BIKES: Make them street legal

Our roads were originally designed for cars. The law says a car has to have lights, horn, mirrors and insurance. If I ride my ATV on the streets or roads it has to be street legal with the same equipment as a car, plus insurance.

I have a daughter who has had two wrecks, both on bicycles. One she almost tore her finger off and the other she broke her collarbone. They both involved other bike riders and both because she was riding with her head down, training for Ironman. Many of the bike riders I see are training for something, riding with heads down and oblivious to what is around and behind them.

A bicyclist should at least have a mirror and they should remember that a car is a lot faster and bigger. If they are sharing a road with automobiles they should be courteous as they expect a motorist to be. Even farm equipment that has to drive on the roads has at least a slow moving vehicle sign on them.

So what I don’t understand is why a bike doesn’t even have to have a mirror on them so the rider can see what’s coming up behind, especially when the riders are side by side. Why are bikes not required to be somewhat street legal? Of course they could take their street legal equipment off when cones, etc. are set out for a race.

ED SHARP

Coeur d’Alene