With the new school year beginning to get under way, it is important that motorists remember to watch out for child bicyclists as well as young pedestrians. Injuries sustained by a person during any motor vehicle crash can be serious. They can be especially detrimental to a young boy or girl who is completely unprotected, except for his or her protective gear, from the impact of colliding with a car, a truck, a van, an SUV, or a bus. Unfortunately, Portland, Oregon bicycle accidents resulting in injuries children do happen—especially during the school year.
Per a study by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, bicycle-related injuries involving children and adolescents in the United States are greater public health concern than previously thought:
Per the study’s findings:
• Over 50% of the 85 million US bicycle riders are minors.
• Some $200 million in hospital inpatient charges a year are a result of bicycle injuries involving people younger than age 20.
• Bicycle riding is also the child recreational sport that results in the largest number of emergency room visits.
• Some 10,700 kids are hospitalized each year for an average of three days because of their bicycle-related injuries.
• Motor vehicles are a factor in about 30% of bicycle-related hospital stays.
• 1/3 of kids with a bicycle injury serious enough to require hospitalization had sustained a traumatic brain injury.
The study was published in Injury Prevention’s October 2007 issue.
If your child is going to ride a bicycle, it is important that you teach him or her the proper safety precautions to avoid getting involved in an Oregon bicycle accident. Safety measures include:
• Using a helmet.
• Wearing clothing that is close fitting and allows for easy visibility.
• Knowing the traffic laws.
• Staying on the right side of the road even as you flow with traffic.
• Watching the vehicles around you.
• Paying attention.
• Signaling when making turns.
• Making sure that the bike is properly maintained.
In many cases, a bicyclist will get involved in a collision with a motor vehicle because a motorist or another party was negligent. This can cause catastrophic injuries to the minor or adult bicyclist.
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Contact our Portland, Oregon bicycle accident law firm to discuss your case.