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Bicycle Accidents
Bicycle Accidents | Bicycle Accidents: Arizona Lawyers |
 In the United States, there are 67 million bicyclists who ride approximately 15
billion hours per year. While over 90% of deaths from bicycle-related injuries
are caused by collisions with motor vehicles, these collisions cause less than
25% of non-fatal head injuries. Bicycle-related injuries account for
approximately 900 deaths, 23,000 hospital admissions, 580,000 emergency
department visits and more than 1.2 million physician visits per year in the
United States, resulting in an estimated cost of more than $8 billion annually.
The Child Health Supplement to the 1988 National Health Interview Survey
estimated that approximately 4.4 million children aged five to 17 years were
injured annually because of participation in sports and recreation;
bicycle-related injuries were responsible for 10 to 40 percent of these.
Bicycle crashes rank second only to riding animals as a sports- or recreation-associated cause of serious injury; one study estimated the rate of severe injuries to be 37.4 per 100,000 population in urban areas. Although injuries to mountain bikers of all ages account for only 3.7 percent of bicycle injuries overall, up to 51 percent of recreational and 85 percent of competitive mountain bikers sustain injuries each year. Most bicycle-related injuries occur to the upper or lower extremities, followed by the head, face, abdomen or thorax, and neck. Head injuries occur in 22 to 47 percent of injured bicyclists, often as a result of collision with a motor vehicle, and are responsible for over 60 percent of all bicycle-related deaths and the majority of long-term disabilities. Overall, off-road cyclists have a 40 percent lower incidence of head, facial and dental injuries than on-road bicyclists, primarily the result of being separated from vehicular traffic and more frequent helmet use. While a bicyclist has as much right to the roadway as a car, Arizona requires a bicyclist to stay to the far right of the road or in a designated bike path. ARS 28-721, which applies to bicyclists, says a driver must drive on the right side of the roadway; except while passing another vehicle moving in the same direction, when the right half of a roadway is closed to traffic while under construction or repair, or on a one way road. In addition, a person who is traveling at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic must stay to the far right lane. Even though bicyclist are very good about following this law, three common types of biking accidents occur: hitting the door of a car, a car brushing the biker, and a car striking the bike while the car is making a right hand turn. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bicycle accident, please contact us today to get the help you deserve. |
