Whether you worry about the safety of your child while they ride their bicycle or you regularly ride your bike to work, you need to understand the risks that bicyclists face when riding near traffic. Every year, these accidents claim many lives and result in even more devastating injuries.
It is important to go over statistics on bike accidents in order to realize the prevalence of these crashes. Moreover, if a reckless driver’s behavior causes a devastating accident, they must answer for their actions.
Data on bike accident injuries and fatalities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over the course of 2015, bike accidents resulted in nearly 465,000 injuries. During the same year, more than 1,000 bicyclists lost their lives. Moreover, the CDC states that in terms of lost productivity and medical expenses over the course of a victim’s life, bike accident injuries led to $10 billion in losses during 2010.
Risk factors associated with bike accidents
The CDC states that a majority of bike accidents take place outside of intersections, in urban locations. Male bicyclists are more likely to sustain an injury or die in accidents when compared to female bicyclists, and those between the ages of 50 and 59 lose their lives in bike accidents more than any other age group. Bicyclists between 5 and 19 are especially likely to become injured in accidents when compared to other age groups.
Bike accident victims face various hardships, whether they lose the ability to walk, struggle to pay medical bills or suffer emotional challenges. If you are dealing with the aftermath of an accident, examine all of your options as you work toward recovery.