Editor, Daily Nexus,

I have always avoided biking the first week of the school year as the newbies try to learn how the bike paths work. However, halfway through Fall Quarter, some students still seem ignorant of how to use the bike path and cause accidents as a result. Some accidents are caused by people just trying to cross the bike path. Here are some tips based on my experiences.

First, don’t go the wrong way around the bike loop; it’s only going to save you two seconds and the rest of us have to try to avoid hitting you. Second, stop trying to multitask. I once witnessed a girl trying to drink a Jamba Juice and talk on her cell phone while biking! I can only wonder how that turned out. Hint: You’re not any better at biking with a cell phone than you are driving with one. We can’t get around you if you’re swerving in the lane – stay to the right of the lane or walk to class instead.

Sometimes students try to dart across the bike path when there isn’t space. Two years ago when I was biking to class, a skateboarder rolled their skateboard right in front of my bike. The guy saw me but barely tried to stop before crossing the bike path. Needless to say, I didn’t have time to brake and when my bike ran over his skateboard, I ended up eating asphalt. I cringe now whenever I see a speeding skateboarder who barely misses hitting a biker or a pedestrian.

I often wonder how many students get into an accident by the time they graduate. I have seen numerous bike accidents, some with serious enough injuries that cops needed to become involved. Can we all be a little more cautious and stop seeing how close we can get before we cause an accident?