According to the Bicycle Almanac, available at bicycleuniverse.info, bicycle accidents are under-reported. Most police departments, including many in Texas, do not fill out a report if no one is severely injured or if the vehicle involved in the accident isn’t damaged enough to require a tow truck. The statistics that are available, however, indicate that bicyclists face the risk of an accident whenever they take to city streets.
For instance, a study conducted in New York in 1999 found that in as many as 92 percent of car-bicycle accidents, the driver of the car was at fault. More than half of the crashes occurred because a driver failed to follow traffic laws. Of these accidents, 23 percent were caused by drivers who passed a bicyclist too aggressively or unsafely. Another 15 percent involved a driver who turned into the path of a bicyclist who could not stop in time, 14 percent were speeding, and 10 percent failed to stop at a red light or stop sign.
A handful of cases involved drivers who were intoxicated or did not have a valid driver’s license, but most drivers who caused car-bicycle crashes were both sober and properly licensed. Even drivers who were obeying traffic laws were sometimes involved in bicycle accidents because they were not paying attention to their surroundings and failed to see a bicyclist until it was too late to stop or swerve.
Texas bicyclists injured in a bicycle accident should always seek medical attention for their injuries as soon as possible after an accident. Once the bicyclist’s injuries have been treated, the bicyclist would be wise to seek the help of an experienced Dallas bicycle accident attorney, who can help the injured cyclist understand his legal rights and seek compensation if appropriate.
Source:http://bicycleuniverse.info/transpo/almanac-safety.html , http://rightofway.org/research/cyclists.pdf
