illuminateLA

Many of my friend have been in bike accidents because they are riding on the sidewalk, or they are riding against traffic on the sidewalk or they are riding against traffic on the street.

I have posted a while back on my blog about how to ride your bike legally and safely in LA and now that I finally got some data on a study on bike collisions, I wanted to send another reminder about the post at http://illuminatela.com/a-little-help-for-those-who-want-to-ride-a-bike and I wanted to share this study with you.

Before you continue reading further though, I would like to ask all drivers to be considerate and always watch for more then just cars on the road. There are skateboarders, roller bladers and even joggers on our streets, who come off the sidewalk at fast speeds and we need to watch out for them because they can get injured and killed. Our car will only get a dent.

So please, watch out for the weak and stop BEHIND the white line at every intersection. Don’t roll into the crosswalk if you see someone coming. Putting another road user behind your car to cross the street makes them invisible to turning vehicles and you could roll over them if you need to back up. Give right of way to those who use other modes of travel and you will help in making our neighborhoods walkable.

A Guide for Reducing Collisions Involving Bicycles.

Wrong-way and Sidewalk Riding:

Bicyclists who ride against the direction of traffic or on the sidewalk are implicated in crashes occurring along the roadway. In a study of a representative sample of 2,931 bicycle crashes from six states (California, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Utah) prepared for FHWA in the early 1990’s, bicyclists were riding against the direction of traffic in 32 percent of relevant cases and about 15 percent of bicyclists were coded as contributing to the crash by riding against traffic (Hunter et al., 1996). This factor is particularly prevalent in crashes at intersections and other junctions where the motorist and bicyclist are on crossing paths.

Bicyclists riding the wrong-way are approaching from a direction where motorists do not expect them, and motorists are typically looking for a gap to the left before pulling out. The right-turn-on-red vehicle movement is an additional component to a number of these crashes.

Additionally, bicyclists traveling the wrong-way may not be able to see traffic signs and signals.

Bicyclists on the sidewalk are also in a position where motorists do not expect them, particularly if also traveling the wrong-way. While about 16 percent of the cases indicated the bicyclist was riding on the sidewalk, riding off the sidewalk at a driveway or intersection was indicated as a factor in a little more than 9 percent of the cases analyzed by Hunter et al. (1996). Crashes involving sidewalk riding tended, however, to result in fewer serious and fatal injuries than other crashes. Around 10 to 11 percent of the North Carolina crashes involved sidewalk riding.

Three-fourths of bicyclists riding on a sidewalk, crosswalk, or driveway crossing in these crashes were also riding facing traffic. The problem is further compounded since bicyclists are often traveling faster than pedestrians and may not have enough time to avoid a vehicle pulling across the sidewalk.

RISK FACTORS FOR BICYCLE-MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISIONS AT INTERSECTIONS.
BY ALAN WACHTEL AND DIANA LEWISTON

Abstract:

An estimated 650,000 people were treated in emergency rooms in 1992 for bicycle-related injuries, yet research into accident causes is very limited. This article describes a study of bicycle/motor vehicle collisions in Palo Alto, California. The study compares the personal characteristics/bicycling behavior of bicyclists involved in accidents and similar data for the general population of bicyclists traveling the same streets. Personal and behavioral variables include age, sex, direction of travel, and position on the road. Results reveal that bicyclists 18 years and older incur a greater risk of collision with motor vehicles than younger riders. No significant risk is associated with sex.

Two other variables that incur greater risk is traveling against the direction of traffic and riding on a sidewalk or bike path. Also of note, intersections are the major point of conflict between bicycles and motor vehicles. The authors conclude that shared use of a well-designed road system leads to the fewest conflicts and accidents. Bicycles and motor vehicles should be integrated according to well-established and effective principles of traffic law and engineering.