BICYCLE SAFETY TIPS TO AVOID PERSONAL INJURY IN INDIANA

“Americans are increasingly bicycling to commute, for exercise, or just for fun,” the United States Department of Safety reports. At the same time, the Advocacy Advance Organization cautions, “Many cities throughout the U.S. reported increases in the number of bicycle accidents during the pandemic shutdown, the authors add, coinciding with a steep decrease in the number of car accidents.

As personal injury attorneys in Indiana (and as Indianapolis residents), at Ramey & Hailey, we are devoted to keeping our city safe for both drivers and cyclists.  To that end, we wanted to call our blog readers’ attention to the following list of bicycle safety tips offered by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration:

• Follow the steps to properly fit your helmet and never ride bareheaded
• Ride only a bike that properly fits you (if it’s too big, it’s harder to control)
• Ride only a bike with properly functioning brakes
• Ride one per seat, with both hands on the handlebars (unless signaling a turn)
• Carry all items in a backpack or strapped to the back of the bike
• Tuck and tie shoelaces and pant legs (so they don’t get caught in the chain of the bike)
• Plan your route (the safest route may be away from traffic, on a bike path or lane)
• Drive in the same direction as traffic
• Obey all street signs, signals, and road markings
• Do not text or listen to music while riding a bicycle
• Minimize sidewalk riding
• Watch for pedestrians and for cars backing out of driveways

“As you might expect, when a crash occurs between a vehicle and a bike, it’s the cyclist who is most likely to be injured,” the NHTSA cautions. “A large percentage of crashes can be avoided if motorists and cyclists follow the rules of the road and watch out for each other.”