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December 21 ,
2006
Alameda Bike Accidents on the Rise , #30
By Alex Plumb
Traffic statistics show that Alameda is a much safer
place to walk or ride a bicycle now than it was just ten
years ago but a recent upswing in accidents is cause for
concern. According to Sergeant Ted Horlbeck of the Alameda
Police Department’s Traffic Division, 41 bicycle and
33 pedestrian related traffic accidents were reported as
of October 31 of this year. While pedestrian related accidents
are on a pace to equal the 2005 total of 39, bicycle accidents
are up an alarming 30 percent over the same period last year.
Despite
this recent spike, the number of bicycle and pedestrian related
traffic accidents in Alameda has decreased dramatically over
the past decade. According to the Pedestrian Friendly Alameda
website, pedestrian/automobile accidents are down 20 percent
since 2001. “Compared to 7 or 10 years ago, the number
of (bicycle related) accidents has been cut in half,” says
Horlbeck.
Improvements
to our streets, including additional bike lanes, well marked crosswalks, and
pedestrian traffic signals, combined with broadened safety education programs
in our schools and stricter safety enforcement by police, have all contributed
to this downward trend, but even with all that effort; the bicycle accident rate
is clearly rising again.
When asked
if he saw any common factors contributing to the increase, Horlbeck said “A
large number of the reported bicycle accidents involved children and, in most
of those cases, the bicyclist was at fault. A lot of the kids involved are riding
illegally: failing to stop at marked intersections, riding on the wrong side
of the road, and not checking traffic before entering the road from side streets
and driveways.”
Horlbeck said
his department is already taking action. “We are asking our officers to
step up enforcement of traffic rules on bicycle riders,” but the government
alone is not going to solve the problem. We must teach ourselves and our children
how to ride safely. Safe riding starts with the bike itself. If you don’t
know how to safety check your own bike, a local bike shop can do it for you. Many
shops will do this for free. A helmet, legally required for minors, needs to
fit correctly. All bike shops will show you how to properly adjust helmets. Make
drivers aware of you by wearing bright, reflective, clothing. At night, always
ride with working lights and reflectors on your bike.
When done
safely and within the law, bicycling is a healthy and fun way for kids to get
to school and other activities. A good resource for parents, teachers and guardians
to learn about bike safety for younger children is the BikeAlameda Family Safety
Flyer. You can find it on the information page at www.bikealameda.org .
BikeAlameda also offers professionally taught bike safety courses for teens and
adults. The spring class schedule is on their website. An excellent, no
nonsense, website for adults and older kids is “How to Not Get Hit by Cars” at www.bicyclesafe.com.
All of these sources go way beyond just discussing the law and cover all the
safety skills that bicyclists need to master.
Increased
driver education is needed to make people aware that cyclists
have the same rights on the road as motorists but the best thing
we can do right now to lower the number of bike/auto accidents
in Alameda is teach our children well.
Alex Plumb is a member of Pedestrian
Friendly Alameda and Bikealameda. For more bicycling information
visit www.bikealameda.org .
For walking information visit www.pedfriendly.org
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