Florida Bicycle Accident Lawyers
Auto vs. Bicycle Accidents
There are more and more people in Florida combining exercise with a desire to leave the car parked and ride a bicycle. The good news to report is that in our state, bicycle and passenger fatalities decreased from 2007 to 2008 by 2.5% from 121 to 118 fatalities.
But cyclists are very vulnerable on the road. A study by USA Today found that Florida has the highest percentage of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths at 11.1% for pedestrians and 17.4% for cyclist deaths in 2008.
Not surprisingly, the college town of Gainesville, home to University of Florida, and a lot of people who opt for bicycles over cars, had the most bicycle-related accidents from 2004 to 2008, according to the Gainesville Department Traffic Safety Team.
Even with low-speed zones and law enforcement on campus, the volume of traffic accounts for the high number of accidents.
In the rest of Florida, the Highway Patrol reports that in 2008, there were 118 bicyclists killed that year, 4,380 cyclists injured. There were 4,775 bicycle crashes.
Broward County (515) Pinellas (450) and Miami-Dade 454) had the highest number of bicycle injuries. Jacksonville's Duval County had 211 injuries and St. Johns County had 44.
People need to understand that folks who forgo cars have rights to the road too. That was the reason behind the Florida "Share the Road" education campaign so that motorists, motorcycles and bicyclists would acknowledge that we all use the same roads but with different vehicles.
Compounding the high accident numbers are the lack of bike lanes and sidewalks along with a spread out cities.
The Florida Times Union recently profiled individuals who have been hit by automobiles just by walking or riding their bicycle. Hundreds of thousands in medical bills is not uncommon along with a lifetime of pain.
And cyclists tell the paper they've frequently experienced anger on the road with people yelling and even throwing things at cyclists, telling them to get off the road and onto the sidewalk. Bicyclists by law are not supposed to ride on the sidewalk.
There are also times when the cyclist is at fault. A bicyclist is supposed to follow the rules of the road that include waiting at traffic lights, using hand signals and crossing in a crosswalk, walking the bike across. Cross in an area that is not a crosswalk and you must yield to automobiles.
State statistics shows that about 26% of the bicyclists killed were wearing helmets while 72% of bicyclists were not wearing helmets.
Florida's 2009 Statutes for bicycles (316.2065) state that every rider under the age of 16 must wear a properly-fitting helmet. When riding in traffic bicyclists may not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside exclusively for the use of bicycles. Riders two abreast must not impede traffic when traveling at less than normal speeds.
Remember, many motorists are also busy with cell phones and texting and may not even see a bicyclist until it's too late.