Trouble on Two Wheels – Bikes, E-Bikes and Motorcycles

bike accidents According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average weight of a car is around 4094 pounds.

A loaded 18-wheeler can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.

On average, the motorcycles we see will typically see on the road weigh anywhere from about 300 to 600 pounds.

E-bikes weigh an average of 55 pounds.

A regular bicycle is around 26 pounds, on average.

Given the vast disparities in weight, it is not surprising that 2-wheeled vehicles are so vulnerable in a collision with the larger vehicles they share the road with.

BICYCLES

Nearly 1,000 bicyclists die and over 130,000 are injured in crashes that occur on roads in the United States every year. Since 1975, fatal accidents involving cyclists younger than 20 have decreased by 88 percent. Conversely, during that same span of time, fatal accidents involving bicyclists 20 and older has tripled.

Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents

Speeding
Distracted driving
Careless lane changes
Changing direction without looking
Running a stop sign or a red light
Failure to yield
Dooring accidents
Aggressive driving collisions
Driving under the influence

Common Bicycle Accident Injuries

Bicycles offer virtually no protection in the event of a collision. So even low-speed bicycle accidents can cause fatalities or catastrophic injuries, which include:

Traumatic brain injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Neck injuries
Facial trauma
Skull fractures
Eye injuries

Laws Affecting Bicyclists in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has a number of laws designed to make bicyclists safer. Among them are the following:

A bicyclist, traveling at a speed less than the speed of traffic, “shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic, or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway”. (There are some exceptions)

“The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking a bicycle traveling in the same direction…shall pass to the left of the pedalcycle within not less than four feet at a careful and prudent reduced speed.”

The Pennsylvania Helmet Law includes many rules for riding your bicycle. These laws are most restrictive for persons 12 years of age or younger. Importantly, if you fall into this age group, you are required to wear a helmet whether you are operating a bicycle, or riding as a passenger. Helmets provide a 63 to 88% reduction in the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury for all ages of bicyclists.

In Pennsylvania, traffic laws for vehicles apply to bicycles; “Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this title, except as to special provisions…”

You can get a driving under the influence (DUI) charge while riding a bike. The law in Pennsylvania treats those who ride bicycles the same as those who drive other vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

It may be surprising to learn that in one particular year, among bicyclists 16 and older who were killed in a biking accident, 21 percent had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of more than .08 percent. That’s Pennsylvania’s legal limit for intoxication.

Pennsylvania allows bicycles to operate on sidewalks subject to the following rules: A person riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk or bike path used by pedestrians “…shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian.”

Safety Tips For Bicycle Riders

Obey the rules of the road
Wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet
Fit your bike with a front light, and rear and side reflectors
Check your brakes before riding
Use bike lanes for cycling whenever possible

E-BIKES

Starting with less than 1 percent of the cycling market in 2012, e-bike sales have climbed steadily over the past decade, accounting for nearly 15 percent of the market by 2019. The speed of these motorized two-wheelers makes them more of an accident risk than bicycles.

Components found on e-bikes – batteries, motors, and controllers – create additional potential dangers. The failure of any one of these components can lead to uncontrolled acceleration, loss of control, and horrific accidents.

Defects in the manufacturing of the e-bikes lithium-based batteries or its controller components can lead to overheating and extremely dangerous fires. (Lithium battery fires typically exceed 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit!) The heat from these battery fires can cause horrific burns to a e-bike rider.

MOTORCYCLES

Motorcycles make up 3% of the registered vehicles in the U.S., they contribute 14% of all traffic fatalities. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), indicate that motorcyclists are almost thirty times more likely to experience a fatal crash than those in a passenger vehicle per mile traveled. Although the number of fatalities for drivers and passengers of automobiles and light trucks has been steadily falling since 1999, the fatality rate for motorcycle accidents has more than doubled in that time according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents

Causes of motorcycle accidents include, among others: