Sunday 8 January 2012

Do you see me now??


Were you the driver of the red PT Cruiser?

Happy new year!  I thought that today I would head out for a new years day ride on my motorbike.  After getting my bike ready, I completed all the safety checks I was taught in my riding classes I took with the Vancouver Island Safety Council.  I then got on all my riding safety gear and lastly putting on my bright neon yellow riding vest to ensure that I would most definitely be seen, I headed out around 2pm on a very clear day with no visability problems on my bike.  I pulled out onto the road and less than half a kilometer from my house heading down a hill, I was approaching a road on my right that had a yield.  As I was riding down the hill I noticed a red PT Cruiser/vehicle coming up to the yield sign on my right, I watched him slow down, I prepared in case you pulled out in front of me, something we were taught in the classes to do, and of course once I was right there, you did!  So now to the driver of that red PT Cruiser/vehicle why did you not yield to me, why didn't you see me with my headlight on high beam, my bright neon yellow riding vest coming right down the hill towards you, why did you pull out in front of me?  Today was my lucky day, lucky because the truck coming towards me in the opposite direction gave me enough room so that when I swerved around you crossing the centre line, that I didnt get hit head on.  Do you not know what a yield sign means?  Did you know that a cyclist was killed there a few years ago because another driver did exactly what you did to me today?  Did you know that I have 3 kids, 2 grandchildren and many family and friends that would miss me if you had indeed hit me - because it would not have been a very positive outcome if in fact you had hit me.  And did you know that today was YOUR lucky day too?  Lucky because if you had hit me - you would have been at fault, you would have had to live with what you could have done to me today.  
Did you know that I am one of the people that is trying to make the roads a safer place?  Safer from the inattentive, irresponsible drivers like you!
Thanks to the training I have received from the Vancouver Island Safety Council and advice from many experienced riders I know, I survived to write this letter.  I was taught to be a defensive rider and driver and today I put all that training to use.   I hope to goodness that you had the living daylights scared out of you when you suddenly noticed me beside you inches from your drivers door, that you will remember this incident each and every time you drive from now on,  remember how lucky YOU were today to have not killed someone.  I just wish that I was able to have seen your license plate number so I could have called you into the police and reported you.  Maybe one of the vehicles following behind me did, maybe they reported you!  So in conclusion to the driver of the red vehicle, make what happened today your new years resolution to be a safer driver from now on.

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