Riding a bike is an excellent form of exercise, yet it can also be hazardous to your health. Sharing the road with motor vehicles can be very dangerous and unpredictable. Bicycle accidents have been on the decline in the last few years. Unfortunately, fatal accidents associated with bike riding have been on the rise.
As bike riding has become more popular, advocacy groups have become more successful in getting safety features added to the roadways to reduce the number of bicycle accidents. Some of those enhancements include bike lanes and protective medians. These safety precautions aren’t uniform, however. They vary by jurisdiction.
One reason why fatal bike accidents have been increasing in recent years is because there are more novice bike riders on the road than ever before. Many of them aren’t familiar with safe biking practices. Another problem is that drivers don’t often use the necessary degree of caution when sharing the road with bicyclists. Many cities have discussed making changes to road infrastructure to increase bike riding safety, but few have begun to implement them.
The place where bike accidents happen the most is in urban areas. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics show that 70% of all fatal bike accidents occur in city centers. Above-average traffic is likely to blame for this. These municipalities are often more resistant to installing bike safety features than suburban and rural areas are.
If you have been the victim of a severe bike accident here in Rochester, then you may be entitled to monetary relief. You may be able to use any compensation that you recover to pay your current and future medical bills and other crash-related expenses. A catastrophic injury and wrongful death attorney will know Michigan law and how to apply it so that you achieve the best resolution in your case.