A couple of days ago 24-year-old cyclist Amanda Annis was struck and killed in Chicago's Logan Square. The driver of the car was cited for multiple violations. Ten days before her death, 22-year-old Tyler Fabeck was struck and killed on his bicycle in the same neighborhood. Absolute tragedies.

Today I came across an interesting commentary by Kevin Williams discussing the rage between cars and bikes. He says both cars and cyclists are often driving irresponsibly angry, but in the end, the invention of the wheel is to blame. That round wheel sparks a life of racing around. He contends walking does not elicit the same type of competitiveness as people on wheels -- no one's tossing around the phrase "ped rage." One expert studying driver psychology shared people are trained to feel anger on the roads. It's cultural practice to stay tough and make sure no one makes a fool out of you out there.

I spent nearly ten years working in downtown Chicago, commuting about half the time from the north side, the other half from the suburbs. I've walked, jogged, cycled and driven around the city. I have to disagree with Williams that the round wheel is to blame. I think it's our incredibly hurried, harried lives that crank up the "get there now at all costs" mentality of many. Ped rage is undoubtedly real -- I've been guilty of it -- but it typically involves a bump or a trip and usually a "sorry." Three-thousand pounds of car slamming into a lightweight bicycle frame and its rider leads to serious injury and death.

If you find yourself in a big hurry on the roadways, check out these Top 10 Tips To Prevent Road Rage. My favorite? Use Restaurant Etiquette -- you wouldn't likely start flipping off and screaming at a patron who cut you off for the corner booth at a restaurant, so don't act that way out on the roads either.