With the Hotter’N Hell Hundred bicycle ride quickly approaching, cyclist safety needs to be an important topic for cyclists and drivers in Wichita Falls and across Texoma. A recent Vox Transportation article reported on detailed data collected about bicycle crash fatalities across the country. Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) collects data on injury-causing and fatal crashes of all types, they’re information isn’t quite as detailed or specific as it could be. The League of American Bicyclists has been manually colleting data from various sources over the past few years to give a more detailed look at how and why fatal bicycle crashes occur.
The Data
Although the League of American Bicyclists’ information isn’t quite as comprehensive as the NHTSA’s, it’s certainly more detailed. For the year 2012, they’ve catalogued a little over three-quarters of the government’s total fatal bicycle crashes. Between February 2011 and February 2013, they made some pretty disturbing findings. As it turns out, rear-end collisions are, by and large, the number one cause of cyclist deaths across the country.
Fatal Rear-End Collisions
Even though rear-end crashes are a fairly small percentage of total collisions, they’re especially dangerous and deadly for cyclists. The League of American Bicyclists found that rear-end type collisions caused 40 percent of all cyclist fatalities in their study. These crashes are particularly devastating and catastrophic because drivers are often going high rates of speed and don’t see the cyclists prior to hitting them. They also found that careless driving is the top secondary factor in most bicyclist fatality crashes. Hit-and-run type crashes are also at the top of the list. Finally, they’ve found that most cyclist fatalities happen on high-traffic urban roads.
When to Call a Bicycle Accident Attorney
If you have been injured or if you have lost a loved one in a bicycle accident, you need to speak with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Cyclists are one of the more vulnerable roadway user groups. They simply don’t have the same protections as drivers and passengers in cars and trucks. Even with protective gear like helmets and gloves, cyclists can become catastrophically or fatally injured in crashes involving larger passenger occupant vehicles.
If you or a loved one have been injured by a careless driver in Wichita Falls or the surrounding communities, contact the skilled team at the Altman Legal Group at (940) 761-4000 for an immediate free case consultation today.