Photo & Text © 2010 Kim- Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved; no use, alteration, reproduction or republishing in any media.
Prior to last May I might not have seen pedicab drivers like this guy wearing a helmet. . .nor the majority of bike messengers I've photographed as they hustle around town, either. King County issued new helmet regulations in May. A lot of cities have apparently been caught off guard by how rapidly pedicab services are growing nation-wide. In the past two years, accidents involving pedicabs and cars in Seattle, New York, San Diego and elsewhere have resulted in fatalities or severe injury to passengers and pedicab drivers, so cities and counties have been trying to determine what appropriate business regulations for public safety might be needed. With our hills, rain, narrow streets and downtown traffic, it seems very wise for all cyclists to don helmets, but I get it that some pros have looked at it differently and that regulations have a big impact on small service businesses. It's just that so many of my cycling friends and even my bike commuter husband have been hit or, for whatever unexpected reason. . .a car door opened, a car driver turned into or in front of them, road debris. . ., found themselves flying through the air ass over teakettle and landed on their head--thankfully with their helmets lessening their head trauma and sparing their lives. When it's your job to ride like the wind all day like this guy, it's something to take seriously.
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