One week ago there was a horrific accident on a Saturday morning group ride in Tucson. A woman drove her car through a pack of ten cyclists, hitting 8 of them. Miraculously, no one was killed. That’s the first question I had when I heard the news. One of the riders is still in the hospital following a surgery to repair a shattered femur, I believe.

What are the consequences when a driver acts recklessly, sending four human beings to the hospital with serious and potentially life-threatening injuries, all of whom were over the age of 50? You get an improper passing citation. All of the riders were in their right, law abiding, and riding on a remote, flat, straight, road at 6:00am. It was light by the time the accident occurred, and they all had blinky lights on their bikes anyway.

I don’t think the driver should be allowed to drive anytime soon, and I hope she thinks about what happened every single time she gets behind the wheel of a car. I hope somebody gives her a bike, a helmet, some road safety lessons, driver’s ed, and a year or two, and then maybe the privilege of driving again.

Her ‘improper passing’ risked 10 human lives and has inflicted life-lasting injuries, and a horrific life-changing experience for all of them. I’m disappointed in the local media for initially not reporting the accident, and then underplaying its severity. I’m disappointed in the ‘slap on the wrist’ they handed the driver. But most importantly, everyone survived and I wish them all a thorough recovery.