Spring is finally here in the Pacific Northwest and children are beginning to ride their bicycles to school, to baseball practice and around their neighborhoods. We advise parents to make sure their child's bicycle helmet can be found and still fits.
We also want to make parents and children aware of the most common bicycle vs. car accidents which can cause serious injury to children.
Most Common Accidents
Driving out of the driveway
8% of all
bike vs. car accidents occur when a child pulls out of the driveway and is hit by a car. This type of accident usually occurs in children under the age of 10. To prevent this accident:
- Make sure your trees and shrubs are trimmed so views are not obstructed.
- Pull your parked cars into the garage or away from the street so they do not block views.
- Teach your child to look left, then right and then left again before pulling into the street.
- Teach your child to slow down and think before they take their bike out for a spin.
Running a stop sign
10% of all
bike vs. car accidents involves the bicyclist running a stop sign. The average age of a child in this type of accident is 11. To prevent this accident:
- Stress the importance of coming to a full stop where your child's feet touch the ground behind the crosswalk like.
- Teach your child to stop at all stop signs.
- Teach your child to look left, right and left again for cars.
Failing to Look before making a Left Turn
In 10% of all bicycle accidents, the bicyclist failed to look behind them before making a left turn and ended up being hit by a car going straight ahead. To prevent this accident:
- Teach your child to walk their bicycle across busy intersections.
- Teach your child to look back before making a left turn.
- Teach your child to yield to traffic.
- Teach your child to signal before turning left.
- Teach your child if they don't know what to do, go to the sidewalk and proceed across the street by walking their bicycle across in the crosswalk.
Crashing on the sidewalk
One common accident is caused by a driver pulling out of a driveway and failing to notice bicyclists and pedestrians on a sidewalk. The driver is so intent on entering the roadway and making sure there is an opening in traffic to make a right or a left turn that he/she fails to see a bicyclist or pedestrian crossing in front of them on the sidwalk. To prevent this accident, pedestrians and bicyclists should:
- Make eye contact with a driver before crossing a driveway
- Yield to all driveway traffic.
- Cross driveways with care.
See our
Bicycle Resources for more information. Look for bicycle safety workshops in your neighborhood sponsored by your local fire station, school or scout troop.
This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle accidents and their families.
Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.
Code 11.60.061
Riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is permitted in Bellevue however the bicyclist should exercise caution and should not ride faster than is reasonable and proper.
