bikecrave:

An open letter to the motorist who came so close, I had to write this… Please don’t kill me. Yes, I’m on a bike. It’s a choice I’ll make the rest of my life. Yes, you’re right, cars, trucks and SUVs are bigger, heavier and can crush me in less time than it takes for you to text a buddy. But please, don’t kill me. Buzzing me today in the bike lane may have seemed harmless when moving at 50 mph, encased in 3,000+ pounds of steel, glass, leather and wood accents. Well, it wasn’t harmless. It was dangerous. Potentially life threatening. I wonder what would happen if a trucker awake for 24 hours straight brushed you with his 18-wheeler. You know, when you’re not looking. When you least expect it. You’d probably jump out of your lumbar-support seat and hit your head on the moonroof, or that drop-down DVD screen for long road trips with your family. Maybe your heart would nearly burst through your sternum and adrenaline would overwhelm your veins. Maybe… I wonder. It’s not so funny when the whoosh of turbulent air and the scream of angry tires sweep within a few inches of your ear, is it? All it takes is 1 second… Things can change very fast. You’re not even fully exposed, protected only by a helmet, half gloves and a faith that mankind has not become collectively so selfish that people pedaling bikes are a nuisance in the eyes of some motorists, a target of their scorn or occasional object of misguided rage, instead of who they really are — someone’s wife, husband, father, mother, son, sister, aunt, uncle grandmother or grandfather. You know? Like those in your family? I realize that the majority of motorists with whom you share the public streets are mild, law-abiding citizens. They don’t want to kill anyone. So please, think before you smash the pedal to the floor, get distracted by your smartphone and spill hot coffee in your lap. Please don’t kill me. I’m only out for a ride, following the rules of the road. I’m not anti-car. I’m not anti-truck. I’m not anti-SUV. No, I’m anti-hate. I’m anti-irresponsible. I’m anti-bigot. If you can’t stand cyclists, I pray that you find a way to unburden yourself of emotional poison. Failure to do so could mean disaster if don’t look outside yourself more and realize that people on two wheels are not the enemy. We’re not crazed tree huggers or smug, righteous fitness zealots. We’re out for a ride. Some of us commute. Some race. Some simply cruise. Fast. Slow. In between. Please don’t kill me. And please, don’t kill them. Thank you. (Taken with instagram)