Watch out for each other on the road

Last month, a Cheney Middle School student was struck by a car at the corner of Sixth Street and Golden Hills Drive. The driver of the car was a high school student on the way to Cheney High School. The bicyclist was riding on the wrong side of the road and was not wearing a helmet.

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. There are several lessons that can and should be taken from this incident.

First, parents should ensure their children are aware that bicyclists should ride with, not against, the flow of traffic. Second, always provide children with proper bicycle equipment and insist they use it.

Children, listen to your parents. Additionally, this should be a wake-up call to all drivers to remember that driving is a privilege, not a right, and comes with serious responsibilities like checking both directions before pulling into an intersection. It is so easy to forget to look back to the right once oncoming traffic from the left clears. We all — whether cyclists, runners, pedestrians or drivers — need to watch out for each other and help each other avoid collisions with potentially deadly consequences. Please remember this the next time you pull up to an intersection.

John Taves

Cheney