Injured cyclist urges caution

Ken Angle was wearing a reflective vest, however as he cycled past a residential driveway, a car backed out and bumped him off his bike.

A cyclist is urging others to use extreme care on local roads after he was recently struck by a car.

Ken Angle was wearing a reflective vest as he cycled to work at the city’s public works yard on 30th Street NE, however as he cycled past a residential driveway, a car backed out and bumped him off his bike.

“He just rolled right into me, even though I was wearing one of those reflective vests, he still didn’t see me,” said Angle.

“It made me realize that even with safety precautions, cyclists need to be so careful, but also I wanted to spread the message to drivers. There are cyclists out there at all times of the day, so you need to be watching.”

Angle was riding to work at 6:45 a.m. when the incident took place. His knee was injured in the collision, but he said it could have been worse. He hopes cyclists will be proactive about safety. “Be as visible as possible, don’t wear dark colours, always wear your helmet. And make eye contact with drivers. Don’t’ assume they are aware of you.”

Angle still plans to ride his bike to work.

“I’ll be getting back to it,” he said with a laugh. “Although I might be a bit more jumpy than before.”

Salmon Arm Observer