It is not easy to get around California without a vehicle. Sometimes mass transit is crowded and unreliable, and sometimes commutes involve too many changes without your own motor vehicle. Many cities and towns in the Golden State are trying to close the loop by making bicycle and scooter travel safer so that avoiding vehicles is easier.
Bicycles themselves often have trouble avoiding vehicles. Congested traffic and high-speed vehicles both pose hazards to nearby bikers. Information collected by the California Highway Patrol shows that male bicyclists have been far more likely to be killed in a bicycle accident in the state, with seven-eighths of victims between 2003 and 2015 being men or boys.
The data also suggested that more men ride bicycles than women, especially in dangerous areas. The risks are mostly assumed to be on the roads bikers choose to use. Roads without bike lanes and higher traffic speeds are more risky, as drivers have less room to maneuver and less time to react. In many cases, biking in the center of a lane instead of on the side may aggravated drivers but also increase the chances of being seen.
“About fatal collisions on some of these streets, there’s almost nothing you can do to protect yourself, but not ride there,” according to the leader of a local bicycle advocacy group.
Victims of bicycle accidents and the survivors of those killed while biking have the right to seek financial damages to help with moving on from the tragedy. An attorney can work with victims and their families to clarify these options.
