Yesterday, I came the closest I have ever come to killing someone.
At 1 p.m. on Aug. 14, I was driving on Wendt towards Thalia. As I was about 20 yards from the stop sign, a young teen, about 14 years old, on an e-bike came down Thalia at a very high rate of speed and turned onto Wendt, on my side of the road. I slammed on the brakes, and she stopped one yard directly in front of the center of my car. If I had been going a bit faster or was not paying 100% attention, that young woman would have been killed.
The construction workers who witnessed this and I were totally shocked by what happened. Frankly, I felt dizzy in the aftermath. The young woman on the bike took off as quickly as possible, so we had no chance to speak with her. I wish there was something I could do about this. I have no idea who the young woman was, so I cannot speak with her or her parents. There is nothing the police can do either, based on a call I made later.
It is really up to parents to try to communicate to these riders that they need to obey the rules of the road and that there can be deadly consequences if they do not.
I know most young kids think it “cannot happen to them,” but trust me, it nearly happened to one of them yesterday afternoon.
Jim Rogers, Laguna Beach
I thank motorists like Mr. James Rogers for being extra vigilant while our young eBike riders learn to handle their new wheels. To all 14-yo riders I recommend you attend the eBike Traffic Safety School held at Thurston Intermediate on Saturdays, check with LB PD for their latest schedule. Why do you want to sit in this class for street safety training? Because all your 14yo girlfriends are already there.
Here are some pictures from a class in-sesson at Thurston. https://nextdoor.com/p/M_Mbc2wJG_bS?view=detail