Whether your child enjoys riding his or her bike or you bike near traffic on a daily basis, it is essential to understand the many risks you face. Aside from reviewing preventative measures that could keep you safe, it is also helpful to take a look at data on cyclist accidents in order to understand how widespread these injuries are.
Sadly, bike accident injuries continue to occur due to negligent drivers, and these collisions leave many victims with serious injuries and sometimes prove fatal.
Bike accident figures
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 130,000 bicyclists sustain injuries in roadway accidents and almost 1,000 lose their lives in these collisions each year. During a typical year, bike accident injuries and deaths generate more than $23 billion in costs in the U.S. alone.
Even though cyclists only account for 1% of U.S. road trips each year, they represent more than 2% of those who die in roadway accidents.
Preventing bike accidents
The CDC goes over different strategies to avoid bike accidents, such as active lighting and reflective clothing to help drivers see cyclists at night. During the day, cyclists can wear fluorescent clothes to make themselves more visible. Drivers and cyclists should always remain alert, pay attention to inclement weather and watch out for other factors that could increase the chances of a collision.
For injured cyclists, many different challenges can surface, such as difficulty with medical costs, high levels of pain and the inability to enjoy various aspects of life. If you are currently facing any of these hardships because of a driver’s negligent behavior, you deserve justice.