Letter to NPR Life Kit
Giving drivers a pass: my response to an article about bicyclist and pedestrian safety
Screen capture of the NPR Life Kit article.
National Public Radio has a program called Life Kit which recently posted this article about tips for bicyclist and pedestrian safety. There was a lot of backlash online and it created a stir among Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition members as well. I’m a long time listener and supporter of NPR, plus I’m a certified League Cycling Instructor. I worked for nearly 12 years at the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (now Bike LA), primarily as the Education Director. I managed educational programming for Metro Los Angeles and multiple City sponsored programs in the County. I had some thoughts about the article and decided to share them in an email to NPR, and now here.
Dear NPR Life Kit,
As a sustaining member of LAist and NPR, I was disappointed to see your Life Kit piece "8 walking and biking safety tips that just might save your life." I'm a certified bicycling instructor and a long time Active Transportation advocate. You cannot give legitimate safety advice for bicyclists and pedestrians without also addressing the behaviors of motor vehicle drivers.
All too often, advice and direction is given to vulnerable road users with little or no instruction for motor vehicle users. I encourage you to do some research and you'll see that the proportion of advice and recommendations aimed at pedestrians and bicyclists is far greater than direct instruction aimed at drivers. The assumption seems to be that drivers are dangerous and we just have to accept that without question. So all we can do is tell pedestrians and bicyclists how to save their own skin. I expect better from NPR.
I'm sure your intent was good, but there is so much we don't do in our country to protect vulnerable road users that a piece like yours becomes victim blaming. The advice isn't inherently bad (well, some of it is), but in the context of how poorly we as a country prevent crashes, it becomes ridiculous if you don't address drivers directly.
You mentioned in your piece, "DON'T put yourself in danger just because you have the right of way. While drivers are responsible for driving safely, road safety is everyone's responsibility." I could pick apart every single recommendation you gave, but this is the worst part of your piece. No bicyclist can ride on the road, no pedestrian can cross a street, without the expectation that one's right of way will be respected. To then say that road safety is everyone's responsibility ignores the imbalance between vulnerable road users and motor vehicle drivers. My responsibility as a bicyclist is NOT the same as someone driving a two ton vehicle capable of high speed. It simply isn't the same. The responsibility of the driver is far greater. And that's why we are required to have a driver's license and insurance to operate a motor vehicle and we're not required to be licensed to ride a bike or walk. But it doesn't end with a license or an insurance payment. It extends to behavior on the road and drivers should be held to a much higher standard than they currently are. We've lost sight of the inherent differences between drivers and vulnerable road users by stating that we're all equally responsible. That statement also doesn't take into account children, the elderly, or people with disabilities. There should be more onus placed on licensed drivers, simply because the act of driving a motor vehicle creates the greater risk in the first place.
I ask that you publish a follow up in which you acknowledge your error and you publish directions for drivers. It would also be great if you referenced a number of sources that explain how bad road safety is in the US and what can be done about it. I recommend a recent series published by Calmatters, and Streetsblog has been providing excellent reporting on these issues for years.
Sincerely,
Colin Bogart
Pasadena CA
