IN THE NEWS: BICYCLE INJURIES AND FATALITIES HIT HOME IN INDIANA

“Because of the pandemic, elements of our lives changed dramatically, “observe the authors of Advocacy Advance. “With fewer cars on the road, many drivers felt safe increasing their speed and were driving without the same level of caution as normal. Unfortunately, the result was not good for bicyclists.” 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.

In just the past two months, a number of tragic events brought those statistics into sharp focus for Indianapolis residents:

• • • On September 18, an 84-year-old bicyclist died of injuries resulting from a vehicle crash just east of U.S. 421.
    • On September 20, a man riding a bicycle was struck and killed near W. 62nd and Georgetown Road.
    • On October 22, a bicyclist was injured on the west side (4300 of West Morris) after being struck by a vehicle that fled after the crash.
    • On October 29, bicyclist Frank Radaker was killed on the city’s north side (85th and Monon Trail).

    Three central Indiana bicycling groups in Indianapolis have come together to address the problem, Eric Feldman of WISH TV reports:

    1. Bike Indianapolis
    2. Bicycle Indiana
    3. Central Indiana Bicycling Association

    The groups hope to meet with Indy’s Metropolitan Police, the Marion County Prosecutor’s office and personal injury attorneys to discuss better enforcement and want lawmakers to ban automobile drivers from passing a biker within three feet. They pinpoint accident causes as:

    • speeding
    • distracted driving
    • too few bike lanes

    Damon Richards, executive director of Bike Indianapolis, encourages all citizens to report any incident or near-accident to the website https://bikemaps.org/.

    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. Check for upcoming blog posts about bicycle safety and what procedures to follow if you are involved in a bicycle accident.