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Bicycle Injury Study

11.15.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

This blog is aimed primarily at road bikers, and based on the comments and feedback I get from readers, most fit that description. However, I think it’s also safe to say that lots of road bikers don’t stick exclusively to road riding. They might engage in other types of riding, too, such as commuting or utility biking.

That kind of riding is usually done on city streets, and transportation cycling garners a small share of overall trips — as low as one to three percent in the United States, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. One reason often cited for this is safety. Bicyclists tend to be injured more often in countries where transportation cycling is less common.

Examples of cycle tracks in Holland.

A study done in 2008-09 in Canada has gotten some renewed attention here. It’s called the “BICE” study — for “Bicyclists’ Injuries and the Cycling Environment.” The study — of 690 bicyclists who had been hurt in bike crashes — found that the kind of infrastructure available for cyclists is associated with the risk of injuries from bike crashes.

The highest risk infrastructure was a city street with no bike lane and with parked cars. Other high-risk features included train or streetcar tracks, downhill grades, and construction.

Lower-risk features included off-street bike paths, major streets with bike lanes and no parked cars, and residential street bike routes. But the safest bit of cycling infrastructure was the “cycle track.” That’s a segregated bike lane adjacent to a street. They’re not seen much in the United States, but are quite common in the Netherlands.The authors of the study suggest that transportation planners can use the results to help pick cycling structure that will improve safety, and thereby, promote transportation cycling.

The University of British Columbia has a synopsis of the study on its “Cycling in Cities” website, and a complete version of the study can be found as it was published in the American Journal of Public Health.

How is safe cycling infrastructure being incorporated into your area?

 

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Categories // crash, Safety Tags // cycle tracks, infrastructure, Safety

Filing Cycling Claims

10.11.2012 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

This is a guest post by Sarita Ramakrishnan, an avid cyclist who works for a British firm that specializes in compensation claims for cycling accidents.

Cycling accidents happen and although there is a good network of bicycle lanes around where I live, that allows cyclists to cycle in a safer environment, I still find that many motorists are either unaware of them or perhaps even blissfully ignorant towards cyclists and their existence in everyday traffic. To this date I have not been involved in a cycling accident, but I know many people who have not been so lucky.

The law is designed to help people who feel they have been wronged, but what many people don’t realise is that you too are eligible to make a claim! Bicycle compensation claims can seem daunting, expensive and sometimes just too much to handle, but with a range of No Win, No Fee options now available, many people can successfully make a claim without having to part with a penny.

I’ve seen some terrible cycling accidents and in many cases they have led to a long road to rehabilitation with a considerable time in hospital – a costly exercise – if you’ve been in this situation then you can find the pain and cost is quite substantial – especially if you can’t work and you are losing income – but there are options available to you.

How do I get started with a compensation claim?

Compensation – an overwhelming thought – but making a claim really isn’t that difficult anymore and in modern society there are so many people out there to help you that it is often worth taking on the advice of someone who knows what they are doing. However, compensation claims aren’t always easy! To get started with your compensation claim follow some simple steps:

  • Step 1 – Report your accident
    It’s crucial that you report any cycling accident to the relevant authorities. No matter how small you think your case is. This way you will be able to assign blame, gather evidence and formulate exactly what you will need for your compensation claim.
  • Step 2 – Seek the help of an expert
    Personal injury lawyers know what they are doing and often have years of experience in handling this type of claim. They will be able to advise you on exactly what you are entitled to and how much you can expect to receive throughout the process. They will also advise you on what you need and how you can get it.
  • Step 3 – Keep your records
    Keep any information you have in regards to your injury, this can include medical reports, hospital bills and accident reports – you may need it in court.
  • Step 4 – Be honest about your compensation
    Don’t estimate and don’t be light with your figures, give an accurate and honest figure of how you have been left out of pocket. Remember to include your medical bills and any loss of income that you have sustained throughout the process. If the accident wasn’t your fault then you shouldn’t be the one footing the blame!

But with most businesses now offering a “No Win, No Fee” service,  it’s never been easier to claim back what is rightfully yours.

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Categories // crash Tags // crash, insurance

Tribute Ride For a Fallen Biker

05.20.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

About three weeks ago, a cyclist was killed while riding on the shoulder of a popular cycling road just west of Austin. A protest ride on his behalf several days later took cyclists from Austin City Hall to the State Capitol to call attention to car-bike crashes; in many cases, car drivers are not cited. Cyclists want more vigorous prosecution of motorists who hit cyclists.

Verter Ginestra

The deceased biker is Verter Ginestra. The group he rode with, CyclingTexas.org, scheduled a tribute ride for him last week, but because of several evenings of rainfall, had to postpone it. It was rescheduled for today.

The ride was to leave from Southwest Cycle Sports, a bike shop Verter patronized. The shop is a 17-mile ride from our part of town, so I figured a ride out there from our usual starting place, then joining the tribute ride, and peeling off to head home from the crash site, would be a good B ride. Our A ride leader thought it could work for him too, but added some miles for his riders.

Southwest Cycle Sports is on Bee Caves Road, a four-lane highway with generous shoulders that sees a lot of cycling traffic. Riders from CyclingTexas, Southwest Cycle Sport, Lake Travis Cycling, and my Circle C Ranch Cycling Club turned out for the ride, along with sundry other riders. I guess we totaled about 50. One of the CyclingTexas riders told me they were pleased with the turnout. Before the ride began, Verter’s wife, Jane, thanked everyone for riding, and said that, if things had been different, Verter would be out with us. A cyclist read a letter of condolence from Lance Armstrong. Group pictures were taken, then Jane told everyone, “Let’s ride!” and jumped behind the wheel of the sag truck. (Click pictures to enlarge.)

Verter’s wife Jane with the group just before the ride. We’re flashing the “V” for Verter sign. (Photo courtesy Dena Curry.)
A cyclist reads a letter of condolence from Lance Armstrong. (Photo courtesy Dena Curry.)
Getting everyone to ride out on cue is a little like herding cats. The ride quickly organized into a double file and headed briskly over the rollers on Bee Caves Road.

The ride was to be a slow roll to the crash site, about 10 miles from the bike shop, but the peloton shot down and up the rollers almost immediately, leaving some unprepared riders way off the back. The group slowed when the lead riders realized the problem. One reason Bee Caves is a popular cycling road is its rollers. The uphills are challenging. The downhills are fast. There’s usually a cross wind to make things interesting, as there was today, and car traffic on the road is usually heavy.

I suppose it’s impossible to put 50 cyclists together without problems. It’s just that all the problems seemed to be happening to the Circle C folks today. Donald broke a spoke. That limited him to maintaining only a 21 mph average for the rest of the ride. Steve got a flat. Mike and Laura, on their tandem, dropped a chain. But everybody got back together by the time the group turned off Bee Caves Road south onto Highway 360, then snaked through the Westlake neighborhood in a retracing of Verter’s last route. We turned north onto 360 and rode back to the intersection of Westbank Drive, where the crash happened. I was disappointed to learn that a ghost bike that had been set up there had already been vandalized and torn down. I’m told it will be replaced.

From there, the Circle C group headed south again to our home base, while the rest of the riders returned to the bike shop. My total mileage was 39 — the A group, which added some additional hilly roads — wound up with 45.

My friend John waits for a left turn arrow as the remainder of the tribute ride heads back to the bike shop. The brown SUV on the shoulder behind them is the sag vehicle, driven by Verter’s wife.

The ride was a reminder that we are all vulnerable while on our bikes. Verter was riding on a wide shoulder when a car left the road and hit him in an effort to pass traffic. It’s not enough to be doing everything right — you can still be caught unaware. The driver of the car that killed Verter — an 85-year-old man — still has not been charged as of this writing.

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Categories // crash, Safety Tags // crash, fatality, rear end

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