According to the NHTSA Traffic Safety Report on bicyclist injuries and fatalities, the average age of cyclists injured and killed in accidents with motor vehicles has increased steadily since 2000 from age 35 to age 41. The Galveston bicycle accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC mention that as more and more people take to the roads on bicycles for exercise and to save gas, that average age of cyclists will likely continue to increase.
64% of the cyclists killed in traffic accidents from 2000 to 2009 were aged 25 to 64. In 2009, 630 bicyclists died in U.S. traffic crashes and about 51,000 were injured. 87% of the bicycling fatalities were among male riders. And over 40% of the fatal accidents were alcohol-related with either the bicyclist or the motor vehicle driver (or both) being over the legal limit. 70% of the bicyclist fatalities occurred in urban areas, and 72% were between the hours of 4 a.m. and 8 p.m.
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On Fatal Bicycling Accidents from U.S. Motor Vehicle Traffic
The Galveston bicycle accident attorneys at Denena Points, PC report that fatal bicycle accidents account for 2% to 3% of all U.S. traffic fatalities annually. The percentage would likely be higher, but many bicyclists have learned to avoid sharing the road with motor vehicle traffic.
Even with the best of intentions, motorists have a hard time slowing down sufficiently and changing lanes in traffic when they find a slower bicycle in their lane. And our Galveston bicycle accident attorneys point out that studies have proven time and again that drivers of motor vehicles keep watch for vehicles their own size or larger, and generally fail to perceive bicycles or pedestrians until it’s too late to avoid a collision. Asking motorists to “share the road” simply won’t change the essential nature of human perception and attention when engaged in a complex task like driving.
Bicyclists who brave motor vehicle traffic to share the roads must often maintain a heightened state of awareness to assure their own safety. Click the link to read some bicycling safety tips from the U.S. NHTSA.
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