“I live here in Missoula, Montana. Don’t kill me with a car.”
That’s the blunt message from former pro Tyler Hamilton, now 55, in a short but pointed PSA aimed squarely at drivers.
Hamilton, who raced as a pro from 1994 to 2009 (albeit, with a little break in there) made the PSA just days after paralympic medallist Dory Selinger was killed by a driver in Texas at 54 while training.
So many tragedies
“I’m sick and tired of hearing about these stories of runners, walkers and cyclists getting hit by drivers,” he said, describing incidents that too often end in serious injury, or worse.
Hamilton knows how quickly things can go wrong. As a kid training for ski racing in Massachusetts, he was told to ride his bike through the summer to stay in shape. One ride in Salem nearly ended in disaster.
An oncoming van turned directly in front of him, the Tour de France stage winner said.
“They didn’t even see me coming,” he said. Hamilton locked up his brakes, skidded, and slammed into the vehicle. “Smashing my body, smashing my bike.”
He walked away. “But luckily,” he added, “I walked away from it.”
Not everyone does, he continues. If you follow the pages of Canadian Cycling Magazine, you’ll know. Cyclists are killed. Often. It’s a horrible thing to read (and btw, a horrible thing to write.)
Hamilton pointed to the loss of a close friend, killed in a collision years ago, and referenced how these incidents continue to hit the cycling community including tragedies like the death of Magnus White. The video is produced by thewhiteline.org, which is running the campaign, “Don’t kill me with a car.”
An ongoing campaign for vulnerable road users
The non-profit organization has put together a series of videos from various people. The group says it is, “Fighting to end fatalities for all vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and more) through real stories, hard data and life-saving technology.”
Driver convicted in death of U.S junior national team rider Magnus White
White was a 17-year-old U.S. national team member who was killed by a motorist. On July 29, 2023, Yeva Smilianska, stayed up all night, mixed prescription drugs with half a bottle of whiskey, and then got behind the wheel.
“Drivers need to be responsible when they’re behind the wheel,” Hamilton said. “This has got to stop.”
This has got to stop.
You can watch Hamilton’s message below.