Fear Based Decision Making

I’ve been thinking a lot about fear lately and what is healthy fear vs. paranoia. Over the holidays, my brother in law had “the talk” with me about bike commuting. I should preface this with two statements. One: I respect this man quite a bit and two; he is a lifer with the LA Fire Department. Meaning, he sees the worst of the worst every day.

His point was that the potential risks of biking on streets far out ways any potential benefits. He went on to describe some pretty horrific crashes involving bikes and cars. I get it. On a bike, you have no protection at all from a half-ton of steel traveling at 45 mph. The laws of physics are stacked against you in a big way.

I argued that I’m a safe biker and always wear my helmet but he is right. A 30 pound bike is no match for a 1/2 ton car.  “Your family needs you”, he went on to say. “Think of the impact on your family if you were gone”. Ouch. Visions of my four children and husband looking despondent at my funeral mixed with pictures of my kids drawing family pictures with me up in the clouds swirled in my head.

So maybe it isn’t a good idea to bike to work. After all, I could always work out at in the hospital’s gym. And there are other things I could do to reduce my carbon footprint. I began completely second-guessing my two wheel commute commitment.

When we got back home to Alaska it was 20 below zero. Chilly, to say the least. It would be really easy to hop in my warm car and leisurely drive to work in my half ton of steel. The scientist in me said to look at all the facts first before stashing my bike though.  So I interviewed a few police officers. I figured they deal with all bike/car crashes—not just the horror stories. They of course mirrored my brother in law’s concerns, but gave me some more specifics. The vast majority of cars hitting bikes happen when cars are backing out of driveways. Seriously? Yes-at least in Anchorage. What’s really amazing is that when the bikers are interviewed, almost 100% of them tell the police that they saw the car backing up, they just thought the car saw them and would stop. Other crashes happen with riders in the middle of the road—often in the winter when riders are going for the groomed road over the snowy trail.  And of course, bikes get hit when they can’t be seen.

So, watch out for cars backing up, wear a ton of lights and stay on the trail. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The risks are real, the potential consequences great. Mitigating factors are available, but will not eliminate the risks. This leads to the other side of the story–potential benefits.

I find it difficult to articulate the feeling of moving outside. Is riding a bike outside really that different than riding a bike in the gym? Yes! Of course it is. It’s a better workout outside, you get fresh air, you use your brain differently, you can’t smell the sweaty guy next to you and you get to wear your sunglasses. But everyone who bikes, hikes, climbs or otherwise plays outside will tell you, there is something more–something almost spiritual that happens outside. Something mystical, encompassing, and yes, wonderful. And it is this feeling, this experience that makes the risks of bike commuting worth it. Yeah, it is that good. And so, at twenty below you can find me lit up like a Christmas tree, pausing at every driveway, on the bike trail on my way to work.

My brother in law is right. We always need to stop and assess our risks and look for ways to mitigate them. But we need to approach these decisions rationally, with all the facts—not just with fear.