Richard Swanson was hit by a truck and killed along the highway 250 miles into his 10,000 mile journey to Brazil…

I hate reading articles like this:  http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/15/us/oregon-soccer-trekker-killed. Richard Swanson was an inspiration to many. He set a goal to dribble a soccer ball for charity from Seattle, WA to the 2014 World Cup in São Paulo, Brazil and was working to achieve it. There is an ongoing investigation about this highway incident. Based on this article, the driver of the truck is cooperating.

A blue soccer ball. Image used according to license permissions. © 2013 123RF Limited.

Unfortunately, injury and death are real dangers when venturing onto roads or highways on foot or by bike. I train for athletic events by running along the shoulders of many roads and minor highways; I bike on the road with cars, buses, and trucks. I’ve witnessed cars swerve toward me in both situations either on purpose or because of distracted driving. While I adhere to all traffic laws, my safety is never guaranteed. No cyclist or runner’s safety is guaranteed on the road.

I often wonder why the sight of a person or bicycle on the road can cause anger for drivers. What do you do when you see a cyclist, runner, or walker sharing the road? Do you get angry? Do you slow down or speed up to pass them? Do you yell or honk? Why? Ideally, everyone would simply slow down a little and give the individual plenty of room.

A member of the STS Cycling Team traveling through Biloxi, MS

Deaths like Swanson’s are avoidable. Why do they continue to happen? I think there are multiple problems working together with this issue. Most people believe, “It can’t happen to me.” Most people under-estimate the power of their automobile.

Consider these facts:

— Most cars weight roughly 4000 lbs or more.
— Most adult bicycles weigh roughly 30 lbs.
— Mountain bikes average 13-15 mph (with knobby tires) – depending on rider
— Mountain bikes average 15-18 mph (with slick tires) – depending on rider.
— Road bikes average 18-22 mph – depending on rider.

Motorized vehicles are far heavier and far faster than a bicycle, a runner, or a walker. Any contact from an automobile to a bicycle or pedestrian can be catastrophic and cause severe injury or death.

Woman running on roadway or highway. Image used according to license permissions. © 2013 123RF Limited.

Richard Swanson was someone’s son, husband, father, uncle, and grandfather. This could have happened to anyone, but it doesn’t have too. When you are driving – ONLY drive. The phone call can wait; the text message can wait; the food can wait; the drink can wait. Concentrate on the road and the vehicles around you.

Thank you for reading. Continue Sharing the Road with pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, school buses, and other vehicles!

May is National Bike Month. There may be more cyclists on the road in your area. This is also the start of the National Bike Challenge that runs May – September.

You can subscribe to my Blog here: https://www.schooltrainingsolutions.com/feed

Resources:

Article on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/15/us/oregon-soccer-trekker-killed

Richard Swanson’s website: http://breakawaybrazil.com/ and  facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreakawayBrazil

School Training Solutions Sharing the Road!

Video Blog – 5/10/13 – News and Updates

School Training Solutions (STS) UPDATES

My Weekly Updates:

Hello everyone. It looks like these video blogs are going to be a weekly thing. Thank you for visiting the School Training Solutions Website and watching my video blog.

For those of you who may be new to STS, we offer online training for school bus drivers and other school employees. Our most popular products are related to online school bus driver certification training and testing in West Virginia, Florida, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

However, we offer a full range training topics from school bus driver classroom curriculum to Sexual Harassment Awareness training and other employee orientation or yearly refresher topics. We commonly create custom catalogs of training based on what a school district, organization, or department needs. If you are interested in seeing our products, contact me.

Our “Sharing the Road” campaign is still going. We’ve modified the coupon code to be active throughout the month, instead of only during the events we participate in. If you are looking for online defensive driving classroom training, this is the product for you.

I am on day 19 of my #TShirtChallenge to support @OneFundBoston. This fund helps those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing. You can see my daily shirt on the Boston Marathon blog post. I’ve included a link in the transcript below.

I am going to be at multiple conferences in the upcoming summer months. In June, look for me in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the OAPT Tradeshow & Conference and in Punta Gorda, Florida at the FAPT Tradeshow & Conference.

Before I go, I want to apologize that the comments are turned off on this blog. I tried if for a while, but the SPAM comments were overwhelming. This video can absolutely be an open conversation. Find me on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to continue the conversation OR email me!

Thanks for watching – See you next week.

https://www.schooltrainingsolutions.com/sharetheroad

https://www.schooltrainingsolutions.com/blog/boston-marathon-what-can-i-do/

Twitter: @SchoolTraining

Facebook: Smart Horizons Sts / School Training Solutions (STS)

Sharing the Road & School Training Solutions (STS) UPDATES

My weekly updates:

Hello everyone. Thank you for visiting the School Training Solutions Website and watching my weekly video blog.

The Sharing the Road Campaign is still going strong. The online course is available at the discounted ($20.00) rate until the end of May. In June we will offer the Threat of Road Rage, and in July we will offer a different course.

In July Team STS is participating in RAGBRAI – which is a very large bicycle ride across the state of Iowa. We were selected as part of the lottery system for participants.

Team STS is also participating in a couple local runs this weekend. Look for us at the Pensacola Fiesta 10K run and the Navarre Beach Sunset Stampede 5K run.

If you are interested in our Sharing the Road campaign please visit: www.schooltrainingsolutions.com/sharetheroad

I also have a T-shirt Challenge running until June 17^th to honor those affected by the Boston Marathon attack. You can see that progress on the STS Blog or on twitter. @SchoolTraining – #tshirtchallenge.

Before I sign off, I wanted to remind everyone that May is National Bike Month. You may see more people on bicycles. Slow down and give them room.

Stay safe and continue sharing the road!

A Reminder About School Bus Safety

School buses remain the safest way for children to get to and from school because of a team of very hard working people. Drivers, monitors, teachers, children and MORE help to ensure this school bus safety. Other drivers on the road ALSO contribute. Remember to be aware of your surroundings as you are driving to work. Take this opportunity to see how a school bus stacks up. Our info graphic puts things into perspective.

Share the road with school buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians!

School Bus Safety and Statistics

Sharing the Road UPDATES and Cycling News & Tips

Hello everyone!

First I want to say Thank you to everyone who supported us (Team Sharing the Road) while we were on the road in New Orleans, participating in the Ironman 70.3 event.

The School Training Solutions, Sharing the Road campaign is going strong.

We’ve added more events this month and extended the discount for the Sharing the Road online course. This course will be available, with the discount, until the end of May.

Our “Threat of Road Rage” online course will be available at a discount for the month of June. A third online course will be available for July.

There is a lot of “Cycling News” this week:

May is National Bike Month. This is sponsored by the League of American Bicycles and includes a lot of cycling activities, including a “Biking to Work” initiative.

May 1 – September 30 marks the 2013 National Bike Challenge. The Challenge is an exciting health and wellness initiative that encourages people to bike for transportation and recreation.

If you are interested in participating in any National Bike Month activities, I’ve included links to sponsor websites in the body of this post.

I am planning to bike to work during the Month of May.

A lot of people think that commuting to work on a bike takes too much time.

As a rule of thumb, commuting to work via cycling will take about twice as long as driving. However, trips less than 3 miles are often faster by bike, and those 5 to 7 miles long take about the same time, as driving.

Just something to think about.

Thank you for watching and reading. If you would like to follow our Sharing the Road campaign or access one of the online courses we are offering, visit: www.schooltrainingsolutions.com/sharetheroad

Remember while driving be aware of your surrounds and continue sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, school buses, and other vehicles.

http://www.bikeleague.org/
http://www.endomondo.com/campaign/nbc2013
https://www.schooltrainingsolutions.com/sharetheroad