Weatherford Bicycle Accident Highlights Importance of Bicycle Safety
A tragic accident occurred last Thursday when a Weatherford, Texas man was killed riding his bicycle. The bicycle accident happened on the access road of I-20 near Willow Park, Texas at around 8:00 p.m. The driver of the pickup truck that hit him reported to the police that the sun was in his eyes and he did not see the bicyclist, who was driving in the center of the road.
Was this accident avoidable? Sure, most are. I don’t know anymore about it than I wrote here, but it did make me think about the dangers of mixing bicycles and roadways. This gentleman was wearing a helmet, but that was not enough. Just as with motorcycles, a wreck with a bicycle and a car usually results in serious injuries, or death for the bicyclist.
Every year, around 700 bicycle riders are killed in collisions with cars. This accounts for about two percent of the total deaths on the roads. Texas ranks fourth in the U.S. for injuries to bicyclists.
I ride a bicycle myself on the roads occasionally. I would ride more if I was not as nervous as I am about being hit by a car. When I read about this accident, I decided to do an internet search on bike safety. I found a great site, BicycleSafe.com, which talks about all the ways to make riding on the road safer. It goes through a list of ten ways to NOT GET HIT.
The basic rules of safe riding are simple: wear a helmet; use a light and reflective vest if riding at night; avoid busy roads; ride as far right as practicable (but in certain times taking the whole lane is even safer); and ride as if you were invisible (in other words, ride where you won’t get hit even if they don’t see you). But most riders know all this. Check out the site.
