Bicycling has exploded in popularity across the United States over the
past 10 - 15 years. More people are purchasing and riding bicycles these
days than ever before, and this includes a massive amount of riders who
spend time riding through large cities. While bicycling is obviously good
exercise, it is also somewhat risky when bicyclists and motorists share
space. As a result of this growing problem, several cities around the
country including Las Vegas have been adding bicycle lanes to busy streets.
The hope was that it would both reduce the number of crashes between bicycles
and vehicles and reduce the severity of the injuries suffered. Bicycle
lanes have now been in place long enough for data to become available
for study. That's exactly what researchers at the University of Buffalo
decided to do recently. The point of the study was to define whether or
not the presence of bicycle lanes reduced the severity of the injuries
suffered by bicyclists when they collided with vehicles, and if so whether
these bicycle lanes were the biggest determining factor. The
researchers reviewed bicycle accident statistics from different cities
that occurred in bicycle lanes and compared them with several other types
of crashes. What they found was that while bicycle lanes did have a slight
impact on the severity of the injuries suffered by bicyclists in these
crashes, they were not the biggest factors. The two biggest factors in
reducing the severity of injuries suffered in crashes were the speed at
which the vehicles were traveling before they collided with bicycles and
the amount of light that was present when these accidents occurred. Both
of those factors seem to make sense. Clearly, when a vehicle is traveling
at a higher rate of speed it's going to generate more force when it
collides with a bicyclist. In addition, if it's lighter outside, it's
more likely that a motorist is going to see a bicyclist before a collision
occurs and therefore slow down at least enough that the amount of force
involved is reduced. Bicycle lanes were found to have a small effect on
the severity of these crashes because motorists tended to realize that
they were in the wrong place often enough to pull out of those lanes and
lessen the intensity of the impact. None of this should be taken to mean
that bicycle lanes are going to start to disappear soon. Most local governments
approve of bicycle riding for transportation, as it cuts public costs,
it helps the environment and it reduces the traffic that others have to
endure. This would be particularly helpful in a city such as Las Vegas.
However, people are unfortunately going to continue to be injured or worse
when they are hit by vehicles based on simple physics. If you or someone
you love has been injured in a crash caused by someone else, contact the
Las Vegas injury lawyers
at
Bernstein & Poisson
today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Study Reveals Bicycle Lanes Not the Most Important Factor in Reducing Severity of Crashes with Vehicles
Bicycling has exploded in popularity across the United States over the
past 10 - 15 years. More people are purchasing and riding bicycles these
days than ever before, and this includes a massive amount of riders who
spend time riding through large cities. While bicycling is obviously good
exercise, it is also somewhat risky when bicyclists and motorists share
space. As a result of this growing problem, several cities around the
country including Las Vegas have been adding bicycle lanes to busy streets.
The hope was that it would both reduce the number of crashes between bicycles
and vehicles and reduce the severity of the injuries suffered. Bicycle
lanes have now been in place long enough for data to become available
for study. That's exactly what researchers at the University of Buffalo
decided to do recently. The point of the study was to define whether or
not the presence of bicycle lanes reduced the severity of the injuries
suffered by bicyclists when they collided with vehicles, and if so whether
these bicycle lanes were the biggest determining factor. The
researchers reviewed bicycle accident statistics from different cities
that occurred in bicycle lanes and compared them with several other types
of crashes. What they found was that while bicycle lanes did have a slight
impact on the severity of the injuries suffered by bicyclists in these
crashes, they were not the biggest factors. The two biggest factors in
reducing the severity of injuries suffered in crashes were the speed at
which the vehicles were traveling before they collided with bicycles and
the amount of light that was present when these accidents occurred. Both
of those factors seem to make sense. Clearly, when a vehicle is traveling
at a higher rate of speed it's going to generate more force when it
collides with a bicyclist. In addition, if it's lighter outside, it's
more likely that a motorist is going to see a bicyclist before a collision
occurs and therefore slow down at least enough that the amount of force
involved is reduced. Bicycle lanes were found to have a small effect on
the severity of these crashes because motorists tended to realize that
they were in the wrong place often enough to pull out of those lanes and
lessen the intensity of the impact. None of this should be taken to mean
that bicycle lanes are going to start to disappear soon. Most local governments
approve of bicycle riding for transportation, as it cuts public costs,
it helps the environment and it reduces the traffic that others have to
endure. This would be particularly helpful in a city such as Las Vegas.
However, people are unfortunately going to continue to be injured or worse
when they are hit by vehicles based on simple physics. If you or someone
you love has been injured in a crash caused by someone else, contact the
Las Vegas injury lawyers
at
Bernstein & Poisson
today to schedule a free initial consultation.