biking to work

Biking to work has a lot to offer. After all, you save on all those pesky parking costs, you get your cardio in, you get points for going green, and some bike commuters even cut their commute times. What’s not to love? The downside is that biking—especially in urban traffic—can be incredibly dangerous. It’s important to remember that, when you’re on your bike, nothing comes between you and the impact of hitting the road except your bike helmet. If you bike to work, make sure that you carefully weigh the pros and cons and always make safety your top priority.

Risk Factors

When you’re on your bike, you share the road with vehicles that are significantly larger, heavier, faster, and generally more dangerous than you are. These factors mean that you are much more vulnerable to serious injury when you’re on your bike. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the danger of riding a bike is significant. In fact, the CDC points out that, although bike rides make up only about one percent of all the trips taken on U.S. roads, bicyclists are far more likely to sustain an injury or be killed in a crash than motorists are. That’s scary math.

Assess Your Risk

The CDC also lists the significant risk factors that are most closely associated with injuries incurred in bike accidents:

  • Those cyclists who are between the ages of 50 and 59 are most likely to be killed in a bike accident.
  • Men are six times more likely to die in a bike accident and are four times more likely to suffer injuries in a bike accident than women.
  • Alcohol plays a role in 37 percent of bike fatalities, and this includes alcohol consumption by either the cyclist or the motorist involved. If you bike to work, watch your after work happy-hour consumption.

Be Careful Out There

Biking to work has definite advantages, including—apparently—reducing your risk of dying from heart disease or cancer. Nevertheless, there are also significant risks associated with biking to work. If you opt to bike to work, always make safety your number one priority and always abide by the CDC’s bike-safety guidelines:

  • Wear a well-fitting bike helmet every single time you ride—make no exceptions to this rule.
  • Wear a piece of outerwear that’s fluorescent to help make you more visible during daylight hours.
  • If you must bike at night, wear a piece of retro-reflective outerwear to help make you more visible in the dark.
  • Equip your bike with active lighting at both the front and back.

If a Bicycle Accident Injured You, Seek Skilled Legal Counsel at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC Today

If you’ve been injured in a bike accident that was caused by a driver’s negligence, you need experienced legal counsel. The dedicated legal team at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC in Gwinnett County, Georgia, has the skill, knowledge, and commitment to guide your claim toward its most positive outcome. We’re here to help, so please contact or call us at 404-418-8244 for a free consultation today.

I am the founding partner of Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC. I only represent plaintiffs in injury cases and only handle personal injury claims. This allows me to focus solely on personal injury litigation and devote myself to helping injured residents in Georgia recover fair compensation for their damages.