Bicyclists have as much right to be on highways as drivers

It was a bicyclist’s worst nightmare. A group of 30 riders were making their way along Optimist Farm Road in Holly Springs, a suburb of Raleigh, a week ago when a 76-year-old man, apparently drunk, plowed into them. One cyclist was killed, and a dozen other riders were seriously injured. Donald R. Morris-Jones was arrested. He appeared in court to answer several charges, including felony death and felony hit-and-run, that could put him in prison for the rest of his life. The riders are members of the Carolina Cycling Club. The road they were riding on that day goes through a residential area. It is a wide, quiet stretch of road without much traffic. The driver crossed the center line and hit the riders head-on as they were biking in a double file to leave ample space between them and the center line. The driver continued on after striking the bikers and only stopped when he crashed his car into a ditch. He was being held on a $1 million bond.

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