As a direct consequence of cyclists having to share major and minor roadways from extremely busy major city roadways to the less busy, even less dangerous miniscule minor rural small towns of our ultra high mobile society, the resulting mix of large and small fast moving vehicles can be a traumatic and at times deadly combination of conflicts for the experienced and uninitiated adult and vulnerable child bicyclist – the unprotected bicyclist is especially vulnerable and most likely to fair the worst in any vehicle and bicyclist collision.
The essential life protecting bicycle riding skills and techniques essential for the safekeeping of the bicyclist while riding on the highway, especially in extremely highly populated and densely mobile business and residential areas, can be very complex even for the fit, alert and agile bicyclist, Though spare a thought for the less fit, less alert and agile bicyclist, especially considering the near impossible task of attempting to turn from and into a very busy highway at an intersection, when forcibly confronting and assessing high speed vehicles from all directions on a very busy crossroads. The next and deadliest combination is of navigating a very busy street will crossing very fast moving vehicles in the darkest and wet winters night, and what is more apparent – and possibly more deadly, is when the bicyclist is a child or adult and suffers from a physically or mentally challenged condition, especially physically challenged by just at legal eyesight criteria and or deafness, this debilitating disability allows the bicyclist very little opportunity of safely crossing the flow of busy traffic, at even the simplest highway intersection crossing without a high possibility of being involved in an accident involving serious personal injury or even massive fatal trauma.
Walking, riding a bicycle, or in control of a horse drawn carriage was the essential mode of travelling options a hundred years ago in the USA. Even very large cities had fairly stable transportation needs over many decades, and when changes did occur, extensive planning was not a required requisite and usually not even considered. Nowadays, many medium and large cities have large transportation departments and offices, with professionals skilled in transportation planning, civil and environmental engineering, politics and law (Levinson, 1996). A change in transportation options no longer just happens.
City planning departments have been redesigning European cities since medieval times, but the tradition of town planning is very much recent and modern in the United States (Heidenheimer , Heclo, and Adams, 1983, page 241). According to Fegan (1995), US traffic engineers have received less “training in design of facilities to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.” In the United States, the automobile reigns supreme with no equals in supremacy. Politicians bankroll their campaigns with automobile related, and not bicycle related contributions. In contrast, in some European countries, bicycling is seen as a viable and important transportation option, championed by politicians and transportation planners alike.
The 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) rewrote the rules for transportation planning in the United States (Ochia, 1993). According to one commentator describing ISTEA “its time for the transportation community to rethink its attitudes and actions regarding bicycling and walking. These transportation modes can play an increasingly significant role in a balanced intermodal transportation system” (Federal Highway Administration, 1992a). However despite the new federal rules, it takes a while for the state administrators to be convinced of its legal obligations towards the most vulnerable road users – bicyclist and pedestrians.
Despite miniscule signs of change, transportation politics and planning in Boston, for example, are still symbolic of the larger car culture in the United States (Williams and Larson, 1996), where cars are sometimes regarding as highly as family pets (Grava, 1993). Despite ISTEA, Bicycle facilities have been taking a back seat to automobiles and highways, with the poor vulnerable bicyclist and pedestrian forced to fend for their selves.
Estimates are that 190.000 vehicles are using the extremely congested highway system each day. Experts expect the new system of improved highway systems to comfortably manage at least 250.000 vehicles each day (Central Artery/Tunnel Project 1998). However, it is reasonable to expect that more roads and fewer tie ups will attract more drivers (Jacobs, 1991), therefore, dangerously increase the risks of serious injury to bicyclist as a consequence of using the unprotected bicycle in an ever increasing extremely dangerous motor vehicle dominated environment.
Despite the relatively small increase in bicycle ownership and use, many serious bicycle related injuries do occur in the United States. Bicycle related head injury is regarded as a serious and costly problem and bicycle helmets are seen as an essential safety aid through the every day usage of bicycles (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1995). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, “bicycle helmets should be worn by all persons (i.e., bicycle operators and passengers) at any age when bicycling. Bicyclists must accept that Road Safety is the responsibility of all road users regardless of size of all road vehicles, motorised or non motorised including pedestrians.
. Regardless of your age and level of your riding skills, or travelling on short or long journey, its imperative that you must consider absolute safety first and foremost, force yourself to be prepared for all road traffic conditions, react correctly to all real and perceived threats and potential and real hazards, and be correctly equipped with the up to date correct safety gear and up to date safety advices. If you suffer an accident replace your bicycle helmet with a new safety helmet and any torn safety clothing, that meets the relevant Safety Regulations. Always understand and follow the rules of the road.
These are the safety guidelines which will assist in your protection in the event of a bicycle accident:
1). Wear a safety helmet and ensure the safety helmet is secured correctly – an unfastened bicycle safety helmet offers no protection in an accident.
2). Another important safety aid entails wearing elbow, hips and knees pad protectors, which ensure protection to the rider when falling from the bicycle on the hard road surface – ensure the protective pads are secure, select, purchase and wear the correct bicycling protective clothing which can reduce injuries especially abrasions and scrapes.
3). Purchase and install a bell or horn on the bicycle, and use the device only to inform other road users of your presence and your intentions. For night time riding on the bicycle its imperative to have securely installed and working at all times, and effective and compliant headlight, tail light and suitably positioned reflectors. Before mounting the bicycle check the bicycles lighting system is in full working order.
4). Avoid driving faster than you think, or faster than other road users’ can react to you. Installed reflectors, lighted headlights and reflective stickers will not avoid an accident if the other road user don’t or refuse to react to your presence. Remember road safety is your responsibility and must be incorporated into your plan of action. Purchase, read, understand and practice the safe riding techniques and road safety procedures in The Highway Code Manual, and The Roadcraft Manual. Safety is the responsibility of all road users and bicyclists are no exception.
The comprehensive bicycling safety tips can assist in continuing to benefit from bicycling, and avoid being an accident statistic; prevention of accidents is far better than convalescing and cure.
If as a bicyclist you were involved in a traumatic and debilitating accident, or know of a family member, a loved one, or a valued friend, who received injuries, harm either physical or psychological - through a bicycle related accident, then find a local personal injury attorney free, local personal injury lawyer free. Complete Attorney Index website is a regularly updated local personal injury attorney directory, where you choose and freely contact, your local personal injury attorney, local personal injury lawyer, without your right of Freedom to Choose being abused. Complete Attorney Index website is not a law firm introducer or pre-selection to a law firm directory for local personal injury attorney or local personal injury lawyer, neither receives financial backing, payments from any nation wide, state wide or local injury attorneys, local injury lawyers. Your Freedom of Choice is your protected right – Complete Attorney Index website is intensely independent and intensely unbiased. You search and contact with no introductions whatsoever – exercise your freedom to choose. Search Now! Find local personal injury attorney free. Find local personal injury lawyer free.
