Ride in Peace, Eric Steven Glasnapp

You know, there were some things I was never very good at, never will be good at. Trigonometry for instance, conversing in any language other than English for another. There are some things I have become expert at - picking onions out of a salad, or celery out of a tuna fish sandwich. There is another thing I believe I am quite good at, though it is something that does not require the least bit of talent or proficiency - keeping my four wheels out of the bike lane. It is a pretty basic task, really, one that any driver worthy of license ownership should be able to master in no time.

So, why is it such a complicated maneuver for some? Except for when they follow the bend of a curve, the lines are always straight. They don't flop around in response to a strong gust of wind. It might add an extra element of riding fun if the lines were applied in a wave pattern, but I am unaware of any city or county engineer giving a green light to something like that. Those things might make it more difficult for drivers, but a straight line? Not difficult at all. 

Based on my observations, drivers, largely, do a pretty good job of keeping to a single traffic lane. Sometimes they don't, but they quickly jerk the wheel the opposite way and they are back where they are supposed to be. They tend to be even more adept at keeping their motors on the right side of the road; the center line in usually pretty sacrosanct.

Except, of course, for when they are doing something other than driving.

Yeah, invariably, drifting across lanes, across the center line, into a bike lane is a result of one of two reasons - impairment or inattentiveness. 

And because one person was not attentive to the task at hand, another person did not make it home from a simple bike ride.

Ride in Peace, Eric Steven Glasnapp.


Comments