Common Sense

I was online reading as usual and I stumbled across an article about a man in a wheelchair being hit by a car in Sacramento County in California. The article said the man was outside the marked cross walk in the wheelchair that had no reflectors and could not be seen by the driver. Being the inquisitive person that I am I typed in my search engine man in wheelchair hit by car, you would not believe the amount of results that turned up. In St. Petersburg, a man in a wheelchair was hit and killed by an on-duty police officer. It mentioned in the article that the man was wearing dark clothing and could be seen by the police officer. The police officer was riding in the southbound lane and the man in the wheelchair was on the shoulder of the road going in the same direction.

I use a wheelchair and in the beginning stages of the recovery from my TBI I used to ride my wheelchair in the dark on the road.   At that time I did not have any reflectors on my wheelchair. It is a miracle that I was never run over. As time has gone on my recovery has progressed, I have gained common sense that for so long eluded me. I sport reflectors on my electric wheelchair now and stay off the road when it is dark.

People who use wheelchairs should not expect preferential treatment on or off the road. If you're going to ride your wheelchair on the road you should obey all the rules and laws that a pedestrian must abide. Whether you are walking, riding a bicycle or using a wheelchair a little common sense could save you from a serious injury, the loss of your life or being the cause of a debilitating or fatal accident for another person.