With Bicycle Safety Month underway in May, Wichita Falls cycling advocates are pressing for more driver awareness following three deaths involving cyclists in the area over recent months.
According to News Channel 6, 45-year-old Kevin Reese and his 23-year-old daughter McKaylee were struck from behind by an SUV in March while riding near the Vitro Glass plant on the north edge of the city. Both died at the scene. In April, Larry Don Armstrong was killed in a separate vehicle-versus-bicycle crash.
Calls for driver attention
Ashley Sisk, the city's Bicycle Friendly Coordinator, said she has been in contact with the families of the victims.
"It's hard for them to hear that the reason that their family was killed was because they didn't see them on a windshield," Sisk said. "I think that we should all make sure that whenever we're driving, we have to be looking out of our windshields. We have to be attentive. And this is preventable."
David Coleman, chairman of the Hotter'N Hell Hundred, said inattentive driving carries consequences for drivers as well as cyclists.
"Your life can change if you're not paying attention, and it's not going to change in a good way," Coleman said. "To have that on your conscience would be a horrible thing. It's just one more reason to not drive distracted."
City guidance and memorial ride
City officials are recommending that cyclists avoid heavily traveled roads where possible and use the city's Circle Trail to keep separation from vehicle traffic.
A memorial ride for recent and past victims of bicycle crashes is scheduled for May 31 at 6 p.m. at Hamilton Park.