Ride of Silence, May 19
yoder...@gmail.com
Press Release
Contacts:
Danny Jones
National ride website:
Local cyclists remembered
On May 19, cyclists around the world will take part in a Ride of Silent in memory of those cyclists who have been hit by distracted or careless motorists in the past year and to make the public more aware that cyclists and motorists need to share the road. The ride is also a chance to mourn, in the manor of a funeral procession, those cyclists who were killed.
Cyclists in Goshen will participate in a Ride of Silence May 19 as well. The ride starts at 7 p.m., and it will begin and end at Lincoln Avenue Cycling, 430 West Lincoln Ave., Goshen, Ind. The ride is free, and organizers ask cyclists to ride no faster than 12 miles per hour (a minimum of 8 mph) and remain silent for the duration of the hour-long ride. Cyclists should arrive at the starting location at 6:30 p.m. so the ride can leave promptly at 7 p.m. In case of rain, the ride will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 22, and a cancellation announcement will be posted on the Lincoln Ave. Cycling website by 3 p.m. on the 19th .
Our area has seen at least six cycling fatalities in the past four years. In September 2020, Tyler Allen Carver, 24, was killed at the intersection of County Road 10 and County Road 15 in Elkhart County. In November 2020, Leon Yoder, 44, was killed on County Road 38 just east of County Road 37 near Millersburg. In August 2019, Goshen resident Dr. Dereck Klopfenstein, 49, was killed after being struck from the rear in the 11,000 block of Pierce Road near South Bend. Also in August 2019, West Noble running coach, Charles Schlemmer, 58, was killed when hit by a U-Hall truck on River Road south of County Road 900 N in Noble County. In September 2018, M.J. Beachler, 78, was killed crossing South 15th Street at the crosswalk between the entrance to the Winona Railway Trail bike path and Greencroft Manor in Goshen. Also, in September 2018, Ronald Strieby, 70, was killed by a hit-and-run motorist at the intersection of County Road 800 N and County Road 650 East near North Webster in Kosciusko County. We are not aware of fatalities in 2017 or 2016 or 2015, but two cyclists were killed in 2014, two in 2013 and three in 2012.
Nationally, 857 people lost their lives in bicycle-motor vehicle crashes in 2018, the last year for which statistics are available, up from 806 in 2017. That same year, 47,000 cyclists were injured in accidents (Cyclist fatalities and injuries, 2009-2018). Over the past 10 years, bicycle fatalities from motor vehicle crashes have averaged 749 per year in the U.S. NHTSA statistics on crashes.
Chris Phelan organized the first Ride of Silence in 2003 in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was killed, having been struck by the mirror of a passing bus on an otherwise empty road. Several other cyclists were injured after being struck by a motorist.
Participants are encouraged to bring photos of those who they know that have been lost and to wear black armbands. Helmets are required and lights are recommended for those who may be riding home after the ride.
In 2019, the last year before the pandemic canceled most Rides of Silent, there were 373 Rides of Silence in 20 countries and in 47 U.S. states and on all seven continents www.rideofsilence.org.
Who is getting killed in bicycling crashes? A detailed breakdown of the age, gender and location of bicycle crash victims is available from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, 2018 Bicyclists and other Cyclists Traffic Safety Fact Sheet .
Some of the more noteworthy trends and numbers from this report are:
- Seventy-nine percent of pedalcyclists who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2018 were in urban areas. (Pedalcyclists are bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheel, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles, and unicycles powered solely by pedals.)
- Over the 10-year period 2009 to 2018, the average age of pedalcyclists killed in motor vehicle crashes has increased from 41 to 47.
- The pedalcyclist fatality rate per million people was 7 times higher for males than females, and the pedalcyclist injury rate per million people was 5 times higher for males than for females in 2018.
- Alcohol involvement – either for the motor vehicle driver or for the pedalcyclist – was reported in 37 percent of all fatal pedalcyclist crashes in 2018.
John Yoder
John Yoder