news-record.com

Police are searching for the driver of an SUV that struck and killed a 55-year-old Summerfield man riding his bicycle in Guilford County late Saturday afternoon.

A leader of a Greensboro cycling club said the hit-and-run highlights the need for drivers to be attentive and patient and for cyclists to ride defensively on crowded roads.

Two witnesses saw a silver Dodge Durango rear-end David Sherman at 5:40 p.m. on North Church Street just north of N.C. 150, said Sgt. C.A. Webb of the Highway Patrol.

Sherman, who lived at 6103 Gwynedd Road, died instantly.

The SUV and bike were traveling south on Church Street when the accident happened, Webb said. Police do not believe excessive speed was a factor.

After the impact, the Durango made a U-turn and headed north on Church Street.

The public should be on the lookout for a Durango with damage to the front end and windshield, Webb said. Anyone with information on the hit-and-run should call Guilford County Crime Stoppers at 373-1000.

News of Sherman’s death had spread through the local cycling community by Sunday, said Mark Gatehouse, a longtime cyclist and Greensboro Velo Club officer.

“For the most part, motorists are pretty considerate,” he said, but driver inattentiveness is a major problem for cyclists — particularly among drivers using their cell phones.

“Driving’s not a part-time job. It’s a full-time job,” Gatehouse said. “A lot of people don’t treat it as seriously as they should.”

Even a brief distraction “could shatter a lot of people’s lives,” he said.

In April, Elon professor Eugene Gooch was killed while riding his bicycle. In 2008, UNCG professor Mark Schulz was seriously injured when a vehicle struck his bicycle.