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Monday, October 26, 2009

Crashes, Not Accidents, Plague N.M. Roadways

By Elena Kayak
Corrales Cycling Club
          Reading about the Carlos Fierro hit-and-run described as an "accident" makes me think we have lost the ability to use language to describe reality. Regardless of whether William Tenorio was walking backward or forward, he did not deserve to be slammed to his death by the drunken Fierro.
        Was Heather Reu's death an accident? Police say Daniel Gomez had a crack pipe in his vehicle and tried to run away after he slammed into her while she was riding her bike.
        If you are texting in your car and you slam into me while I am cycling to work, is that an accident?
        Recently, Bike ABQ organized a memorial ride for the 100-plus New Mexican cyclists who have been killed in the last 20 years, including Johnny Mondragon, who was fatally hit when only 6 years old. He died 19 years ago, another victim of a hit-and-run crash. Accidentally killed?
        It's time this state emerged from the dark ages and did something proactive to stop the killing on our roads:
        Legislate against texting and cell phoning in motor vehicles. Not two years from now, but in the next regular session in Santa Fe. No waiting for little municipalities to take the lead. The evidence is abundant and conclusive.
        Strengthen DWI laws to the maxest max. The current law says a conviction of aggravated DWI (bodily injury to a person while DWI) carries a mandatory jail sentence of between 48 hours and 90 days. This is a joke. You're drunk, you slam me, I'm in the hospital and you're in jail for two days?
        Provide safe access for alternate transportation. For many years, the NMDOT has been taking federal dollars for road projects and then (ignoring the needs of all users). Let's not let the state behave as an innocent bystander as it continues to resurface roadways by layer-caking shoulders so travel is dangerous for all users. Fix Corrales Road and countless others before someone dies because of a bad mix of poor design and maintenance, DWI, texting and cell phoning.
        Educate our drivers. From teenagers to seasoned and supposedly savvy seniors, there is a widespread lack of knowledge of the effects of alcohol, texting, drug and cell phone use and the impact on people's lives. Use the school systems, driver's ed classes, churches, senior citizen centers, community access channels, even the bathroom stall public service announcements; whatever it takes to convince motorists that they can ruin their own lives and the lives of others by making the wrong choices in their cars.
        Enforce the New Mexico Child Helmet law. I pass schools every day with school resource officers sitting in their cars watching students cycle past without helmets and they don't bother to make the effort to speak with the students. This is what community policing means: Respect comes from connections, from children who know you care for them and want them home safely.
        I used to be annoyed when pulling up to an intersection on my bicycle and the car next to me was bumpin' the Tupac. Now, I'm grateful that the noisy driver has his hands on 10 and 2 and the cell phone is on the seat. Our expectations of drivers should be no less than that they be fully devoted to maneuvering a 2-ton collection of steel and glass with both eyes out for children walking home from school, seniors exercising, parents with babies in strollers and me on my bike. There's only so much fluorescent I can dress in daily: I need to believe that drivers are alert and aware of the road they and I share.
        My friend John Rodolph, the holder of a world record in wheelchair racing, was hit and killed in October 1995 when a dump truck and a pickup truck collided and slid into him. The New York Times, quoting the Rio Rancho police, reported that John died at the scene of the accident.
        Let's be clear on the difference between an accident and a crash.
        Elena Kayak is the Safe Routes to Schools Champion for Corrales Elementary School and was a New Mexico delegate to the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. in March 2009. She is the president of the Corrales Cycling Club.