The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety did a study and between the years of 2008 and 2012, there were a reported 3,300 cyclists who were killed on the road. 74% of these fatalities were caused by the front end of a car. They also found that 29% of injuries sustained in a bicycle accident were from a vehicle.
If you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident, the best thing to do is contact a Buffalo bike injury attorney.
Possible Injuries Sustained in a Bicycle Accident
Riding a bicycle is not like riding in a car. A bicycle offers no safety precautions like a car does.
There are no airbags that deploy in the event of an accident. There is not a metal frame that encases your body or a seatbelt that keeps you in your seat.
The bottom line, being in an accident while riding on a bicycle can cause more injury than if you were in an accident riding in a car.
The most common mistake that people make when riding a bicycle is believing that only little kids need to wear a helmet. This is not true. The head is the part of the body that you should keep protected as much as possible while on a bicycle.
Head injuries can be sustained in any kind of accident, but there is a larger potential of being thrown off of a bicycle during an accident and if your head is not protected it can cause serious damage to the head. The risk of concussion and brain bleeding are exponentially higher in cases that a helmet is not worn.
Spinal injuries are also a possibility in a bicycle accident. The body is unprotected from impact and injuries to the spinal cord or the neck can leave the cyclist paralyzed.
Bone fractures and breaks are a common outcome of an accident between a car and a bicycle. The lack of protection on the body leaves it open and inviting for impact. These breaks and fractures can often take a long time to heal and can require a lot of rehabilitation. If you end up in an accident and require rehabilitation or miss work, contacting a Buffalo bicycle accident attorney can help you receive the compensation you deserve.
The mildest form of injury that could be received in an accident while riding on a bicycle is for minor scratches, cuts, or lacerations. If you end up with only stitches, then it is a good day. So many more people are a lot unluckier.
Injury Prevention
If you are going to ride on a bicycle, there are precautions that you should take to help protect yourself. One of the ways to protect yourself financially is to acquire bicycle insurance. There are companies out there now who offer insurance to people who ride bicycles, much like a car insurance company provides insurance for your car.
Make sure that every time you are going out on your bicycle you are wearing the proper protective equipment. Wearing at least a helmet can help protect your head from injury. There are also knee pads and elbow pads that can be worn to protect those fragile joints.
Protecting the skin by wearing long sleeves and long pants can provide added safety if you end up knocked off your bicycle or drug across the ground. Also, make sure you are wearing sensible shoes. Sandals and flip flops can make stopping or escaping from your bike difficult.
Bicycle Safety Practices
Make sure that you are watching your back. Installing mirrors on your bicycle can help you keep an eye on who is coming up behind you and if they are stopping in time. As stated, most accidents happened because of the front end of a car.
Make sure that you are visible to drivers, especially at nighttime. Adding reflectors or lights on your bicycle can help drivers see you in the dark and they will be able to avoid you and share the road.
Corners can be some of the most unsafe places for bicycles on the road. Learn the proper hand signals for when you are riding so that you can alert drivers where you are intending to go. This can cut out the guesswork for the driver and they can avoid the bicycle.
As a bicycle rider, you have to understand that you cannot go as fast as a car, truck, or bus. The car and the bicycle both have to share the road, preferably in harmony. Getting any sort of road rage, whether it be in a car or on a bicycle, can make situations worse.
If you are a bicycle rider and you are the victim of an accident, allow an excellent bicycle accident law firm in Buffalo to take your case.
