As I mentioned in a recent post, part of what makes us who and what we are, in addition to what we eat and how we manage our thoughts and spirit, is how we regularly and rigorously we move our bodies.

For me, though I start my day with stretching and strengthening indoors, by far most of my exercise comes from riding a bike on the road everyday. The big problem for all of us who share that same passion for the road is that US traffic related cyclist and pedestrian injuries and deaths are only increasing year-to-year as shown in the two images below.

The reasons for the above:

o Visibility – drivers not seeing cyclists, runners, pedestrians
o Motor vehicle speed
o Increased number of people getting outdoors on foot and/or bikes
o Distracted driving
o Inadequate infrastructure

Yes, effecting real change to make roads safer for all is a long, steep climb. But the alternative, doing nothing, is unacceptable. We can make a difference only if we road athletes, enthusiasts, retailers and advocacy organizations unite our efforts, lead by example both on and off the road and advocate in growing numbers for coherent, consistent change community-by-community and state-by-state.

As a contributing member to a team effort, my Breitz! “Be bright, be seen!” performance wear brand is actively making a difference by igniting a “make roads safer for all” movement that includes:

o getting bright, bold performance driver-respectful wear on as many road athlete/enthusiasts as possible
o actively advocating for standardizing social distancing inspired 6-feet separation between motorized and non-motorized traffic by:
– working with local town and county government, police, DPW and Dept. of Transportation
– connecting with state legislative transportation committees
– working with national and state safety organizations (People for Bikes, League of American Bicyclists, MassBike, BikeWalkNC, and more)
o ensuring the Breitz! road safety message is relevant through daily cycling, running, walking and annual coast-to-coast cross-country road trips (since 2021 -with a bike in the back seat)…

…

…to experience and assess:
o local road conditions state-by-state, community-by-community
o accommodations for cyclist, pedestrian and motorized traffic
o motorized and non-motorized traffic behavior

Yes, like I mentioned above, the climb is steep, but It’s a labor of love with purpose – and a big smile moving the needle forward!

As a terrific friend of mine would say, you don’t have to buy the idea. Just rent it for a while and consider joining the effort.

Thanks & ride/run on!