Articles Posted in Bicycle Accidents

Florida weather is a boon to bicycle enthusiasts, who can often enjoy biking along trails, streets, and roads well after other parts of the country are covered in snow. However, not all areas of Florida are completely safe for bicyclists. Morton Avenue to in Jacksonville, for example, is considered to be one of the most dangerous areas for bicyclists in the city, according to authorities and bicyclists. Several fatal accidents have taken place along the street and several bicyclists have suffered serious personal injury on the street. Pedestrian accidents have also occurred on the same street. Police blame the multiple lanes and large amounts of traffic on Morton Avenue for the number of accidents.

Although good habits can help protect bicyclists from some accidents, even good bicyclists are at risk of bicycle accidents. In 2008, Jacksonville Police Chief Tom Weeks, a bicyclist who understood the rules of the road extremely will, was killed in Springfield when his bicycle was struck by a car.

In Jacksonville, Morton Avenue is not the only dangerous area for bicyclists and pedestrians. College Avenue in Jacksonville is the second busiest street in the area and a frequent site of pedestrian accidents. Both bicyclists and pedestrians have been hit on Westgate Avenue, as well. According to police, high traffic volume and driver inattention often combine to create deadly or dangerous conditions on these streets.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 236,000 children were injured in bicycle accidents in 2007. Many of these injuries involved brain injuries. In fact, brain injuries were the leading cause of death from bicycle accidents. In many cases, these brain injuries would not have occurred if the child was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are many things that parents can do to keep their children safe on bicycles:

1) Choose your child’s routes carefully. If your child is ten years of age or younger, have your child only bicycle on bike paths or on sidewalks. Do not permit you child to bicycle on the road or the streets, as this can be dangerous. Teens can choose to bicycle in streets, as long as the have learned the rules of the road and bicycle with traffic rather than against it. Do not allow your children to bicycle at night, when visibility is poor and bicycle accidents are more likely.

2) Have your child wear a helmet each and every time that they get on their bicycle. Allow you child to select a helmet that he or she likes, and ensure that he or she wears it correctly each time. Helmets are one of the best ways to prevent serious brain injuries and other bicycling injuries.

Brooksville teenagers Justin White and Scott Avery were killed earlier this summer in separate bicycle accidents. The similarities between the two accidents have authorities asking the public to take another look at their bicycle lights. Both accidents occurred after dark and neither bicycle was equipped with lights.

The Florida Highway Patrol has noted that with Florida summer evenings being pleasant, many more bicyclists are on the road after dark. While motorists are obligated by law to watch out for bicycles and treat bicyclists like any vehicle, bicycle owners can help and reduce bicycle accidents by mounting a headlight at the front of their bicycle and a red light at the back.

Riding without lights means a greater risk of car-bicycle collisions. However, lack of adequate lights can also increase the chances of falls and collisions with objects in the dark. Bicycle accidents in the dark can occur when a bicyclist runs into something in the dark or runs over something and loses control of the bicycle. In each case, the accident can cause brain injuries, broken limbs, and other serious injuries.

Bicycle accidents claim many lives in Florida and across the country each year. Unfortunately, bicycle accidents have a tendency to be severe because bicyclists are often unprotected on a bicycle while drivers in cars are encased in metal. When a large truck or car hits a bicyclists it is inevitable that injuries will occur, especially since cars and trucks tend to drive much faster than bicycles. Bicycle accidents can result in spinal cord injuries, broken bones, fatalities, brain injuries, and other types of sever injuries. To avoid these injuries, bicyclists need to obey the rules of the road, just like the drivers of any other vehicles. They also need to:

*Stay alert. Being aware of other vehicles around you and being prepared to move quickly out of the way of those vehicles is the best way to avoid injuries. Avoid daydreaming while riding and really focus on the road.

*Obey traffic signs and signals. It is your legal obligation to do so, and these rules are in place to protect you, in any event. Failing to obey the rules of the road can not only lead to an accident, but it can make you responsible for the injuries and damage.

*Drive like any other vehicle. Do not ride against traffic or pass on the right – motorists are not looking for vehicles on the wrong side of the road or on the right. Drive with traffic and like every other motorist – it is more likely that cars will see you and be able to react to you.

*Wear the right gear. Wear comfortable clothing that is snug enough so that it will not catch on your gears or distract you as you ride. Make sure that you have a proper helmet as well as clothes that are comfortable for the weather. You don’t want to be so focused on being too warm that you find yourself in an accident. Never wear headphones or a Bluetooth. Both will distract you and slow your response times. Always wear brightly-colored clothing so that motorists can see you.

*Keep both hands prepared to brake. If you brake one-handed you may not stop in time, especially if you are trying to brake in the rain.

*Use hand signals. Hand signals let drivers know what you about to do.

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Spring in Florida brings with it clear skies and warm days. Just around the corner, summer, with its days of ice cream and long nights is waiting. That means that both motorists and parents need to be alert to the fact that in a few short weeks children will be bicycling, skateboarding and skating on Florida’s streets, often only a few feet or inches from fast-moving vehicles.

Children with bicycles can be a cause of worry for parents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of 750 bicyclists were killed annually between 1995 and 2000. According to The Safe Kids U.S. Summer Safety Ranking Report, 2,143 children died in the summer months (May 1st to August 31st) in 2004 due to largely preventable injuries. This averages out to about 17 children a day.

When it comes to summer injuries, bicycles are a big factor. According to The Safe Kids U.S. Summer Safety Ranking Report, preventable injuries to children spike seriously in the summer. Bicycle injuries can lead to paralysis, brain damage, spinal cord injury, and other serious disabilities. Worse, the report finds that bicycle accidents are the second most common cause of childhood death and injury during the summer months. In fact, childhood injuries and deaths related to bicycling increase 45% in the summer over the annual monthly average during the rest of the year.

The state of Florida has a number of laws surrounding the bicycle, which in the state is legally defined as a vehicle. Florida attorneys, police officers, and doctors all agree that if more bicyclists adhered to the rules of the road, there would be fewer bicycle accidents on the roads each year. Florida’s cities and municipalities have their own ordinances about bicycles. Copies of these ordinances can be obtained from the local law enforcement agencies. It is also important for bicyclists to become familiar with the state regulations regarding bicycles. Some highlights of these laws include:

Section 316.2065, F.S. (Regulations Regarding Bicycles):

*Like drivers of other vehicles, bicyclists have to obey all traffic laws, controls and signals.

The University of Florida Police Department has registered more than 30 000 bicycles, which is quite a considerable number for a campus with over 50,000 faculty, staff and students. Earlier this month, the University of Florida also worked to increase awareness about bicycle safety, to curb the bicycle accidents that can happen on the busy campus.

The University passed out flyers and the campus newspaper published stories to draw attention to the issue. According to the University of Florida Police Department, a key problem on campus are bicycle-pedestrian collisions. This is simply because many students and faculty walking to and from class as well as many bicyclists rushing to the same classes can create accidents. Although pedestrian-bicycle accidents are rarely fatal, they can be a cause of personal injuries.

Of course, when students and other members of the University of Florida take their bicycles on the road, off-campus or onto the campus areas where cars are more frequent, fatal accidents can occur. Whether trying to prevent motorist-bicycle accidents or pedestrian-bicycle accidents, the University of Florida Police Department has the same message to everyone on campus: Remain aware of surroundings. According to the University of Florida Police Department, most collisions involving bicycles could be avoided if bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists all showed greater caution and greater awareness of what is going on around them.