Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Bicycle-motor vehicle crash types in adults vs. kids

I got an email a bit ago from a friend that got hit by a car while riding his bike to work. A left-turning motorist failed to yield at an intersection as Steven was going straight, and he was hit, thrown up over the hood of the car, and cracked the windshield with his helmet.

Fortunately, he is OK, except for some major bruises, soreness and stiffness, but it makes me think about bicycle crashes. (And another pitch to wear a helmet. Note the part about cracking the windshield with his helmet, instead of his head.)

One of the little statistics that I have learned from being a bicycle safety educator and advocate for over a decade, is that this type of crash - motorists failing to yield and turning left into a bicyclist - is the most common type of motor vehicle-bicycle crash for bicyclists over 16 years old. (See below for why I worded that exactly that way.)

It also happens to be the most common crash type for motorcycle-auto crashes. Probably for the same reason: bicycles and motorcycles are narrower vehicles and easier to overlook when looking for a gap to make a left turn. This is why I am especially cautious when I see a motorist waiting to make a left.

Now, a slightly longer explanation, if you are interested in crash types.

Notice above I specifically said:

  • Bicycle-motor vehicle crash
  • Bicyclist over 16 years of age

First, most bicycle crashes do not involve a motor vehicle. Falling due to snow, gravel, wet leaves, dogs/squirrels/deer, cracks in the pavement, curbs, bumps in the road or trail, railroad tracks, going off the path, missing a turn, or our own operating errors are by far the largest category of bicycle crashes. But that's not what people think of when they hear about a bike crash.

Then, when you read crash statistics for bicyclists that do involve a motor vehicle, the crashes for bicyclists under age sixteen and over sixteen are often lumped together. They are very different, and the result is the general public often misunderstands how, when, why, and where bicycle crashes occur.

Bicyclists over sixteen are fewer in number than those under sixteen – children are still the largest group of bicyclists in the US - and adults (over sixteen in this case) are much less likely to make certain types of errors that cause them to get hit by a car. So the majority of bike crashes happen to kids, which means they skew the statistics if kids and adults are lumped together.

Most people over sixteen in the US are also drivers, so they understand traffic, and know how things work on the street. Kids don't understand how to ride a bike as a vehicle operator, and they don't have the experience needed to do it right.

In MV-bike crashes involving bicyclists under sixteen, it is more likely the bicyclists has made an error that caused the crash. Kids ride out into the street from sidewalks and driveways without looking, and they often swerve in the street without looking for cars. They have poor impulse control, and have certain developmental issues that make it harder for them to perceive traffic and control their bikes.

When the bicyclist is over sixteen, the error is more likely to be on the part of the motorist. Failure to yield is the big one. Whether making a turn or simply not yielding after stopping at an intersection, it's usually the motorist that did something wrong.

Yes, bicyclists run stop signs and red lights, but most of the ones that do it are looking for cars, and few of these actions cause a crash. The problem is, motorists aren't looking for bikes, and even when they are, they just don't see us.

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