DOT Bike-Safety Plan Aims to Minimize Arizona Bike Crashes
Arizona bicycle accident lawyers at Breyer law Offices were surprised to learn that Arizona is considered to be a state that is unsafe to ride a bike. Based on reports by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), there were 1,914 bicycle accidents in 2010 with 19 reported fatalities.
On September 17, 2011, AZ Central reported on ADOT's bike-safety plan which aims to lessen pedacyclist fatalities. The report shows the details of the plan and how it will help in minimizing bicycle-related injuries and fatalities.
Arizona Bicycle Accident Statistics
Being considered as one of the deadliest state for bicyclists is not a good thing. However, bicycle accidents in Arizona havr shown improvement from 2009. Bicycle fatalities in 2009 accounted for 3.10% of the total crash fatalities while injuries reached 1,643. There was a slight decrease in 2010 with 19 fatalities and 1,583 injuries.ADOT has enumerated the factors of Arizona bike accidents and found some interesting trends. The most common factors of bike accidents are failure to yield when vehicles are turning right and when cyclists are travelling while countering traffic.
Arizona Bike Law
The state of Arizona has bike laws that act as guidelines that need to be followed by cyclists. Bicyclists must adhere to such laws, including stopping for traffic lights and stop signs (ARS 28-644), the use of appropriate headlight and reflectors (ARS 28-817), yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks (ARS 28-792). Arizona bike accident lawyers at Breyer Law Offices can tell you more about Arizona's bike laws which can be used against those who have caused injuries to another.Despite existing bike laws, Arizona lacks other safety laws that may be the reason why Arizona has a higher fatality and accident rate for bicyclists than other states.
