| What you need to know about Los Angeles Bicycle | | | | * Ride with the safe flow of traffic. |
| accidents is that there are many ways you could get | | | | * Obey street signs and all traffic signals. |
| killed. The purpose of this article is to educate the | | | | * Use hand signals when you want to turn left and |
| consumer and protect injured victims in Los Angeles, | | | | right. |
| California from future bicycle injuries. The scenario | | | | * Stay in your bike lane when it is to be there. |
| goes: A large truck turns left into your bike's path as | | | | * Don't weave in and out of cars and trucks in traffic |
| you ride your bicycle down to Venice Beach, Redondo | | | | and keep your eyes open for opening car doors. |
| Beach, or HB, Huntington Beach. To make it worse, the | | | | * If no bike lane was even provided, ride to the right |
| truck driver making the left in front of you didn't look. | | | | side of all cars, trucks and motorcycles. |
| The driver was chatting on his cellular phone at the | | | | * Do not share a narrow lane and simply take it over |
| time of impact. | | | | and ride in the center. Otherwise you could get |
| According to personal injury lawyers in Los Angeles, | | | | crushed. |
| this is call a "T-bone." In Los Angeles County every | | | | Bicycle Accident Statistics: |
| year, at least 34 bicyclists suffer wrongful death every | | | | * The first car crash in the United States happened in |
| year in car crash collisions. At least 2,900 Los Angeles | | | | 1896 and was a car running over a bicyclist. |
| cyclists are seriously injured every year. Many motor | | | | * The fatality rates for bicyclists from the ages of 5 to |
| vehicle operators don't know or don't care that | | | | 15 years old is almost double that of adults who ride |
| bicyclists have the same rights under the California | | | | bikes. For every youngster killed on a bike, at least 100 |
| Vehicle Code ("CVC") as motor vehicles like cars, | | | | or more were harmed physically. |
| trucks and motorcycles. | | | | * Alcohol use by bikers and not just car operators is a |
| One important step for all bikers is getting an approved | | | | statistical fact involving almost 1/3rd or more of |
| bicycle safety helmet. This can go a long way to | | | | bicyclists wrongful deaths. |
| preventing traumatic head injuries and wrongful death | | | | * 112 bicycle riders were wrongfully killed in California |
| on a bicycle. The California Highway Patrol statistics | | | | back in 1999. |
| show that only two of the 28 cyclists killed in LA in | | | | * At least 64 percent of all bikers wrongfully killed by |
| 1999 had actually worn their bicycle helmets. Bicycles | | | | cars in California were riding bikes while riding in their |
| are used for transportation, recreation, and necessity. | | | | neighborhoods. |
| A recent study of Los Angeles bicycle accidents | | | | * From 1986 and 1995 cars in Los Angeles County |
| appears to purport that children from 5 years old to 14 | | | | killed at least 340 bicyclists, and out of that, 29,920 |
| have the highest totals of deaths in LA and they are | | | | were injured in motor vehicle accidents involving a |
| not wearing their helmets! This is true even though | | | | bicycle. |
| parents have a duty to make sure their children abide | | | | What you need to know about Los Angeles Bicycle |
| by the law in California for bicyclists under the of 18 | | | | accidents is basically that you need to be extra careful |
| mandating them to wear bicycle helmets. | | | | so you are not another statistic. When you are |
| Safe Bicycling Information | | | | harmed by the negligence of another, don't get caught |
| * Wear your helmet approved for bicyclists by the | | | | without the legal body armor of an aggressive bike |
| state of California. | | | | crash lawyer. |