by Polly Brake-Shoe
C.U.N.T., Volume 6, Summer 1997
So I was watching the news on TV. And a cyclist had been hit by a truck. She was alive, but her pelvis was broken. Her bike was a mangled wreck because it got pulled under the truck instead of her. As I watched the coverage I couldn't help thinking, "Ah shit, the truck thing is starting up again. Last summer two female cyclists were killed by trucks, and one was killed by a van. How long before we give in to the lure of conspiracy and start believing that THEY'RE OUT TO GET US?
City TV covered the story. The reporter said, "I don't ride a bike downtown, but I do drive a car. M van has a little mirror that lets me see everything that’s coming up beside me. But are cyclists doing their part to avoid collisions?" Nice mirror, geek. Hope you don't strain your neck muscles checking out your blind spot.
Then he went on to say how cyclists need to do all the wrong things: cower over on the side of the road like little mice, beg cars to cut them off at intersections, live in fear and suck exhaust, etc. etc. - you know the drill.
And, also true to form, NO MENTION WAS MADE OF THE TRUCK DRIVER WHATSOEVER.
But I'm thinking about that driver, Earn sure the woman with the broken pelvis is thinking about that driver, and I'm sure any other cyclist watching that newscast was thinking about that driver. That driver, bouncing along in his cushiony cab, high above the other traffic, thinking to himself, "I can't see a fucking thing that‘s going on near my wheels, but that's okay because my truck is so big, nothing can hurt me. Whoa, this is my turn, sheesh, almost missed it. Hope I make this delivery on time, wonder what that thumping noise was, maybe I should stop off and pay my girlfriend a visit, oops I hear sirens, wonder what‘s happening down there on the street, some idiot probably got hit by a car, hah hah hah.
I'm sure that truck driver has since had a moment or two of shock, maybe even remorse. But we know from experience that he‘ll get oft easy, we know from the news that nobody blames him, we know from last year that when cyclists get hit by trucks its like pulling teeth to make the media stop blaming the victims. We know from the people we talk to who say "Was she wearing a helmet?" that society at large still doesn't really mind when truck drivers run over bikes. And we know that it is going to change. Because we aren't little mice, we know how to ride our bikes, and we won‘t accept the blame for their ignorance and stupidity. The media and the cops may let that driver off easy, but cyclists won't, because we've been there.
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