The arrival of spring weather in Massachusetts has led to increased bicycle traffic on the roads. The number of cyclists on the roadways often increases in the spring, particularly after winter.
Typically, an increase in the number of bicycles on the road is accompanied by increased bicycle accidents. Accidents involving bicycles are hazardous for cyclists, especially when a motor vehicle is involved, since riders have very little protection.
Therefore, understanding some of the most prevalent causes of bicycle collisions may aid bikers and other motorists to avoid risk.
Accidents are often unavoidable.
Here is a related article that might interest you on 12 Bicycle Safety Tips While On The Road!
Accidents Involving Bicycles In The United States
According to statistics, although the total number of bicycle accidents in the United States is decreasing, many deadly cycling accidents are increasing.
For example, in 2015, 45,000 recorded bicycle accidents in the United States, decreasing the previous year’s figure by 50,000. However, fatal accidents increased by almost 13% during the same period.
Total Decrease in Bicycle Accidents
If there are more motorcycles on the road than ever, why are fewer bicycle accidents? It may be because advocacy organizations have successfully convinced cities and towns throughout the nation to adopt the bicycle culture.
Sherwin Arzani, a Los Angeles, California attorney who handles bicycle accidents, notes that many towns have added safety elements, such as bike lanes and protected medians, to their existing infrastructure. Others have also increased their attempts to involve the community in bicycle safety discussions.
Drivers are recommended to remain vigilant and cautious while sharing the road with bikers. Bicyclists have access to additional information about their legal responsibilities on the road and how they may assist avoid bike accidents.
Significant Rise in Fatal Bicycle Crashes
There are fewer bicycle accidents on American roadways. However, a greater proportion of these incidents are deadly. Why?
Among the causes for the surge in deadly bicycle accidents are:
- New bikers are less acquainted with safe cycling procedures.
- Drivers do not exercise care while sharing the road with bikes, and cities are contemplating, but have not yet executed, infrastructural upgrades.
Urban Bicycle Crashes
According to statistics, urban bicycle accidents (1) occur more often and (2) result in more severe injuries. About 70% of all fatal bicycle accidents occur in urban areas.
Compared to suburban and rural locations, cities have far more intensively used roads and less flexibility to incorporate bicycle safety equipment.
Cities With The Most Danger For Bikers
The following cities are often the most dangerous for cyclists, according to statistical evidence:
- NM’s Albuquerque
- Tucson, Arizona
- Vegas, Nevada
- Phoenix, Arizona
- San Jose, California
- The city of Columbus, Ohio
- San Francisco, California
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Los Angeles, California
In most of these cities, the number of bikers on the roadways has exploded. For example, in San Francisco, riders increased by 13% between 2011 and 2016. Likewise, more than 46 percent more people ride in Albuquerque than in 2000.
Safest Urban Areas For Cyclists
Bicycle accidents tend to decrease in both frequency and severity in smaller cities.
Statistics indicate that the following are the safest cities for bicyclists:
- Okay City, Oklahoma
- Boston, Massachusetts
- The city of Dallas, Texas
- Indiana’s capital city, Indianapolis
- Texas’s Fort Worth city
- Seattle, Washington
- Detroit, Michigan
- Fresno, California
- San Diego, California
- The city of Portland, Oregon.
Many of these cities have adopted significant adjustments on city streets due to bicycle safety advocacy campaigns. For instance, in Portland, Oregon, the city redesigned its bicycle infrastructure for a tenth of the price of repairing or rebuilding one mile of urban roadway.
In addition, the city created more and better bike parking, increased the number of bike lanes on important roads, and implemented calming traffic measures to slow down traffic.
As a result, the city has noticed an increase in the number of cyclists and plans to continue making the roadways safer for them.
Accidents Are Caused By Cyclists—how They May Be At Fault
A cyclist may not seem capable of causing an accident with an automobile. An automobile is, after all, much bigger and heavier than a bicycle.
Even though the biker initiated the collision, the cyclist may have had major injuries, and the motor vehicle driver may have sustained little or no injuries.
However, while deciding on blame, it is irrelevant whether the side had the most severe injuries. Typically, the legal system determines who is responsible based on who acted negligently and breached a duty of care.
Determining The Responsibility Of The Cyclist
Recognize that in Indiana, cyclists must abide by all traffic regulations and share the road with vehicles. In most cases, state law recognizes cyclists like other motorists.
However, a bicycle may breach state or municipal regulations and cause an accident with a vehicle in the following ways:
- Ignoring traffic signals: when the cyclist disobeys stop signs or red lights and pulls into oncoming traffic, causing the accident.
- Failure to yield: when a bicycle fails to yield to a motor vehicle driver despite the need to do so under traffic law.
- Riding against traffic: When a cyclist doesn’t ride in the same direction as traffic, which is against the law, they are riding against traffic.
How a Driver Can Be Responsible?
If a car hits an accident, the car’s driver may also be to blame.
Among the several ways a motorist might be at fault are:
For example, a bicycle was involved in a collision caused by a motorist distracted by a smartphone, a radio, or another object inside the vehicle rather than the road.
- DWI: driving while under alcohol or drugs, resulting in an incapacity to operate a motor vehicle safely.
- Violating traffic laws: A motorist disregards state and municipal traffic regulations, such as speeding, running a stop sign, or failing to maintain lane position, resulting in a collision with a bicycle.
- Dangerous equipment: when a driver’s vehicle does not have working brakes, producing an unsafe scenario in which the driver cannot stop in time to prevent a collision.
Shared Liability
In rare instances, the attorneys for both sides of the judge in a court proceeding may determine that both the cyclist and the motorist share blame for the accident.
Typically, in this sort of dispute, each party will get a percentage showing the degree to which they were at blame.
Then, if the cyclist has been awarded compensation for damages, the overall sum might be lowered by the degree of culpability assigned to the rider.
How to Decrease Bike Accidents?
How can American communities assure the safety of the increasing number of bikes on the road? The objective of advocacy should be to increase education initiatives and infrastructural upgrades.
Education Initiatives
Cities may contribute to the safety of riders by developing educational programs and making safety information accessible.
Offering bicycle safety training is an example of an approach to education that has proved effective in communities throughout the nation.
Getting information about what drivers and cyclists are supposed to do and putting in place educational programs for kids and students.
Improved Infrastructure
How can cities modify their roads and highways to promote the safety of cyclists? Cities such as Portland, Oregon, have found the following strategies to be effective:
- Marking exclusive bike lanes
- Bridging the gaps between current bicycle networks
- Putting in place traffic-calming measures
- Installing bicycle directional signage
- Incorporating buffered bike lanes along congested roadways.
- Constructing more and improved bicycle parking facilities
- Blazing off-road bicycle trails and
- At junctions, “bicycle boxes” are painted to boost rider visibility.
Massachusetts Compensation For A Cyclist Injured In A Bicycle Accident
Although most incidents are avoidable, we have little influence over the behavior of others, especially other motorists. For example, despite the steps a cyclist may take to prevent an accident or limit harm in the case of an accident, a cyclist may sustain severe injuries in a bicycle accident.
In Massachusetts, a cyclist badly wounded in a bicycle accident caused by a negligent motorist under any of the aforementioned typical causes of accidents has the right to seek monetary compensation for the injuries and losses sustained in the bicycle accident.
Bicycle accidents may result in costly medical expenses and lost pay due to time away from work. However, you should not be required to shoulder the cost of these economic losses because a careless or inattentive motorist caused your accident and injuries.
Accident victims are also eligible for compensation for their suffering. You have the right to compensation and restoration for an accident caused by another person.
