Bicycle Accidents Affecting Children: Know the Facts
Learning to ride a bicycle represents a major accomplishment and rite of passage for many California children, but the activity also carries risks. Knowing what the most common dangers are can help you protect the children in your life from bicycle accident injuries. For more information about you and your child’s legal rights after an accident, talk to an experienced Long Beach, California bicycle accident lawyer.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 16 percent of cyclists killed or injured in motor vehicle crashes are 14 years old or younger. This number includes not only children who have mastered riding a bicycle, but also children who were riding tricycles or unicycles at the time of the crash.
Although the number of deaths in bicycle crashes has decreased in recent years, children who ride bikes are still at a risk of death or serious injury. About 8,000 children are injured in cycling accidents each year.
To help protect the children in your life, apply the following tips:
- Make bicycle helmets mandatory. Helmets can protect children from brain injuries in a wide range of bicycle accident scenarios.
- Visibility is key. Equip bicycles with reflectors, and have children wear bright or reflective clothing when they ride – especially if they may be riding during dusk or dawn.
- Do not allow children to ride their bicycles in the street until they are old enough to understand and apply safety rules, such as riding on the right and following all traffic laws.
- Teach younger children not to ride in the driveway, where they may be injured by vehicles coming or going. Supervise young children at all times.
If your child has been injured in a southern California bicycle accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the liable party. Call The Law Firm of Joseph H. Low IV today to learn more about what you can do to help your child recover. Our number is (562) 901-0840.