CPSC says data highlights the importance of wearing helmets
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries has determined that more adults are dying in bicycle crashes.
Notably, the study, which analyzed data from 2009 to 2018, also found that:
As we continue our journey through 2023, stepping back and examining the state of bicycle safety is essential. This topic grows more relevant as more people turn to bicycles for commuting, exercise, or leisure activities. For our clients at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, we explore recent trends, contributing factors to accidents, and potential strategies for improving safety on the roads.
Our goal is to shed light on the latest information shaping the landscape of bicycle safety. These trends are complex and multifaceted, driven by a myriad of factors, such as the evolution of urban design, the increasing density of bike lanes, and the advent of new safety technologies. They also reflect changes in public policy and societal attitudes towards cycling and outdoor activities.
We’ll further dissect the contributing factors to bicycle accidents. This examination is crucial, not just for identifying the causes but also for understanding the nuances of these incidents. The factors contributing to bicycle accidents are often intertwined, ranging from infrastructural issues like poorly designed roadways and bike lanes to behavioral aspects such as lack of cyclist awareness and unsafe driving practices.
Bicycle lanes snake throughout the greater Boston area, with the purpose of providing a safe space for cyclists to navigate city streets. Unfortunately, many motorists fail to respect these lanes, choosing instead to use them for parking.
At best, this is inconvenient for cyclists. Worst case scenario, however, it can be extremely dangerous, as it gives Boston bicyclists no other choice but to merge quickly into active lanes of traffic, significantly raising the risk of a crash.
Whether motorists don’t understand or don’t care about the implications, it’s a serious problem and some communities are taking action. Specifically in Toronto, Canada, the city’s parking enforcement unit has begun an enforcement action coined a “bike lane blitz.” A full-time officer will be dedicated to enforcing bike lane parking violations. The officer is in charge of bicycling throughout the city, ticketing violators $150 a pop. The officer is also responsible for bike lane safety outreach and education, some on social media and in driving classes. However, the officer vows to issue a citation to every bicycle lane blocker he crosses. Continue reading
According to a recent news article from KFGO, over the past two decades, researchers have discovered an increase in the total medical costs associated with treated personal injuries caused in bike crashes.
There is no question that a lot more people ride bicycles today than they did 20 years ago. For this reason, it would be all too easy to assume that there are more total medical costs because more people are riding bikes. This is however, only partially true. Study organizers have surmised that it goes beyond the number of riders, and likely has more to do with the age of riders.
Two decades ago there were fewer people riding bikes, but the clear majority of riders were young people. Today, we not only have more total riders, but we also see a much larger percentage of riders over the age of 45. We are also more bike crashes caused by bikers being hit by car then accidents where bike riders crash on a sidewalk or into a fixed object. Continue reading
A recent news article from Health.com takes a good look at how to avoid the most common collisions between bicycles and cars. A lot of the information deals with bike safety techniques for riders. While it should be noted that many bike crashes are not the fault of the bike rider, and the at-fault drivers should be held responsible, it never hurts for bike riders to do whatever they can within reason to prevent a serious bike crash.
This is important, as there has been a growing trend in people in urban areas such as Boston riding bikes. We have more people than ever riding bikes, and now we have bike share programs where anyone who registers for the service can grab a bike and ride it to their destination. In Boston, we have Hub, which allows people to purchase an annual membership and then use the bikes whenever they choose. Continue reading
Two years ago, Shane Snowdon, a non-profit health educator and consultant, lost one of her good friends to a fatal bicycle crash in Cambridge. Her 65-year-old friend, a songwriter and social activist, was struck by a vehicle while on her bicycle. 
For Snowdon, it was 1997 all over again. That was the year Snowdon says she struck and killed a bicyclist in Boston. Writing for WBUR 90.9, she notes that she was not found at-fault for the fatal crash that night. She was not speeding or distracted and she was completely sober. However, she says she’ll never forget the look of the cyclist, staring wide-eyed at her as he crossed in front of her vehicle just as she was rounding a curve. His body flew into her windshield and over her car. She stopped at the scene, as required, and got out to find him motionless.
“You do not want to be me,” she writes. “No destination, no text, no drink, no glance away from the road is worth knowing that you have killed another human being.”
She went on to add that it’s agony living life knowing that whatever you accomplish isn’t going to matter because you caused the death of someone else. Whatever happiness you may enjoy could only serve as a reminder of the happiness you stole from the person whose life was lost, and their family and friends.
Continue reading
The number of bicyclists killed in 2015 rose by 12.2 percent from the year before. That’s according to the most recent final statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which annually releases national traffic safety facts.
This report specifically analyzed bicycle-car crashes, in which a motor vehicle collided with a bicycle causing injury or death. The report did not include incidents wherein a bicycle defect may have contributed to a single-rider crash into a fixed object, such as a tree or pavement. It also excluded incidents that occurred in private property – including parking lots and driveways.
So once we understand that we’re actually discounting a number of fatal crashes, we know the figures about which we’re talking are low to begin with. That means the rate of bicycle crashes and bicycle injuries is actually quite a bit higher than these statistics suggest. Continue reading
Bike riding is becoming increasingly popular nationwide, with a growing number of cities launching bike-friendly initiatives, including bike share programs, Complete Streets road design and safe cycling education campaigns. 
Minneapolis-St. Paul, also referred to as the “Twin Cities,” has joined the bandwagon too, installing bicycle lanes throughout the city, which has a number of bicycle clubs, meet-ups and annual sponsored rides.
However, a lawmaker has recently caught heat after introducing a bill in the state legislature that would make bicycling more expensive. House File 499, introduced by Republican Duane Quam, would require cyclists who want to use public bicycle lanes to purchase a permit, pay a $5 fee and complete a bicycle safety education course. Additionally, all bikes being used on public streets would need to be registered with the state public safety commissioner. Additionally, riders using bicycle lanes would need to be at least 15-years-old, making no provision for where school children commuting to class are supposed to ride. Continue reading
Last year, when actress Carrie Fisher of “Star Wars” fame suffered a heart attack near the end of her flight to Los Angeles, the first crews to respond to the health emergency on the ground did so via bicycle. It was medics on bikes who helped to revive the actress. 
That emergency rescue medic team is employed by the Los Angeles Fire Department. It’s one of hundreds in larger cities, including Boston and Philadelphia. It’s even been picked up in some smaller cities. The idea is that in an emergency, every second is critical. Ambulances are technically faster than a bicycle, but that’s only if they can get through the traffic in a reasonable amount of time. In congested urban areas like Boston, that can be an impossibility, especially at rush hour.
Medics and firefighters on bicycles can quickly weave their way in-and-out of traffic. They can get through large crowds quickly. They can cut through parks and yards and parking lots much quicker than an ambulance. Continue reading
Advocates for Boston bicycle safety are applauding the new statewide measure that bans drivers from “standing” or parking in established bike lanes. As our Boston bicycle injury lawyers know, this practice puts cyclists in grave risk because it forces them into moving traffic in order to avoid the stationary vehicle in their path.
The measure was initially part of a larger bill that had numerous other bicycle safety components. Unfortunately, this larger bill didn’t pass, but bike advocates know this is a start. Safe biking can’t be achieved simply by creating bike lanes. Those lanes have to be policed and the laws enforced so that it’s safe for cyclists to use them.
Boston Attorney Andrew Fischer Bikeattorney.com was part of that team of advocates who helped to draft the bike land protection law, as well as other proposed legislation. Continue reading
Bike Accident Lawyers Blog