Bicycles Can Be Safely Ridden If Proper Safety Precautions Are Taken, Injuries Can Often Be Avoided

Alex R. Hernandez Jr. represents bicycle riders who have been seriously injured because of the negligence of others. Mainly those that don’t understand that bicycles are allowed to share the road.

What are the major risk factors?

• Adolescents and young adults (15-19 years) and adults aged 40 years and older have the highest bicycle death rates.
• Children (5-14 years), adolescents, and young adults (15-24 years) have the highest rates of nonfatal bicycle-related injuries, accounting for more than one-third of all bicycle-related injuries seen in U.S. emergency departments.
• Males are much more likely to be killed or injured on bicycles than are females.
• Most bicyclist deaths occur in urban areas and at non-intersection locations.

Effective interventions to reduce injuries and fatalities to bicyclists include the following:

Bicycle helmets

Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head and brain injuries in the event of a crash.

All bicyclists, regardless of age, can help protect themselves by wearing properly fitted bicycle helmets every time they ride.

Bicycle helmet laws for children

These laws are effective for increasing helmet use and reducing crash-related injuries and deaths among children.

Bicycle helmet laws for adults

These laws increase helmet use among adults.

Promising Interventions

Interventions that have shown promise for reducing injuries and fatalities to bicyclists include the following:

Active lighting and rider visibility

Fluorescent clothing can make bicyclists visible from further away than regular clothing during the daytime.

Retro-reflective clothing can make bicyclists more visible at night.

Active lighting can include front white lights, rear red lights, or other lighting on the bicycle or bicyclist. This lighting may improve the visibility of bicyclists.

Roadway engineering measures

The bottom line is that bicyclists need to be protected and drivers need to be more attentive when sharing the road.  Awareness programs such “share the road” helps make drivers more aware of cyclists. The League of American Bicyclists, which advocates for a “Bicycle Friendly America,” sponsors Bike Month each year.

If you or a loved one has been injured on a bicycle by someone else’s negligence call Alex R. Hernandez Jr. today 1-888-HDZLAW-8

Principal Office; Corpus Christi Texas 361-792-3811