Sadly, this is so very true. I know this first hand from the death of my daughter Robyn, who was killed bicycling on June 24th, 2019. - ThreadSky

jay.hightman.org • 200 days ago

Sadly, this is so very true. I know this first hand from the death of my daughter Robyn, who was killed bicycling on June 24th, 2019.

Reposted from Adam Tranter

Very important line here from Transport Secretary Louise Haigh on road safety:

"We treat road safety in a way as if it is somehow a natural accident. If the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads, were being killed in any other way, we'd be treating it as a pandemic."

Comments

sarahelawton.bsky.social•198 days ago

Me too, from the deaths of my parents, who were killed in a car crash on July 26, 1991 on a notorious multilane undivided highway. There are so many crosses and similar markers on that road. Unsafe roads like that are a policy choice. Jay, I’m so very sorry for your daughter’s death 💔.

jay.hightman.org•198 days ago

Had there been truly protected bicycle lanes in NYC, Robyn would be alive today. Three weeks later, my daughter Rachel, who was on the UVA Tri-athlete team, was t-boned by a distracted driver, while she road in a bicycle lane. I nearly lost both of my children!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hinQMfbs7O4

sarahelawton.bsky.social•198 days ago

Your daughter is very articulate! I’m so glad she survived. 💜
In my parents’ case, they were hit head on by a van that hydroplaned across several lanes of undivided highway—driver was speeding. My parents were killed, my 16yo brother critically injured, and a passenger in the van was killed.

sarahelawton.bsky.social•198 days ago

Sorry, that was slightly misstated - the passenger in the van that hit my parents was gravely injured and she lost the baby she was carrying. Driver of the van was not hurt. My brother lived!—though long recovery. My parents left four children: 12, 16, 23, 25. It happened on my brother’s birthday.❤️‍🩹

sarahelawton.bsky.social•198 days ago

So much grief from traffic events — and much of the carnage is a policy choice.

jay.hightman.org•198 days ago

I worked with Marianne Karth, in the recording of the NHTSA & USDOT Advisory Committee on Underride Protection (ACUP) meetings.

It was heart breaking to hear the stories which she shared. These, like Robyn's, did not need to occur had rules been in place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdqmgl2SwyI

smith538.bsky.social•200 days ago

Absolutely. If this many people were killed and gravely injured by a disease, we’d be doing something about it. But we dont. Why?

jay.hightman.org•200 days ago

Here are some facts:

As reported by the CDC, each year about 1.19 million people die worldwide from road violence. This has remained fairly consistent since reported in 2018 by WHO. It's leading cause of death for people 5 to 29.

To date (1/2020 to 11/2024), over 7 million have died from COVID-19.

angjbp.bsky.social•198 days ago

I am so sorry for your loss of Robyn.

jay.hightman.org•198 days ago

This is a loss I feel everyday, but it is especially acute on holidays.

A Father’s Dread: Grieving Dad Turns Agony to Activism for ‘Incredible’ Daughter
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2023/06/18/a-fathers-dread-grieving-dad-turns-agony-to-activism-for-incredible-daughter

maggielanoue.bsky.social•196 days ago

Thank you for sharing this. I have family members who cycle a lot and have had multiple accidents. So sorry for your loss.

robwitts.bsky.social•200 days ago

so sorry for your loss

jay.hightman.org•198 days ago

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