Whenever a person in Costa Mesta is driving in a motor vehicle, they should always be cognizant of anyone else around who may be sharing the roadway with them. This is true regardless of whether the other person is also in an automobile, is riding a bicycle or is walking.
Safety should be every driver’s first priority, but sometimes it helps when governmental agencies push to remind everyone about the need for safety in particular circumstances. For example, the U.S. Department of Transportation has a program that is targeting safety issues for non-motorized vehicle, like bicycles. The “Safer People, Safer Streets Initiative” is designed to get experts and local communities together to figure out ways to make streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, injuries from bicycle accidents have been on the rise since 2009. More than 700 people lost their lives in bicycle accidents in 2012 alone. This represented 2.2 percent of all motor vehicle-related deaths during that year.
Although a fatal bicycle accident can occur in any place where a person is riding a bike, they are more common in urban areas. Furthermore, the data from 2012 showed that in roughly 12 percent of the bike accidents that resulted in the biker’s death, the driver of the motor vehicle was impaired by alcohol.
An accident between a bike and a car or truck can easily result in serious injuries or death to the bicyclist. Hopefully, programs like the “Safer People, Safer Streets Initiative” will curb bicycle accidents over time, as people get more education and reminders about the importance of keeping bicyclists safe. However, some of these accidents will undoubtedly still occur due to negligent drivers who fail to exercise proper safety precautions when riding near bikers.
Any biker in Orange County who suffers an injury from an accident cause by a driver in a motor vehicle may want to explore the possibility of pursuing legal action against the driver.
Fuente: U.S. Department of Transportation, “Safer People, Safer Streets: Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Initiative,” Accessed on Nov. 29, 2015
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