened just a day after an 87-year-old woman was killed

Update On Hit & Run Victim Jeff Kearney: Having “Better Days”

The B-Town Blog (blog) Lots of Readers have been asking about Jeff Kearney, the mentally-challenged man who was the victim of a hit-and-run last November in White Cent

Judge clears former Peninsula tourism coordinator; husband awaits trial in hit

Peninsula Daily James McCauley, 60, is charged with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and with hit-and-run resulting in injury of a pedestrian.

Brierley Hill newsagent jailed for hit and run death

Stourbridge News At Wolverhampton Crown Court Judge Michael Challinor told hit and run driver Zahid Hussain that while the family of Mushraf Surti were grieving he was

Fairhaven Police and fire

Advocate 3 am, assist other police, New Boston Rd.; 9:49 am, hit & run, Hathaway St.; 2:31 pm, accident, Livsey Parkway; 5:21 pm, shoplifting, Sarah’s Way; 5:37 pm,

Driver Runs Over 1-Year-Old, Flees

Houston according to the statement. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the HPD Hit and Run Detail at 713-247-4065.

Police release damaged SUV

Cape Cod Times By MATTHEW M. BURKE PLYMOUTH — The SUV that investigators believe struck and killed a Buzzards Bay teen in a hit-and-run crash early New Year’s Day has been

Teens Charged In Deadly Stone Mountain Crash

WSBtv.com Two teens have been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run near Stone Mountain High School on Jan. 20 that killed a 14-year-old.

Injured skateboarder identified

St. Augustine Record By STAFF Police have released the name of a 6-year-old injured in a possible hit-and-run crash Monday. Sheppard Gutierrez was riding his skateboard in St.

Crime report – Windsor Heights

DesMoinesRegister.com 14 – Police charged a 20-year-old Johnston woman with hit and run. 7229 University Ave., Jan. 14 – Police received a report of a theft from Kum & Go.

Wednesday January 28, 2010 Google News Alert for Bicyclist

Besides pedestrians, New York City streets are safer for drivers, passengers

New York Daily News Driver and passenger deaths fell 20% from 2008, motorcyclist deaths fell 30% and bicyclist deaths plunged 54% – which city officials said was because of new

Columbia bicyclist lawsuit settled hours before trial begins

The State By JOHN MONK – jmonk@thestate.com A civil lawsuit in federal court involving a defendant who killed two bicyclists while driving and allegedly talking on a

Bicyclist struck on Elm Street

Lodi News-Sentinel The driver of a silver Saturn clipped a bicyclist heading east on Elm Street before crashing into a telephone pole at the intersection of Elm Street and Ham

LA council studies ways of protecting bicyclists

Daily Breeze By Rick Orlov Staff Writer Concerned that bicyclists have become targets of road rage, the Los Angeles City Council asked its staff Wednesday to determine

Settlement reached in bicyclist’s death

HOUSTON (KTRK) — Houston city council has voted on a settlement for the parents of a bicyclist who was killed when two Houston fire trucks crashed last

10-year-old bicyclist struck, injured on Dale Mabry

Tampa Tribune TAMPA – A 10-year-old child was seriously injured this afternoon when he rode his bicycle in front of a car, Tampa police say. The child was crossing but

Norton man admits killing North Canton bicyclist

Canton Repository By Anonymous, A Norton man admitted in court Wednesday to killing a bicyclist during a hit-skip crash in North Canton this summer. Joseph C. Klaus, 24,

Police: Car strikes, kills 11-year-old bicyclist

Tampabay.com By Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer TAMPA — An 11-year-old bicyclist died after he was hit by a car about 1 pm at S Dale Mabry Highway and W Bay Avenue,

Bicyclist remains in critical condition after Pompano Beach accident

Sun-Sentinel By Juan Ortega, Sun Sentinel A 60-year-old bicyclist is in critical condition after a car struck him in Pompano Beach, officials said Wednesday.

Safe passing ordinance up for debate in San Antonio

San Antonio Express When a pedestrian or bicyclist is seriously hurt or injured, the case often ends up in civil court, he said, which is punishment in itself.

Thursday January 29, 2010 Google News Alert for Bicyclist.

Bicyclist killed in crash with truck, police investigating

Statesman Journal “When deputies and medics arrived, the bicyclist, an adult male, was injured and unconscious,” Schultz said. The man died at the scene despite receiving

Study Finds Biking, Walking Save Lives

Bicycle Retailer “Bicycling and Walking in the United States: The 2010 Benchmarking Report” reveals that in almost every state and major US city, bicyclists and pedestrians

VALLEY POLICE BEAT: Bicyclist injured in collision with car

Imperial Valley Press (subscription) (press release) By SILVIO J. PANTA, Staff Writer BRAWLEY — A 21-year-old bicyclist suffered unspecified injuries Tuesday night during a collision with a moving car,

Tempering LA’s road rage

Ted Rogers, a blogger and veteran bicyclist. “Yet, I’ve been honked at, yelled at, told to get off the road, had objects thrown at me, I’ve been buzzed

San Francisco Lawyer injury attorney Mary Alexander recognized for achieving

Palo Alto bicyclist killed by Caltrans SUV – San Francisco Bicycle Accident Lawyer S

Wednesday January 28, 2010, Google News Alert for Cyclist.

Teenage driver faces jail after cyclist’s death

Cambridge News A TEENAGE motorist was facing jail today after being found guilty of causing the death by dangerous driving of an Army major at 70mph during a cycling time

Cyclist supporter alleges road rage incident

Stuff.co.nz The Christchurch editor of a sport website embroiled in an online war of words between cyclists and motorists was himself allegedly assaulted in a road rage

Driver guilty over cyclist’s death on Cambridgeshire A1

BBC News A 19-year-old motorist who hit and killed a cyclist on the A1 in Cambridgeshire has been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Cyclists versus cars

AsiaOne Here is a selection: Much has been said about cyclists sharing roads with cars and I would like to give some suggestions. There are two categories of

Cyclist injured in police involved accident

6abc.com of one stolen from another section of the city. As officers converged, the cyclist lost control and slammed into at least one of the two involved cruisers.

See all stories on this topic

With Pedestrian Deaths Up, Mayor, DOT, and NYPD Pledge Safer Streets

Streetsblog New York (blog) Cyclist deaths, meanwhile, dropped from 26 in 2008 to 12 last year. Although the small sample size of cyclist fatalities makes it difficult to draw hard and

Thursday January 28, 2010, Google News Alert for Cyclist

A to study ways to protect bicyclists, considers ‘bill of rights’

Los Angeles Times Among the ideas being consider: creating bike sharing lanes in certain areas, improving training for police and creating a cyclist “Bill of Rights.”

‘Solar Cyclists‘ spend two days in Gainesville

Gainesville Sun “Solar Cyclist” Jamie Vining, left, converses with one of those who participated in Thursday’s Solar Expo on the Plaza of the Americas.

Dyers Pass cyclist attacked

Stuff.co.nz By GLENN CONWAY – The Press RED-NECKED: Cyclist Rik Unthank sports red marks on his neck after being attacked by the passenger of a vehicle that he claimed

Miami DWI Death Galvanizes Cyclists in South Florida

Streetsblog New York (blog) by Brad Aaron on January 28, 2010 Cyclists rally in memory of Christophe Le Canne. Photo: rydel/Picasa via Miami Bike Scene The horrific death of a

Whitmore Lake driver who struck, killed cyclist enters plea deal

AnnArbor.com A Whitmore Lake man whose vehicle struck and killed a bicyclist in Northfield Township last summer pleaded no contest to negligent homicide.

City’s bike lanes need revamp: advocates

National Post The Toronto Cyclist Union says that safer, separated lanes are the key to getting more people riding their bikes, according to board member Dave Meslin.

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This information weighs on me daily and I cannot express enough how avoidable these collisions are.  The only place where cars and trucks are the lone travelers on a roadway is the highway.  On every other drivable surface there are any number of obstacles that could insult the “right of way” of motorists, so pay attention and be alert whether you ride a bike or are just crossing the street, hopefully the cars will slow down and we’ll all be safe.

PC Feb.2010

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