Biking is an eco-friendly way to get outside and exercise, but for one Redditor, their morning ride turned into an experience that could've been fatal.
In their post in the r/Cycling subreddit titled "Nearly died today," the biker explained their frightening encounter.
As they rode through their neighborhood in Baltimore with a 30 mph speed limit, a car in the opposite lane lost control while going around a sharp curve at speeds the biker estimated was over 50 mph.
The cyclist hoped that the driver would stop, but as soon as they realized the vehicle was coming head-on, they made a split-second decision that likely saved their life.
"The car never slowed down … at the last second, I jumped off the bike and dove into ground away from the curb and into a wooded area. I saw the car missed me by 1-2 feet as I dove away," the original poster said.
While the user escaped relatively unscathed, they linked photos that proved their story wasn't hyperbolic.
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"The front wheel ended mangled on a nearby tree, while the rest of my bike was totaled," they wrote.
To make matters worse, the driver sped off without checking on the cyclist, who managed to recover all the equipment that flew off their bike except a GoPro that could've identified the suspect or caught a license plate.
The Redditor searched for hours and even purchased a metal detector, but it was all for naught.
Unfortunately, this anecdote is one of just many stories of a cyclist getting hurt, many of which could have been avoided altogether had there been a protected lane or designated bike path.
Considering that bikers emit 84% less carbon dioxide than those who do not cycle, according to researchers at the University of Oxford, implementing such measures would be wise for the sake of the planet. Furthermore, you can save around $4,000 by ditching your car for a bicycle.
However, to reap the environmental and financial benefits of cycling, safer infrastructure needs to be implemented to encourage future generations of bikers.
It's something that could've prevented the Redditor from getting hurt or losing their possessions, but at least they didn't lose the most priceless thing of all.
"Good reactions. Glad you're alive and not seriously hurt," one person commented.
"Yet cyclists coasting through stop signs are the problem. It's insane how many bad drivers in 4,000-lb steel cages I witness while out riding," said another.
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