Will Drivers Learn To Share The Roads With Cyclists?

The United States census statistics released in September showed an sudden surge of an over 40% increase in cyclists between 2000 and 2008. However, with the increase in cyclists there is a rise in safety risks among cyclists. Drivers have become more frustrated with the amount of cyclists on the road, and sharing the roads have led some drivers to antagonism and caused altercations rather than an amicable adjustment. Just this week a physician who resides in Brentwood, California was convicted of mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon, and several other serious criminal charges after an altercation in 2008 on Mandeville Canyon Road left two cyclists seriously injured. Dr. Thompson now faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced in December, but was jailed immediately following the conviction as the prosecutor called him " a flight risk and a safety threat to cyclists" in an article in the Los Angeles Times.

Although statistics show fatalities related to cycling to have fallen in recent years, the injuries sustained by cyclists due to traffic collisions have become more severe. Biking advocates have struggled in determining safer ways to share the roads with drivers, and some ideas have even been considered controversial. Some have suggested creating a separate infrastructure for cyclists, such as not just a separate bicycle lane, rather a bike lane separated from the roadway by some sort of barrier or curb. Others have proposed that drivers should simply expect cyclists on the roadways as a normality and take the proper precautions in sharing the road. As tensions escalate between drivers and cyclists, who have become equally frustrated with sharing the road with one another, advocates of cycling note that "mutual respect is the key to safely coexisting in traffic". Many cyclists have developed a mindset of riding their bicycles as if they were driving a car in order to avoid problems on the road.

Proper safety precautions and regulations have yet to be agreed upon, but cyclists and drivers alike have focused more concern to the issue. Recognizing the issue may be the first step creating a resolution, but until one is met, the roads continue to make cyclists more vulnerable to injuries from altercations and antagonism from drivers. The Los Angeles Times has published a number of stories and articles with tips for both cyclists and drivers to make the city streets safer. While the conviction of Brentwood physician, Dr. Thompson, is an extreme example, it serves as a warning to drivers that they must learn to control their annoyance with cyclists and accommodate their driving styles so that the roads may be safely shared. The two cyclists which Dr. Thompson is accused of deliberately endangering suffered serious injuries, some permanently scaring and impairing, are both saddened by the situation as both sides have lost time from their lives as a result of an altercation that could have simply been avoided all together.

Bicycle accident victims suffering serious head injuries as a result of hit and run accidents are well advised to contact an experienced personal injury attorney to help uncover all sources of compensation. Lederer and Nojima, LLP has had years of experience in representing victims of bicycle-auto accidents. Children, students at UCLA and other schools, and bike messengers are in harm's way every day. A serious brain injury resulting from a bike - car crash has the potential to derail a bicyclist's health, ability to make a living, and ability to enjoy life as before. Our experience in insurance defense has given us skills and insight that help us obtain proper compensation for our bicycle-riding clients who have suffered head injuries, broken bones, or other serious injury. We handle wrongful death claims and lawsuits for people who have lost loved ones in car - bicycle accidents in Southern California.Contact us to learn how our experience and track record of success can translate to relief for you and your family after a bicycle accident.