Bicycle accidents happen far too frequently and these accidents can result in serious injuries or can result in the death of the bicycle rider. When a driver is the cause of the crash, The Villages injury attorney can provide you with help pursuing a claim for compensation when a driver is to blame for causing a crash to occur.
Drivers and bicycle riders should both exercise caution to avoid collisions. To help promote safe practices for riders and drivers, May is bicycle safety month. National Safety Council recently provided some resources to demonstrate the importance of bike safety and to provide tips for staying safe.
Important Safety Tips for Bicycle Safety Month
According to the National Safety Council, there were more injuries caused by bike accidents in 2015 among people of all ages than the combined number of injuries caused by skateboards, swimming pools, trampolines, and playground equipment.
Basketball was the only sport that sent more people to the emergency room than bicycling, with football coming third behind bikes in the number of people who had accidents that resulted in ER visits. Bike accidents sent a total of 448,123 people to the emergency room and caused a total of 1,100 fatalities after cars collided with motor vehicles.
During bike safety month, National Safety Council offered several important tips aimed at reducing the number of fatalities on bike accidents. NSC recommends:
- Wearing a helmet that meets federal safety standards.
- Following traffic laws, as motorists are obligated to follow the same rules of the road as motorcycle riders.
- Riding single file going in the same direction of traffic and being vigilant to be aware of car doors that open or other safety risks.
- Using hand signals when making a turn and exercising more caution at intersections where a substantial number of bike accidents occur.
- Looking twice before entering traffic.
- Trying to ride during the day as much as possible and wearing brightly colored clothing while riding so drivers can see you more easily.
- When riding at night becomes necessary, wearing reflective clothing and ensuring that the bicycle is equipped with reflectors on the rear, spokes, and front pedals.
- Using a horn as well as a rear-view mirror on the bike.
While bike riders can take precautions to try to reduce the risk that they'll get hurt and can take steps such as wearing a helmet to try to lessen the severity of injuries when an accident happens, ultimately it must be the responsibility of both bicycle riders and drivers to ensure they are being cautious and avoiding collisions.
If drivers are distracted, drunk, speeding, or engaging in other unsafe, negligent, and potentially unlawful behavior, those drivers can be held accountable for causing a crash to occur. The Villages injury attorney can help victims who are hurt by unsafe drivers who cause bicycle collisions to occur. Contact a bike accident attorney as soon as possible after an accident happens so you can get the help and support you need.
