skid, crash, sit.

I was just walking down Mass Ave. in Cambridge, running an errand when I heard the tell-tale sound of a car hitting/getting hit behind me. I hear a woman gasp and when I turn around, there's a car halfway through the intersection with a man sitting on the roof. Thinking about it now, the image makes me laugh but at the time, I rushed over to make sure no one was hurt.

The man on the roof was a 20 something bike messenger type, his bike was on the ground behind the car. The driver made a left turn without bothering to notice the bike and the bike hit him full speed in the front passenger door. The bike rider hpped down wincing but seemed ok. He'll have a bruise and some road rash but should be fine. The driver leaned out and asked if he was ok and if he should stop. The biker said yes and yes so of course the car drives away. Luckily, about 5 of us who were watching got the license plate and a nearby meter maid called for a cruiser. When I left a few minutes later, the kid was still a little shaken up but able to laugh it off. He'll get revenge when the driver is hauled in to account for the hit and run. Of interest: according to bike guy, jettas are the best cars to hi: the rounded edges don't hurt so much.

Lessons from this:

• For drivers: Bicycles should be treated as cars. They move as quickly as traffic in most cases, they have to obey the same rules and they get the right of way the same way other cars do.
• For cyclists: If you rely on your bike to get around to work/school, wear a fricking helmet. This kid didn't have one and to top that, he was wearing headphones. The accident wasn't his fault but he isn't helping his odds with the lack of protection/awareness. As someone who used to commute by bike and still ride around town, I trust my own skill and level of alertness but don't trust drivers around here to notice me and not hit me. The helmet was to insure that if anything happened, I wouldn't end up brain-dead in the hospital. If this were to happen, on the off chance that a coma allowed me to hear but not respond, I wouldn't want to lay there while my family told me what a dumbass I was for not wearing a helmet. That said, I don't understand those who wear their helmets around when off the bike. Around here at least, it isn't unusual to see someone run into a store with the helmet on but I've actually seen people wearing them in restaurants, long after they'd gotten out of that saddle. Do you forget you're wearing it or do you like the way it looks?