Dallas Mavericks star Shawn Bradley has received the very bad news. The 7'6" star is paralyzed from the waist down, reports CNN. He has become a paraplegic as a result of being hit by a car when he was riding his bike.
In getting around the road on a bike, Bradley represented the future of transportation. Deloitte calls that trend "micromobility" and sees small as highly functional.
It's economical, opening getting around to more income levels. The average cost of maintaining a car each month is $706, documents Nerd Wallet.
It's green.
And it helps solve urban challenges such as parking.
"Small" extends from the traditional bicycle to the e-scooter to the motorcycle to the trike.
But, as played out with Bradley, the issue is that in the mindset of many is that only for four-wheeled vehicles should be on the road.
The auto is totally embedded in the American ethos. A few years ago the Toledo Museum of Art sponsored a major exhibit on how the invention of the car had reshaped every institution - social, economic and cultural - in the U.S. That was "Life Is a Highway."
So, not surprisingly, drivers of cars frequently feel a sense of ownership of the road. Given that, it probably is also not a surprise that fatal bicycle accidents have increased 36% since 2010. Meanwhile motorcyclists are 29 times more likely to suffer a fatality in an accident than someone riding in a car. And, those on motor scooters are 35 times more at risk for a fatal injury than a driver of a car or a passenger in it.
The Bradley tragedy should bring more attention to the vulnerability of two- and three-wheelers by regulatory agencies.
Let us hope that Bradley can find his way through this adversity.
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