Bicycle Accident Attorneys in Orlando, FL

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents bicycle fatalities in the Traffic Safety: Bicyclists and Other Cyclists report. The agency places bicycle riders in the pedal-cyclist category. It defines a pedal-cyclist as a person operating a bicycle or any other two-wheel, non-motorized vehicle. These include tricycles and unicycles powered solely by pedals. The report shares statistics from accidents that occurred during just one year: 783 cyclists died in the United States; Florida had 125 bicycle fatalities; Cyclists comprised 2.1 percent of all traffic fatalities in the country; 75 percent of fatal cycle accidents occur in urban areas.

NHTSA's traffic statistics show that fatal bicycle/vehicle accidents happen every day of the week and at all times of the day and night. Fatal crashes occurred in varying lighting conditions: Daylight, 48 percent; dark, 47 percent; dawn, 2 percent; dusk, 3 percent. More fatal bicycle accidents occurred on weekends. Weekend bicycle/vehicle accident fatalities happen most frequently between 9 and 11:59 PM.

Adults consist of 88 percent of the fatal bicycle accident victims. Men were 89 percent of the fatally injured victims. Male bicyclists sustained fatal injuries at six times the rate of females. The average age of a cyclist killed in an auto crash increased from 41 in 2010 to 47 in 2017. Of the 783 bicyclists killed in accidents across the USA in one recent year, 53 were aged 14 or younger, and 48 were aged 15 to 19.

Drivers struck bicyclists with the front of their vehicles in 82 percent of all fatal crashes. Light trucks were involved in 44 percent of all bicyclist fatalities. In 88 percent of those crashes, the front of the truck struck the bicyclist. In bicyclist fatalities involving a large truck, 28 percent of the collisions involved a right-side impact. 48 percent of bus-related cyclist fatalities involved the bus's right side.

Bicyclists are more likely to sustain serious injuries because they're more vulnerable when an accident occurs. A simple impact with any vehicle often sends a bicyclist to a hard sidewalk, roadway, or stationary object. An accident that's minor from the vehicle's standpoint sometimes leaves a bicyclist struggling to survive. Injured bicyclists must often recover from fractures, internal damages, head and brain trauma, and other serious and catastrophic injuries.

Title XXIII Motor Vehicles §316.2065 outlines bicycle regulations. An owner isn't required to register a bicycle; an operator doesn't need a driver's license; a rider under age 16 must wear a properly fitted helmet; when riding after sunset, a bicycle must have a white headlight visible up to 500 feet and a red rear reflector visible from 600 feet.

Bicycle-vehicle crashes often occur because a vehicle driver doesn't see the cyclist. The Governor's Highway Safety Association recommends a 3-E Approach: engineering improvements, high visibility law enforcement, and driver/cyclist education.

Protected bike lanes increase safety by physically separating bikers from motor vehicle traffic. The organization projects that protected lanes will provide several benefits including economic boost to local businesses, health and productivity advantages, skilled worker retention, and support for urban real estate markets.

Bicycles have become an integral part of everyday life. Businesses incorporating bicycles include police departments, package delivery services, food delivery services, pedicab taxi drivers, and bicycle transport and delivery services.

A Ghost Bike is a roadside memorial that honors a bicyclist who was fatally injured in an accident. It's a white-painted bicycle that's permanently located in the spot where a rider died in an accident.

E-bikes have electric motors that enhance a cyclist's riding efforts. Companies offering ride-sharing services include Lime, Spin, Wheels, Bird, HOPR, and Lynx.

In Florida, if you hit a cyclist, you must stay at the scene, assist the injured, and report to law enforcement. Florida's comparative negligence system means fault is shared proportionally.

Yes, if injured due to someone else's negligence, you can file a claim for damages including medical expenses and lost wages.