Pit Pastor: January	PDF | Print | E-mail
	Author: Troy Wong
	Location: Diamond Bar, CA

Usually I’ll try to write something spiritual and inspirational in this column. This month I just can’t resist giving a little public service announcement.

Bradley Walck thought he had knocked over a mailbox with his pickup truck. That is until he looked in the rear view mirror and saw another driver running to the side of the road. Walck had hit cyclist Ardie Lewis and thrown him 90 feet on impact. Lewis died soon after. Walck had been reading a text when he hit Lewis.

A University of Utah study demonstrated that cell phone use while driving creates impairment equivalent to 0.08 blood-alcohol content. For those of us not up to snuff on the driving code, 0.08 is legally drunk in all 50 states.

The problem is a lot of people in the general population think they can drive safely and still text or hold a phone to their ear. As motocrossers, we’re trained to look ahead and be ready for anything. We also tend to have faster reactions than the general population. So I’m guessing we think we’re even better suited to drive and text or drive and talk (non-hands free). Don’t do it.

A lot of us cycle to stay fit. I’ve been cycling on and off for the last 24 years. I’ve noticed it is much, much more dangerous out there now with all the cell phone users. If you’re out on the road, be very aware and very defensive.

Troy