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San Diego Bikers May Face Serious Accident Risks

Bicycle riding is increasingly becoming a popular way for adults to commute to and from school and work. While previously younger children were at the biggest risk of being killed in a bike crash, the higher number of adult commuters has resulted in more adults being at-risk for bike crashes. A personal injury lawyerknows this is especially a risk in urban areas like San Diego.

Bicycle riders need to be aware of behaviors on the road that put them at risk of collisions. Drivers also need to ensure they are doing their part to share the road safely. Additionally, local authorities responsible for setting road design goals and passing transportation laws need to make sure they are minding the needs of bicycle riders as well as motor vehicle drivers.

BICYCLE ACCIDENT RISKS INCREASING

Between 2010 and 2012, there was a 1 percent increase in motor vehicle accident deaths, according to the Governors’ Highway Safety Association (GHSA). The number of motor vehicle fatalities has been increasing slowly or even declining most years as a result of improvements in safety technology.

Unfortunately, over the same time period, there was a 16 percent increase in the number of bicyclists who were killed in motor vehicle collisions. This increase has occurred because there has been a huge increase in the number of people who commute or ride bicycles. Between 2000 and 2012, there was a 62 percent rise in the number of people who use a bicycle as a means of transportation to work, to school or to run errands.

Certain groups are at far greater risk of being hurt or killed in a bike crash as compared with other individuals. For example:

  • A total of 84 percent of the victims who lost their lives in bicycle crashes in 2012 were aged 20 or older. This is a significant increase in older victims as compared with 1975, when only 21 percent of victims were 20 years of age or older. The shift occurred because more adults now commute with their bicycles.
  • In 2012, men accounted for 88 percent of people killed in bike accidents. A total of 74 percent of the victims were adult men.
  • In 2012, 69 percent of the bicycle accident deaths happened in major urban areas, up from 50 percent of deaths in urban areas in 1975. Urban areas like in San Diego have been the center of the bicycle revolution and have many bike commuters.
  • Just six states were the locations of 54 percent of bicycle rider deaths. The six states include California, as well as Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York and Texas.
  • The number of bike riders who lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes increased in a total of 22 states from 2010 to 2012.

Additionally, 28 percent of bike riders had a blood-alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08 percent in their systems at the time when their fatal bike accident occurred.

Bike riders, like drivers, need to refrain from riding while they are intoxicated. However, many bike crashes were caused by drivers who don’t share the road safely or by poorly designed roads lacking bike safety features. Everyone needs to do their part to try to reduce crashes.

Contact a San Diego, CA personal injury attorney after your motor vehicle accident. Call the Law Offices of Ronald B. Laba today at (866) 434-1577 or visit http://www.injurylawofsandiego.com. Also serving Vista, CA and surrounding areas.

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