In Which A Cop Avoids Being Smushed

According to a story in the Aug. 26 Gazette, Iowa City Police Officer Ashten Hayes is one lucky woman.

She was struck by an SUV while riding her bicycle. She got pretty banged up, according to the paper, but didn’t break any bones.

From Thegazette.com--photo
Ashten Hayes
supplied of her wheel.

Her bicycle, as she notes in the news story, is “mashed potatoes.”

Hayes seems to have a good attitude about the whole thing—saying it was just an accident and describing the SUV driver as a “gentleman.” But for a bicycle commuter, it’s a reminder of the dangers of two wheels sharing the road with four.

And yes, I ride bike trails when I can, but trails don’t go everywhere.

Best of luck, Ms. Hayes, as you heal. You are quoted in the Gazette as advocating all bikers have lights and helmets—check and check. CR Biker endorses that idea. You also urge us to be aware of our surroundings—again, for a longtime bike rider, it may be easier said than done, but that doesn’t mean it should not be done.

And SUV drivers out there—please be careful. Don’t smash any bikers, neither IC cops nor old man college professors.