Why everyone should wear a bike helmet!

Bike Helmets....
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

This morning while I was stretching mind and body at my twice a week Pilates class, Sam hit the road on his mountain bike. As he was coming back to Chiavari alone on the road he was hit from behind by a car. Though Sam was way to the right, meaning out of the way of traffic, this driver clipped the handle bars of the bike and Sam literally hit the pavement - flying over the car and in to the middle of the road. Thank god that there was not another car behind the driver or one coming the opposite direction. Do you think the driver stopped? Not a chance, he slowed down and then, just took off. Meanwhile Sam was dazed and splayed out in the middle of the street. Luckily, Sam was able to get up and back on his bike, albeit a bit stunned. Sam was injured, but not enough to go the hospital. At least according to him. I have been trying to get him there all day.

Point of all this....

Wear your helmet when riding your bike - At all times! You never know what might happen. Sam did land on his head today, but his flash yellow helmet saved him from a serious head injury.

Though there are bad drivers around the world, I am sorry, some of the worst happen to live in Italy. I apologize to my Italian friends... but it is true.

Here is a little take on how Americans view driving in Italy...

Yes, there are some. People who say Italians do not know how to drive are measuring them by the wrong yardstick. They have a very controlled abandon to their driving. I will comment on eight statements that are common among those Americans who think Italians are crazy drivers.

1) 'I wish they would not get so close.' Italians drivers are much more comfortable driving much closer than is typical in America. 'An inch is as good as a mile' is easily translated into 'A centimeter is as good as a kilometer,' and they think nothing of getting that close. If you know to expect this and do not panic, you will be fine.

2) 'They keep cutting me off.' When driving in Italy, your responsibility is to those in front of you and those to your side. They rarely use their rear-view mirror. If there is an opening in front of you, it is your obligation to fill it, or someone will fill it for you. (See rule 1 for how little distance in front of you is necessary for this to happen.) You learned in driver's ed. that you should have one car length for every 10 m.p.h.. This will never happen in Italy except on the most deserted roads.

3) 'They almost ran me over.' To which the Italian might respond, "I didn't, did I?" When you, as a driver, encounter pedestrians, they are to walk as straight as possible and you are to avoid them (see rule 1). I call this 'the pigeon in the piazza' effect. Try walking or even running through a flock of pigeons. The pigeons are everywhere and they are close, but they never hit you unless you stop quickly. This is exactly opposite of, for example, New York cabbies, who drive absolutely straight and the pedestrian has the responsibility to avoid the cab.

4) 'They ignore stop signs and traffic lights.' This is a slowly fading myth. As less and less traffic is allowed in the center of the cities (don't even think of driving in Florence: you cannot get closer than a mile from anything historic by car), the Italians are obeying traffic signals more. It is clear why; streets are wider outside of the center, traffic is increased, and only major intersections have lights. No one would zip through an intersection that has a lot of traffic going through it. You may see traffic violations more often than in America, but the last time I was there, I did not see anyone driving in the bus lanes or driving through a red light through traffic. However, it is foolhardy to go through an uncontrolled, blind intersection quickly without at least a look or a small toot on the horn.

5) 'They have itty bitty cars.' Another slowly fading myth. The subcompact is the norm, but you will have to look hard these days to see what I was told was the 'typical Italian car', a 500 cc Fiat. As Italy has gotten more affluent, cars have been getting bigger, and you will be hard pressed to rent a car with less than 750 cc's. The 750 cc Fiat Panda that I drove could make it up to 85 m.p.h. on a straight flat road with three people and luggage. It had trouble up mountains, and it had a bit of sway in the curves, but it was quite serviceable.

6) 'There is no place to park.' This is not a myth. However, it is not as bad as you would think. There are usually large parking areas outside of the center of cities. And within cities, what makes for an acceptable parking place may be called a sidewalk in America. I have been told that the typical evolution of a parking space in Italy goes as follows.

"People are walking in the middle of the street because cars are parked directly next to buildings.
A sidewalk is made.
The cars park on the sidewalk.
A government employee is paid to collect a parking fee from those on the sidewalk.
Go to point #1. "
Still, because of parking and driving restrictions in the Triad, if time does not permit you to visit the smaller cities, towns and the countryside, I would suggest you forgo a car and stick to the train.

7) 'They do the strangest things on the highway.' What we consider strange is a consequence of the wider variety of vehicle powers, and what constitutes courtesy while passing. Some smaller vehicles that would never be allowed on American Interstates are found on the Autostrade at restricted speeds (80 or even 60 km/h; approx. 50 and 38 m.p.h., respectively). For most cars on most of the Autostrade, the speed limit is 100 km/h (61 m.p.h.). This is as widely ignored as our speed limits are. Above what we would consider 'reasonable speeding', Mercedes, BMW's and Alfa Romeo's go as fast as their engines will allow. To deal with this there is a four-step protocol for passing and being passed.

If being passed, you should put the right set of tires on the shoulder, if at all practical. This makes two lanes three. I have been able to pass on two lane roads in Italy with traffic approaching because the approaching car put their right wheel on the shoulder, too. This action is not for the unfamiliar or the faint of heart.
If you are passing, but intend to maintain speed, and return to the right (most of us), you should leave your left turn signal on until you are ready to return to the right when you change to your right turn signal.
If you are traveling in the left lane, and intend to go as fast as your car allows, do not put on your turn signal.
If you are in the left lane, approaching someone from behind who is going slower and you have no turn signal on, flash your lights at them. It is their responsibility to get out of your way. If you are on the receiving end of one of these 'light horns', act quickly or you will get run over. This is particularly frightening when going through a tunnel on a bright day, you cannot see the lines on the road well and someone comes up from behind.

8) 'I would just get lost.' You are right, but this should not overly upset you. You should not keep so tight a schedule that getting lost will harm you too much. Violent crime in Italy is very low, so, as opposed to America, being lost in a city is not a threat to life or limb. Besides, being lost can be scheduled in. A good estimate is that getting lost the first time will cost you about 20 minutes and any more after that will cost about 15 minutes. The more important time is, the more 'losts' you schedule in. Hotel reservations should have a 'three lost' cushion (50 minutes). Getting to a museum when it first opens needs only a 'one lost' cushion (20 minutes). So what if you get there early? Find a gelateria and have a two scoop lemon ice cream, or take a chair and have a Campari and soda or just sit in the piazza and watch children chase pigeons.