I read your editorial, “What’s our hurry?” (Wednesday, Aug. 13) with great interest.

In it you advocate for drivers to “share the road” with two-wheeled vehicles; bikes, mopeds and scooters. I do hope your thoughts have a positive effect on automobile drivers to be more watchful and courteous. I am surprised, though, that you didn’t deal with the terrible safety record.

I am wide-eyed with fear that both the fuel crisis and your editorial might encourage more two-wheeled riders to naively believe that there might finally be a better environment for them to venture onto our state’s roads. If you visit the official SC Trails “Bike guide” you will see this prominent warning posted: “NOTE: It is important to stress that South Carolina’s roads were not designed for bicycle touring and they are not currently maintained for this activity.”

Most motorbike fatalities in S.C. (81.8 percent) are due to the refusal of so many to wear safety helmets; a much higher percentage than any other state in the country. As many as one-third of all scooter and motorbike drivers hurt in S.C. have high levels of alcohol and other drugs in their bodies. We have no paved shoulders in S.C. There are many, many more reasons why bikes on our roadways are very unsafe. I think any responsible person would never recommend two-wheeled transportation as a fuel-saving alternative, even in these difficult economic times.

Mike Myers, Clemson