Bicycle safety has been a priority in Bay Area cities; especially San Francisco and Berkeley, where bicycle traffic is mixed with narrow streets and heavy motor vehicle traffic. It is no secret that bikes are a popular mode of transportation as Californians enjoy the unseasonably warm spring weather. However, the safety system eminating from a region who just got spring…last week is touted as being the standard all cities should follow. Minneapolis, Minnesota will host one of two national bike safety summits this year. Essentially, the state increased the number of riders over the last four years while bicycle deaths have decreased in each year. The summit will include state and local transportation planners, bike safety advocacy groups and retailers of safety equipment. There will be panel discussions on the efficacy of bike boulevards, expos on safety procedures and tours of bike friendly streets around the city. While transportation officials in Minneapolis are proud of the declining injury numbers, they believe that more work is needed to reduce the number of crashes (even though the crash rate has been declining). In the meantime, bicyclists and motorists share a responsibility to share the road, and state law requires drivers to yield the right of way to bicyclists in the same manner as pedestrians. (Many accidents occur as a result of a driver’s failure to yield.) Bike riders do not have the protections car drivers enjoy, so they are much more likely to be injured in a crash. If you have questions about an injured bike rider’s legal options, an experienced personal injury attorney can help.
Model for bicycle safety on display in upcoming summit
