This is my short rant...so I got hit by a car today while riding my bike to work. Don't worry, so far all I've got is a bruise on my leg and possibly a sprained knuckle (if that's possible). And no I didn't go to the hospital because I'm a firm believer that unless it's broken or something you can't fix with soap, there is no reason to go to the doctor and pay a lot of money just to hear them say "sorry I can't help you. it will heal naturally on its own." Thank you Captain Obvious. So if my hand gets worse I'll go but if not I'm going to save my time and money for something more worthwhile like a trip to Bali or something.
I'm just a little pissed that this happened in the first place. I've been riding a bike in cities bigger than Maizuru since I was 8 or 9 and I've NEVER gotten hit before. And once the accident happened I kept playing it in my mind like maybe I did something wrong, like I didn't look around at my surroundings. But I did! I was on a main road and at the intersection, where I got hit, there was no light and it was a blind spot for both the driver and the bicyclist. So the driver of the van, who hit me, should have stopped at the big white line before the intersection and LOOKED both ways before entering the crosswalk so s/he can see all the bike riders and pedestrians who have the right of way. But this old man didn't! He just sped right into the intersection and if I hadn't slammed on my brakes I would have gotten hit straight on instead of hitting the side of the car.
In the end I'm ok (I'll know for certain tomorrow when the pain truly sets in) but now I'm a little paranoid about being hit again. It feels strange that I feel safer riding a bike in a big city than I do in a small one. But I've noticed that the drivers here take less caution probably because they think they're the only ones on the road compared to big city drivers who KNOW they're not the only ones on the road (even though they wish they were).
So that's my story...sorry it wasn't a proper four letter word rant but I feel better and in the end that's what a rant is all about, making the person feel better. Well take care and again thanks for reading!
3 件のコメント:
Holy crap! I'm glad to hear you're alright, and I don't blame you for being mad! I've noticed this about drivers here too, even when I'm only on foot - they very rarely stop for non-auto traffic. And when they do, they're practically on top of you! My outgoing teacher warned me the first day about it. I hope everything is okay and that this is a "first time/last time" accident!
to me, drivers' awareness in the US is much more cautious on pedestrians and bikers. studying for my written test the first few days i arrived in LA, i came across a sentence in California drivers handbook that read something like driving is a privilege not a rights. It really struck me. coz the mindset that i used to have with me before coming to the US was that pedestrians/bikers have to "yield" to cars...and of course drivers are kings of the roads!
But here it's the reverse.
and good to know you're ok!!
I got hit by a car on a bike before. Japanese people are totally oblivious. I bet he was so shocked though... the lady who hit me, her eyes grew to the size of melons, one because she hit someone, and she hit a FOREIGNER.
I'm glad you walked it off. Battle scars are good for parties.
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