Articles Posted in Bicycle Accidents

Is wearing a helmet while cycling as effective at preventing serious injuries and death as we’ve been lead to believe? A new study says yes; in fact, helmets are even more important than previously thought. This might not seem like groundbreaking news, but some cyclists have argued that helmets offer little protection in serious collisions with motor vehicles.

According to a recently-published study in Accident Analysis & Prevention, it has been determined that “the most commonly injured body region [in bicycle accidents] is the upper extremities, followed by the lower extremities, face and head and neck.” As such, “wearing a helmet while riding a bike is the best way to decrease the risk of serious injuries,” said Dr. Lara McKenzie, one of the study’s senior authors. A Boston bicycle accident lawyer can help you determine how to proceed if you’ve been injured due to another’s negligence.

Approximately 11 percent of injuries suffered in cycling accidents include a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and many of those involve younger patients under the age of 15. For this reason, helmets are especially important for children. To prevent serious head injury or death in a cycling accident, parents should ensure that children (even those in their teens) always wear a helmet.

How to Prevent Serious Cycling Injuries

By following these safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics, you can dramatically reduce the risk of serious injury to you, or to your child.

• Ensure that your bike is the proper size. A bike that is too big or too small can be difficult to control.
• Ride with the flow of traffic at all times. Approximately 25 percent of cycling collisions occur when the cyclist is riding against traffic.
• Always use hand signals to alert motor vehicles to your intended move.
• Children should never ride alone after dark.
• Never cycle without a helmet. Ensure that your helmet is in good shape and that it fits properly.

A MA cycling accident attorney can help you recover damages if you’ve been injured due to another’s negligence.

Cycling Accident Statistics

There is no denying that cycling is a healthy, economical, and environmentally-conscious form of transportation. That doesn’t mean it’s not without risks. The statistics below illustrate the dangers of cycling. Awareness is key to reducing these risks.

• In 2015, 818 cyclists were killed in collisions, and 45,000 were injured.
• Among those injured, 5,000 were children.
• Among those fatally injured, 37 were children.
• The vast majority of injuries and fatalities occurred in men (87 percent for injuries, 83 percent for fatalities).
• Fatal accidents occurred almost evenly during daylight and nighttime hours.
• Approximately 70 percent of the fatal crashes were in urban areas, 61 percent were in locations other than intersections, and three percent occurred in bike lanes.
• Cyclist deaths accounted for 2.3 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2015.
• Among the fatal accidents, more than one-quarter involved alcohol (either cyclist, motor vehicle driver, or both).

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Bicycling in and around Boston  is fun, healthy, environmentally sound, and good on the wallet. As such, cycling—as both a recreational activity and a mode of transportation—is skyrocketing in popularity. This pollution-free, cheap alternative to gas-guzzling cars and trucks is not, however, without risks. In fact, without adequate knowledge of bicycle safety, cycling can be even more dangerous than driving. And without the four-walled protection of a motor vehicle, bicycle accidents frequently result in serious injury, and even death.

Although the most serious cycling injuries typically involve a motor vehicle traveling at 40 MPH or more, accidents can happen anywhere, and at any speed. Cycling injuries often include traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), broken bones, and internal injuries. If you’ve been injured in a bicycling accident, there are certain steps you should take immediately. These include:

• Report the accident to police. If you are unable to call yourself, ask if someone else can. As soon as the crash is reported, both police and paramedics will be dispatched to the scene. In addition, police will investigate the accident, creating an official police report and collecting witness statements, both of which may be invaluable if you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit. A Boston personal injury lawyer can help you determine how to proceed if you’ve been injured in a cycling accident.
• Obtain immediate medical attention. Even if you do not have obvious injuries or feel pain, it is important to seek medical attention after a cycling accident. Internal injuries can take days or weeks to present symptoms, and some of these injuries can be extremely serious. Further, medical records can prove quite valuable in an injury lawsuit.
• Consult with a lawyer. If you have been involved in a serious cycling accident, a MA injury lawyer can help you recover damages. You may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other costs. Not all bicycle accidents lead to injury claims, but a serious crash may warrant legal assistance.

How to Prevent Having a Bicycle Accident in the First Place

Unless you are riding only in bicycle lanes and on trails, you will be sharing the road with motor vehicle drivers. As a result, you must follow the same rules. The steps below will help you protect yourself, and everyone with whom you share the road.

• Always ride with the flow of traffic, and remain to the far-right of the lane.
• Obey all traffic signals, and use hand signals to indicate turns.
• Always wear a helmet when cycling, and dress in brightly-colored clothing.
• If you ride at night, wear reflective gear and affix a headlight to the front of your bike.
• Wear proper shoes when cycling.
• When riding past a parked car, give yourself as much distance as possible to prevent “dooring.”
• Use extra caution at intersections.
• Never expect that a driver will use his/her turn signal.
• Proceed slowly when exiting a driveway, and always look left and right.
• Avoid listening to music, texting, or talking on the phone while riding.
• Never ride while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

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According to a recent report from the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA), serious injuries involving cyclists and pedestrians have seen a steady increase in recent years. Obviously, cycling (and walking) are healthy forms of exercise and good for the environment, but we need to increase awareness about the risks of cycling—especially on busy Boston streets—if we want to see these statistics reverse, and begin moving in a positive direction.

In Boston, as in other cities across the country, cyclist safety is a top priority of city planners. However, the rate at which this development is occurring is not keeping pace with the rise in the number of cyclists on the road. According to a Washington Post article, there has been an increase in bicycle accidents simply because there are more people cycling today than ever before. Today, bike share programs have added 42,000 bikes to our nation’s roads, and most of those are in congested cities, like Boston.

According to the GHSA, “pedestrians and cyclists are at an inherent disadvantage when involved in traffic crashes: when a faster moving vehicle meets a pedestrian or a bicycle, the vehicle always wins.”  The association recommends the installation of “more marked bike lanes, more clearly defined bike lanes that separate riders from cars, bike boxes at traffic signals . . . and traffic signals that provide an advanced green signal specifically designed for cyclists,” in cities across the country. A Boston injury lawyer can help you determine how to proceed if you’ve been injured in a cycling accident.

Bicycle Accident Statistics

Bicycling can be a safe, healthy form of exercise, but it can also be deadly. By familiarizing yourself with the risks involved, and learning how to avoid them, you can dramatically reduce your chance of being injured or killed in a bicycle accident.

• In 2015, 840 cyclists were killed in traffic collisions;
• The average age of cycling fatality victims is 45;
• More than 70 percent of all fatal cycling accidents occur on open roadways, not in intersections;
• Approximately 50 percent of cyclists who were killed in traffic collisions were not wearing a helmet.
• Distracted drivers were a factor in nearly 10 percent of all fatal bicycle-motor vehicle collisions;
• Fatal bicycle accidents are evenly distributed across daylight and evening hours;
• Alcohol was a factor in approximately 37 percent of all fatal cycling accidents.

A MA injury lawyer can help you recover damages if you’ve been injured in a cycling accident.

Follow these Tips to Avoid a Deadly Bicycle Accident

• A bicycle should always be appropriately sized for the rider;
• Always wear a helmet;
• Follow the same traffic laws as motor vehicles;
• Whenever possible, ride in residential areas rather than congested roadways;
• Wear highly-visible, reflective gear when riding at night;
• Ensure that your bike’s brakes are in good working order before riding;
• Always maintain a safe distance from parked cars to prevent dooring;
• Never assume that a motor vehicle driver sees you, ride defensively.

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Spring is only days away, and with warmer weather comes more bikes on the roads. Bike accidents can occur for many reasons, but when motor vehicles are involved, crashes are often deadly. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 818 bicyclists were killed in accidents involving motor vehicles in 2015. Thousands more were injured.

To dramatically reduce your risk of serious injury or death on a bicycle, follow the tips below.

Always Wear a Helmet

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury by up to 85 percent. In fact, according to the Snell Memorial Foundation, “the number of bicycling head injuries requiring hospitalization exceeds the total of all the head injury cases related to baseball, football, skateboards, kick scooters, horseback riding, snowboarding, ice hockey, in-line skating, and lacrosse.”

Stay Visible

Wearing bright clothing and gear will help motorists see you, even from blocks away. At night, you should ride with a headlight and tail light and wear a white helmet and clothing. If you don’t frequently ride at night and don’t want to outfit your bike with lights, you can adhere a temporary blinking red or white light to your clothing if you happen to be out after dark. But the absolute best way to stay safe is to avoid riding after dark, whenever possible. A MA bicycle accident attorney can help you recover damages if you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident involving a motor vehicle.

Tips for Drivers

Unfortunately, drivers of motor vehicles can occasionally get aggressive with cyclists. This is especially true in the spring, when bike traffic spikes. Although road rage is never a good idea, it’s even worse when a cyclist is involved. The lack of a safe enclosure can be deadly in a car-bicycle collision. Follow the tips below when you are driving this spring / summer season.

• When you pass a cyclist, give them several feet and pass quickly.
• Never honk at a cyclist. This can scare them, resulting in a serious accident. Don’t worry, cyclists can hear a car approaching, there is no need for your horn.
• Before opening your car door, always check to see if a cyclist is approaching. It is known as “dooring” when a cyclist crashes into a just-opened car door. Dooring can be deadly.

A Boston bicycle accident lawyer can help you determine how to proceed if you’ve been injured by a motor vehicle driver.

Bicycle-motor vehicle collisions commonly involve one of the following situations:

• A motor vehicle turning in front of a cyclist;
• A motor vehicle pulling out of a driveway or parking spot directly in front of a cyclist;
• A motor vehicle failing to yield at a stop sign or red light;
• A distracted motor vehicle driver;
• A motor vehicle driver’s failure to look both ways;
• A motor vehicle driver who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

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