May is National Bike Month, a month in which cycling enthusiasts get together and celebrate the benefits of cycling. The biggest day that is celebrated in bike month in 2018 is May 18, which is National Bike to Work Day. This year Bike to Work Week will be May 14 to 18.
According to the League of American Bicyclists, four out of every ten trips are less than two miles. That makes choosing to ride your bicycle to work or on short trips a feasible option. Riding your bike to work instead of driving a vehicle is healthy for you and good for the environment, but it’s important to stay safe while doing so.
Stay Safe While Biking
If you are out of the habit of riding your bike to and from work, you might need a few tips on how to stay safe while biking. Although bicycling is a healthy avocation, the potential for injury is always there.
Here are some reminders of bike safety tips:
- Wear a helmet to greatly reduce the risk of head injury or brain injury. If you are in a collision and fly forward, chances are you will hit your head. Protect your skull and brain with a helmet.
- Obey the rules of the road. You must ride in the same direction as traffic and follow all signs and signals. Ride as far to the right as possible.
- Pay attention to what is going on around you at all times. Watch out for cars that are opening their doors or swerving into the bike lane. Look out for potholes or any kind of debris in the road. Don’t distract yourself with music coming through earbuds.
- Wear bright clothing and use reflectors on your bike and clothes. Whenever possible, ride during the day.
- Let vehicle drivers know what you are about to do by using hand signals.
Looking For Routes To Bike In Fort Worth?
Fort Worth is the place to be for those who are enthusiastic about bicycling. The Trinity Trails extend for over 70 miles along the Trinity River. Miles of continuous paved trails allow you to get exercise while enjoying the scenery. Enjoy a wide variety of cafes and restaurants along the way. You can even stop to rent kayaks, paddle boards and canoes so you can enjoy the river.
While the Trinity River Trails are the most well-known trails in Fort Worth, they aren’t the only ones. There are a number of excellent routes bikers can enjoy this month. Patterson Law Group took the time to compile and plot some of the best routes into an easy to use Fort Worth bike map. You can browse and sort the routes by distance and rating to find the route that makes sense for you.
Bike Accident and Injury Statistics
While Fort Worth aims to be a city where biking is encouraged as a safe activity, accidents sometimes happen. It’s difficult to pinpoint how many people are injured on bikes because most bike injuries are minor and not reported to law enforcement.
Across the Unites States, statistics regarding bike accidents include the following:
- In 2015, over 800 people on cycles (bicycles, tricycles, unicycles, etc.) were killed in motor vehicle crashes, which was over 12 percent higher than the prior year
- Approximately 45,000 people on cycles were injured
In the state of Texas in 2015, there were 50 cyclists fatally injured, which was 1.4% of total traffic fatalities in the state.
Causes of Bike Injuries and Fatalities
Some bike injuries and fatalities are connected to substance use on either the part of the cyclist or a driver of an automobile that hit the cyclist. Most are attributed to human error, which includes distracted driving.
If you have been injured in a bike accident caused by the negligence of a vehicle driver, it’s important to speak to a personal injury attorney. Patterson Law Group wants to help. Fill out the form on this page and one of our attorneys will be in touch with you soon.
