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There was a fantastic comment by Mark Davidson published in the Toronto Star back in late July while I was on vacation, and I want to link to it and excerpt it because it perfectly sums up why our roads seem so dangerous, especially for cyclists:
Statistics suggest that the roads are safer than ever. Twenty years ago there were 2.4 deaths from car collisions per 100,000 people, and today there is 1 per 100,000. In 1982 there were over 4,000 people killed by drivers, but only 3,000 killed in 2003.
What's changed is not actual danger levels, but our experience of the roads. We feel more threatened on the road, and in some sense, we are more threatened. The anger levels among us have increased dramatically, and while anger doesn't necessarily kill, it does create an environment that feels more dangerous.
Why are we so angry? This is where social science can help us.
... our political climate has embraced cutthroat individualism: We are responsible only for ourselves unless we "contract" otherwise. We don't really think of ourselves as having any duty to consider how our actions affect others.Now, the last time I rode my bike I didn't sign any contracts with drivers. In fact, the only "contract" I'm aware of is our unspoken agreement to obey the law.
... I own a car, and I even drive it sometimes. I know what it feels like to have to accommodate cyclists when you want to get going. It's a pain in the ass.
Sometimes cyclists go through stop signs and ride the wrong way on one-way streets. They violate the social contract to obey road rules. But so do drivers. But neither cyclists nor drivers lose their status as legal persons when they break the law. And this status includes the right not to be harmed.
If you unavoidably run over a pedestrian crossing against the light you may be blameless. But if you run over that pedestrian intentionally or recklessly, then you are using your car as a weapon and you are a killer. Why? Because the right to life trumps the right of way.
If you think that some road users only think about themselves... you're right. The secret is how to get everyone thinking about everyone else.
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