Distracted driving becomes personal for bicyclist's widow

Jim Rogers took his last ride on Jan. 31, 2010

Never in a million years did I imagine Jim would be killed in a cycling accident. Our world was turned upside down.

Jim Rogers was born on Jan. 2, 1957, to Allan and Betty Rogers. They say he was always sweet and easy-going.

He entered his first bicycle race in his early teens and was 14 when he won the Nevada City Classic young junior. By then, he and his buddy Ron Miller, along with Ron’s parents, opened the Tour of Nevada City Bike Shop. They worked there after school and on weekends. Jim lived for cycling.

I met Jim in 1990 when he had just gotten back into cycling after taking a break to raise his wonderful daughter, Gina. I met him on the night of June 16 at the juniors Nevada City Classic race.

His weekly schedule revolved around Sierra Express group rides. The last several years he rode at noon on Mondays and Wednesdays and on Saturday mornings – at the least. To many, he was the cycling ambassador of Nevada County. If you Google “Jim Rogers Colfax” you will find story after story of how Jim’s caring ways impressed many a local cyclist. He was a gem of a person.

On Jan. 31, 2010, Jim was riding his bike to my mom’s house in Sacramento while my son and I drove there. We did this often. It was a great way for him to get in a nice long ride without having to be away from us as long.

As I was heading out the door, he told me not to worry. He was going to take his time. It was the first nice day in a while and he wanted to finish his chores and take his time getting ready to ride.

At 5 p.m., I was extremely worried. I called the non-emergency CHP number. The person that answered was unaware of any issues. I received a phone call shortly after that asking for me. Actually, they asked to speak with someone else with me. I put my brother on the phone. They told him that Jim was dead. DEAD!

Never in a million years did I imagine Jim would be killed in a cycling accident. Our world was turned upside down. Can you imagine the hour of torture while my brother drove me to where my son was visiting to tell him that news? On the drive Jim’s parents called and I had to tell them, too. Such a senseless tragedy! I was in shock. I hadn’t even cried yet, but my body was twitching out of control. I was nauseous. My fingers were numb.

According to the CHP report, Jim was struck at approximately 12:15 p.m. The sun was shining and the roads were clear. Jim was a super-safe cyclist and witnesses seeing him ride before he was struck said he was riding according to laws – to the far right of the road.

 The spot where Jim was struck is on my drive to work. As I round the bend on Highway 174 and see where Jim was struck, I start to count and can count six full seconds while driving at 30 mph, which is the approximate speed he was hit at.

 SIX FULL SECONDS!

 How in the world can a person be on the road for six seconds and not see a cyclist in bright clothing on a sunny, clear day? (It was noon, so the sun in the eyes was not an issue.) I’ll tell you how – distraction!!! The driver was so distracted that she did not see Jim at all. After striking Jim, she parked her car and was heard saying over and over – “I did not see him!”

About 12 weeks after Jim was killed, I finally had the nerve to watch Oprah’s show on distracted driving (Google –“Oprah No phone zone” and click on “watch full one-hour show” – it’s only about 40 minutes). A researcher said many distracted drivers don’t actually “see” all that is in clear sight of them. He had a fancy name for this blindness.

 I believe the woman that killed Jim did not “see” him due to some distraction. The main cause of distracted driving is, of course – CELL PHONES.

Cyclists, friends and family members of Jim’s have been meeting weekly for the past month or so. Our goal: To make the roads safer in Nevada County and not just for cyclists.

Distracted drivers kill and injure pedestrians and other motorists. One woman in our group has started a group called BADD – Bicyclists Against Distracted Drivers. Another woman wants cultural change to make the shift to being more of a cyclist-friendly community. I want to develop an educational program that can be presented at high schools, junior highs and driver-training schools.

What I hope to do is create a program that is similar to Oprah’s. I want to meet local residents who have had love ones killed or injured by distracted drivers and would be willing to speak to high school students. I’d also like to find a computer program that high school students could play when not distracted and then when distracted to show how much distractions affect driving skills.

Jim was the most wonderful person I’ve ever known, and I’m not just saying that now. I’ve said it for years. I feel so blessed that I was able to be an important part of his precious life. I hope we can all work together to honor him by making his favorite sport safer.