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LAYTON, Utah, Oct. 9, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Layton Police are investigating a fatal accident in which a bicyclist died when he was struck by a vehicle Monday night.
Layton Police Sgt. Paul Gardiner said the accident happened at about 9:30 p.m. on State Route 193 and Fort Lane.
A 41-year-old man was riding a bike eastbound on SR-193 when he was hit by a car. Gardiner said the man probably died instantly.
The driver, a 39-year-old woman, stayed on scene and flagged down a passing patrol car.
Gardiner said the victim was wearing a helmet and had lights on both the front and back of his bicycle; however, the area he was in is extremely dark.
“The road is by Hill Air Force Base, along a runway, so they can’t have a lot of lights and light poles along there,” Gardiner said.
He said the man was riding on the shoulder of the road, which is quite wide, and was not in a traffic lane, so it isn’t known why the vehicle hit him. Gardiner added that investigators with Layton City’s Traffic Division are looking at the possibility of impairment as a factor.
We must all care about these types of crashes but we must also ask, what if there was a way drivers could start the braking ¾ of a second sooner and stop 30 – 40 feet shorter. There is. Sad that those in charge of driver legislation and training refuse to teach student drivers the safer (But girly!) left foot braking method and ban driving instructors from teaching the very complicated and difficult to mentally maintain especially for older drivers (over 40!), inefficient (poor stopping distance) and dangerous (right foot pedal errors) right foot braking method on automatic transmission cars. See DOT HS 811 597, 812 058 and 812 431(spaces required). NHTSA insists on calling it “pedal misapplication” and always blames the driver rather than their beloved right foot braking method. Score to date 150,000 dead (19 every day), millions injured, and billions in costs. The price men both in and out of government are apparently willing to pay to maintain their systemic belief in the “Killer” right foot braking method on automatic cars even though they have zero scientific justification. As one transportation “expert” said “That’s the way it’s always been taught”! This is not about who has the safer braking method but rather why they refuse to scientifically compare the two methods! Was it driver error or the way we taught them to brake?