By David Colmans
It’s funny peculiar, not funny ha, ha. For every good thing we try to do to increase our life span and stay as healthy as possible, a downside is lurking somewhere close by.
A friend of mine was severely injured while riding his bicycle on a four-lane road when a taxi hit him. He was very fortunate simply to have survived the crash, but he did have on his helmet and, after a hospital stay, was able to fully recover.
My last column dealt with 4 wheel vehicles and motorcycles, but space limitations did not allow me to address the other serious issue of bicyclists on our roadways.
About a year ago, I was in my car riding on a road next to a river, a very popular area for bicyclists. Up ahead, a rider was in the bicycle lane and all was fine until is front wheel hit a recessed manhole cover. The wheel bent and he came off his bike directly onto the road in front of me. We were both being watched over, because I saw him hit the manhole and I was able to stop in time. He had on his helmet, but soon had to visit a plastic surgeon for serious facial injuries when his face hit the roadway.
While four-wheel motorized vehicles dominate the roadways, our fellow travelers on two wheels have as much right to be there as we do in our cars and trucks. But consider this. The National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that more than 51,000 bicyclists have died in traffic crashes since the government agency started to keep track in 1932.
On average, that is more than 650 deaths per year over 78 years. What is worse, children 14 and younger accounted for about 13 percent of the fatalities. NHTSA points out that in 2006, the average age of bicyclists killed in motor vehicle crashes was 41. The average of those injured was 31 that year.
It may not be a surprise that 88 percent of the bicyclists killed were male but they are a larger part of the adult riding population. About 25 percent of all bicyclists killed in 2006 were 55 and older and 36 percent were between 35 and 54 years old.
In a previous column, I mentioned that children learn from their parents both good and bad things when it comes to driving and riding bicycles. I took note of those parents who insist that their children wear a helmet when riding a bike (it’s state law, too) but the adults often are seen wearing a ball cap or no headgear at all.
Georgia law is mandatory for those 16 years or younger, but notice that the serious cyclists with the skin-tight outfits virtually all wear helmets. Most of those who died in bicycle accidents according to NHTSA suffered head injuries.
Here is the important takeaway from this issue. Those who ride two wheel vehicles can be at fault or not, but their chances for survival are far less in a crash between two motorized vehicles.
The important consideration is that roadways accommodate everything from 18 wheels to two wheels and that means we all need to pay more attention to our driving. Specifically, defensive driving can mean the difference between life and death, and there is not much consolation to saying, “It wasn’t my fault.”
David Colmans is the executive director of the Georgia Insurance Information Service. Contact him at (770) 565-3806 or dcolmans@giis.org.