Carrie Schaars knows she is one of the fortunate ones.
She was only injured after a pickup struck her as she and friends were riding their bikes April 10 near Wasatch Boulevard and 6500 South. After being hospitalized for four days with a fractured tailbone and sacrum, she is now recovering on crutches.
In the past two days alone, a bicyclist has been killed and at least three pedestrians injured by motorists..
The tragedies are not lost on Schaars as she recovers and prepares for a summer without one of her favorite activities -- road biking.
"I could have easily been in the same situation," Schaars said, referring to the recent fatalities. "There needs to be a lot more done to make it more safe on the road."
Salt Lake County sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson said police see a connection between pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle crashes and the warming weather. The Utah Department of Health, the Utah Highway Patrol and West Valley City have scheduled a Thursday news conference to kick off a crosswalk-enforcement campaign.
According to Health Department, more than 890 pedestrians were hurt or killed on Utah roads in 2007.
The area where Schaars was injured was close to where another bicyclist was left injured on the road by a motorist last month.
The driver who hit Schaars was issued a ticket for running a red light, for not carrying a driver's license and for not having proof of insurance. But he stayed at the scene to help.
Schaars said she was surprised by the outpouring of people from local bike teams who shared their stories of danger on the roads after her accident.
"Initially I wasn't aware that this is as common as it is," she said. Schaars participates on two separate area bike teams but will sit out this summer because of her injuries. "I was on a route where there's quite a lot of bikers. I was in a situation that was 100 percent preventable. I do not understand why this happened," she said.
Schaars said the recent string of accidents serves as a catalyst for cyclists to encourage other cyclists to know their rights and report dangerous drivers.
Steve Zinik, a bicyclist riding with Schaars just before she was struck, urged motorists to be aware of those around them.
"Public awareness is critical in order to change this course of events in the future," he said.
Schaars agrees.
"I hope this doesn't happen anymore. Hopefully people are reached as far as education -- both as cyclists and as drivers," she said.
Melinda Rogers contributed to this report.
» A pickup driver apparently ran a red light at State Street and 3900 South on Monday, striking and killing 48-year-old Gregory A. Hayes.
» On Tuesday, police say a woman driving a green Saturn struck and injured a 15-year-old boy near 1400 East and 900 South in Salt Lake City and then sped away.
» Two pedestrians, a man and woman, were struck by a car Tuesday while they walked near a Salt Lake City parking lot near 900 East and 300 South.
