Bicycle Safety
John P. Young is your Indiana Injury Attorney. We have 22 years experience in matters involving personal injury. We represent Hoosiers injured in highway accidents, semi tractor-trailer crashes, motorcycle accidents, car accidents, drunk driving accidents and crashes, construction accidents and more. We deal with only serious personal injury including broken bones, spinal cord injury with paraplegia and quadriplegia, wrongful death, blindness, amputations. Today I would like to discuss bicycle safety.
I ride my bike to work two to three times a week. The only time I won’t ride is when there is snow and ice on the roads. I ride for a couple of reasons. When I finish my ride to work and sit down at my desk my energy level is high and I feel alert. I guess it is because of the fresh air and the heart pumping. Whatever it is, it is better than coffee, no kidding. I like to think riding is a green action I can take to make the world a better place for my children and yours. I think I am keeping my weight under control, but I should also do a few push aways from the table.
A few of the things I notice that can help people be safer on bikes include wearing bright clothing and having a front and rear flasher on your bike or clothes. The key to avoiding injury is being seen by cars. You would think in bright sunlight it would be easy to see a full grown man on a bike, but it isn’t. Riders should go out of their way to be seen. Wear a helmet. Most of the time we are in control on the bike, but in an instant that can change. When it does, we may no be prepared and go over the handle bars. If that happens it is likely we are going to hit our head on something. An unprotected head is an easy target for brain injury. Your brain is slammed as hard as your head is. As your brain is really mostly like jello, it can be easily injured. The brain injury can leave permanent life altering damage. A helmet is an inexpensive way to minimize (not eliminate) the danger of a brain injury.
Always ride with traffic. This seems to be a point of confusion. Walk against traffic, ride with traffic. This allows people who are turning from side streets into your path to more easily see you. This is because they are looking for cars and while they are doing this they will likely see you. If you are riding against traffic, the driver will look in the opposite direction of the way you are coming last, to avoid the car that might hit them. This is especially true on one way streets.
Finally, watch out for drivers talking on their cell phone. Of the multitude of things on that drivers mind, you, on your bicycle is one of the last things. You watch out for them. They already are demonstrating an extremely careless attitude about their own safety and the safety of other drivers on the road. Of all the dangerous things I have seen happen on the road in the last four years of riding my bike to work, most (say around 75%) have been done by people driving and talking on their cell phones.
Enjoy your ride, be safe. If you are injured by another’s negligence while you are riding, call John P. Young for your personal, confidential and no charge consultation. You may reach Mr. Young toll free at 1-888-6395161, or on the web at john@youngandyoungin.com.