Once again it has taken a tragic death to bring attention to a long-standing problem – the dangerous interactions between cyclists and motorists. This time the life taken was David Sherman, a 55-year-old violinist in the Greensboro Philharmonic.On October 24, Sherman was riding his bike down Church St, near Highway 150 in Guilford County, when he was struck by a car and killed. The driver fled the scene, but has since been caught, according to reports by Fox News.

People unfamiliar with the cycling world may think this cyclist fatalities are a rare occurrence. A cyclist being killed is not commonplace, but a cyclist being harassed, threatened, and injured is.

On the same day in Clemson, SC two members of the Clemson University cycling team were almost forced off the road by a motorist. The driver and a passenger then proceeded to stop in front of the cyclists, get out of the truck and try to stab them.

Growing up in a family of active cyclists, I can’t count the number of times my family or friends have been followed, forced off the road, hit, and harassed by motorists. The motorists’ reasons for their actions vary, but most claim they are tired of being slowed down by cyclists on the road.

Luckily for the cyclists and motorists, Greensboro has begun creating bike lanes, sections of the road specifically for use by bike riders. In theory these new additions would solve all the problems and leave both parties happy. This is not the case, though.

“I’ve seen people, even the police, passing cars on the right using those lanes,” said Andy, an employee at Revolution Cycles. He blames the disregard of the rules governing bike lanes on drivers not understanding their purpose.

I’m not so forgiving. In most cases bike lanes are clearly marked with pictures of bikes and signs declaring their purpose. They are separated from traffic lanes by a solid white line. Motorists need to stop thinking of themselves as President Theodore Roosevelt and their cars as big sticks. It is not their job to own the road, but to share it instead.

The idea of sharing the road implies that everyone has equal right to use it as long as they follow the rules. Cyclists are required to obey all the same traffic laws as cars. Police have the right to ticket cyclists if they’re caught breaking these laws.

Some cyclists don’t know this. They think the laws only apply to cars, so they ride where ever they please and however they like. That’s not the case at all. Cyclists need to get over any Napoleon complexes they may have and realize that they’re the least protected on the road. They should thus be following the laws even closer knowing that one mistake could mean their lives.

No one party is to blame for the dangerous interactions on the road. As a driver, I know how frustrating it can be to be behind a cyclist when you’re running late, but that’s no excuse to try and swerve around them because too often the attempt fails. At the same time, it can be tempting for a cyclist to want to zoom between two cars because they can fit. But I can guarantee that no matter how badly one treats the other on the road, neither will relinquish their rights to use it. Pulling weapons on cyclists and critical-mass rides, in which large groups of cyclists ride slowly down main roads during rush hour, do nothing but inflame tensions.

This is my plea for people to be more respectful on the road. The last thing I want is to accidentally hurt a cyclist or to have a cyclist I know be the next David Sherman. Share the road, please.