Unlike most people in Sacramento, I ride my bicycle to work every day. I love it. No need to get on the freeway. No worries about gas prices. Just a leisurely ride each morning down tree-lined streets.

Actually, I should qualify that comment. I don’t always love bicycling. Sometimes, I see things that make my head spin.

The other day, a woman and her child were crossing at a crosswalk. Suddenly, a motorist took a quick left turn in front of them and nearly ran them down.  I’ve also seen motorists run red lights, or accelerate at me as I am crossing the street. That really grinds my gears.

Bicyclists and pedestrians are not angels on the streets. Some of them do stupid things, such as darting into traffic. But motorists are the ones driving the heavy machines. As our region gets more populated, the operators of these machines need to slow down.

Every year in Sacramento County, about 300 pedestrians are killed or injured by cars. That’s an alarming number of victims, and an alarming number of motorists involved with collisions. Don’t become one of them. If you are driving to the office today, watch out for your neighbors and enjoy a leisurely commute.

Stuart Leavenworth writes for The Sacramento Bee opinion pages.