By Elizabeth Sims
Staff Writer

The 6th annual Coppell Ride of Silence was held on Wednesday to honor and remember cyclists killed and injured on the roads. Despite having the 11 mile ride shortened to eight due to inclement weather, the ride was still well attended.

Before the ride began, Coppell Ride of Silence coordinator David Stonecipher read the names of all cyclists killed and injured in the area this year and reviewed the standard hand signals for the cyclists to use so the idea of silence would be emphasized. Patti Dean, wife of the late local cyclist Greg Dean for whom the ride was originally held, also told her family’s story and further stressed the importance of safety on the roads.

However, one statistic shared before the ride began really hit home for many in attendance. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 700 cyclists are killed on the road each year; many of these are due to vehicle-bicycle collisions. Let this serve as a reminder that these cyclists are part of our roadways now, and our roads need to be shared so there will be fewer and fewer names read before each ride.