Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1900-02-24
BICYCLE ACCIDENTS.
Owth Of Experience Reduces the
Number Very Largely.
Rsckiessaess 81 seerehsrs Rsspensi-
bile for Most Mishaps-puiaa %
The Road Commonly
Observed.


The mishaps 20 wheelmen and pc
destrihns on account Of wheels gener-
ally begin in April and Increase each
month until cold weather sets In. Dur
Ing the last Ave years August has held
the record for mishaps In cycling. The
recklessueAs Of scorchers, instead Of
being diminished by the heat. appears
TO be increased, and with the temper
allure AZ 90 well.meaning ridera, also.
seem to be more ihoughtless Of their
own welfare and that OF others than
they are In the spring and fail. In the
summer Of 1897 the list OF bicycle ncci-
dents was 30 large that some riders Of
the ,imid sort were inclined 20 condemn
wheeling as a dangerous exercise. In
August OF that year more misfortunes
~ riders were reported IN the news.
papers than during any other two
months Of the season. Apparently the
only explanation Of the fact was that
the cyclists were more enthusiastic and
less cautious then than AT other times
The cycling season Of 1899 has been
conspicuous for It's comparatively small
number Of mishaps Judging from the
accounts IN the daily papers and from
the observations Of wheclmen, not one
half az many fatal accidents have oc.
CURED Ia New York this year az were
reported In 1895. and the !nfrequency 81
minor accidents has also been notice
able. There has been decided alb
senoe this year Of wheel women who are
likely TO lose their heads when IN close
quarters, and little has been heard OF
riders who used TO mistake curbstones
and holes In the street Tor asphalt pave
ment hut the exceptionally good luck
Of the cyclists may be attributed to
some very good reasons A veteran
rider who has himself Seen mixed up
In several bicycle accidents, accounts
for the wheels exceedingly gratifying
behavior lately a. follws;
Not since the bicycle first became
popular have riders exhibited so much
skill as now; skill rot only In keeping
their equilibrium. but IN avoiding other
cycles. and particularly In steering
clear Of street ears and four-wbeeled
vehicles. Their ability has come, not
through any increased attention on the
part Of cycle instructors, but solely
through experience. ~ course hun-
dreds OF men riders have been added
/ 10 the ranks this season, but nine-tontha
Of the pcdnlers 10 be seen on the streets
have ridden for az least two years and
have become pretty thoroughly ac.
quaintcd With their sport.
ut Is true also that much Of the good
/ fortune Of wheelmen has been due 10
the fact that they have learned 20 COM
promise, SO To say. with the drivers Of
trucks and other vehicles. The impress
sion which once prevailed among the
'blkers that they alone were entitled
20 the right Of way, has been removed
90 a large extent, and they are willing
now "a meet the drivers half way. o.
the other hand, drivers have discovered
that they cannot bully and brighten the
cyclists whenever they please. and that
the latter have rights In which they
win be protected by the police.
mot the least plausible explanation
Of the seasons good luck Is to be found
In the circumstance that fully one-haii
Of the wheels IN use to-day are equipped
with strong seryiceahle brakes, which
! their owners are able To use with telling
effect. While the absence Of brakes In
former years was responsible Tor many
injuries 70 riders, Il IL singular that in
many instances where wheels were
fitted with brakes the latter did little
good, because riders were unskilled IN
applying them. This was largely thu
reason why hrakcl were dccried when
an Nttempt was made TO compel their
use by passing q brake ordinance. OPP.
ponents OF the proposed measure de-
clared that riders who carried brakes
were as liable 20 accidents by collision
as were those who did not carry them
AT present brakes are regarded as q
necessity by many cyclists Of both sexes
who pretend 10 be able 90 manage their
hines properly."--N. Y. Sun.