Bicycle Accidents

With bicycling becoming more and more popular among adults, bicycle accident injuries are common. There are about 50,000 bicycle accidents in the US each year. Seattle has one of the highest percentages of bike riders among US cities.

When a bicycle is in an accident with a motor vehicle the chances of serious injury for the bicyclist are very high. This is not surprising and is confirmed by research cited by the Centers for Disease Control.

In fact, although the total number of bicycle accidents has declined in recent years, the number of fatalities has spiked. Adult account for about 88% of bicycle accident fatalities.

Head injuries are common and among the most serious bicycle accident injuries, accounting for about 16% of bicycle accident injuries. Most head injuries in bicycle accidents result in brain injury according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

 

Washington Bicycle Law

Bicyclists in Washington must obey the same traffic rules of the road as drivers, which some exceptions. Bicyclists under a new law may come to a “rolling stop” at a stop sign and treat it as a yield sign.

Bicyclists are entitled by law to assume that motorists will follow the Washington rules of the road governing traffic. Drivers may not pass bicyclists on the right without warning, must signal turns for the benefit of bicyclists, and may not overtake then cut off a bicycle.

A person operating a bicycle on a sidewalk or in a (marked or unmarked) crosswalk has all the rights of a pedestrian.

A minor on a bicycle must obey the rules of the road but is not held to an adult standard of care. A minor operating a bicycle need only exercise the degree of care of a reasonably careful child of the same age, intelligence, maturity, training, and experience.

Free Bicycle Injury Case Evaluation 206-801-1188

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