An Orange City teen was injured when he rode his bicycle into an SUV Wednesday afternoon, September 21, and has been cited by the Florida Highway Patrol for violating the right of way of the SUV and for not wearing his helmet. A helmet is a requirement for any bicyclist under the age of 16. The 13-year-old hit the vehicle at the corner of Sparkman Avenue and West Blue Springs when the SUV, driven by a 67-year-old man, pulled into the intersection and was hit in the right rear section of the vehicle. The teen was taken to Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Orange City was the scene of another collision this week involving a 14-year-old pedestrian on his way to school who was hit by a teacher driving to University High School. He is listed in stable condition but the teacher received a citation for violating the teen’s right of way.
Bicycle Crashes in Florida
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recently released its traffic statistics for the state for 2010. We find that there were 99 bicyclists killed in 2010 a decline of 16% over 2009. Last year 4,376 bicyclists were injured (roughly the same number as the year before) and there were 4,774 crashes involving bicycles. Generally the bicyclist is not seen by the motorist even though an automobile is supposed to Share the Road with all forms of transportation.
The Florida Bicycle Association is a great resource to let bikers know what the rules of the road are to stay safe.
Sources: http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/west-volusia/2011/09/22/orange-city-boy-cited-after-bike-collides-with-suv.html; http://www.flhsmv.gov/hsmvdocs/CS2010.pdf
