Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Bike Sense - Manual (Page 32)

32 B I K E S E N S E — T H E W I S C O N S I N B I C Y C L E O P E R A T O R ’ S M A N U A L
The bicycle is defined as a vehicle under Wisconsin Statute.
Follow the same rules of the road as
you would if you were driving a car.
Information Center] Whatever the true number of
bicycle crashes, the number is dwarfed by the
number of motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and
fatalities each year.
In addition, inactivity has been cited as a major
contributing factor in many chronic diseases and
deaths in the US. Bicycling is one way to get exer-
cise and prevent these health problems.
To prevent injuries, it helps to understand the
most common types of bicycle crashes. The
majority of crashes are simply falls involving no
other person or vehicle. Examples of these are hit-
ting an object; slipping on gravel, sand or ice; get-
ting your wheel caught in railroad tracks; or hit-
ting a pothole.
More information on crash types and causes can
be found at the web page for the Pedestrian and
Bicycling Information Center,
www.bicyclinginfo.org
For a full analysis of crash types from the Federal
Highway Administration, this web page is very
helpful: safety.fhwa.dot.gov/fourthlevel/pdf/ctan-
bike.pdf
Several studies in North America have found that
the primary fault in bicycle/motor vehicle colli-
sions is approximately equally shared between
bicyclists and drivers. However, these studies
often do not separate adult from child bicyclists
when reporting data.
failure to drive with due care and attention, etc.).
Depending on the location of the incident and the
caseload of the local police, you may find the
authorities reluctant to follow up on a report. It is
important to avoid making ‘nuisance’ complaints.
However, if your concern is of a serious nature,
obtain a police report number and follow up on
the outcome.
Avoiding crashes
In 2000, there were 690 bicycling fatalities and
51,000 bicycling injuries reported as a result of
traffic crashes in the United States. It is estimated
that injuries are significantly under reported –
possibly by a factor of ten. [Pedestrian and Bicycle
Although they are much less common, crashes
with motor vehicles tend to be much more seri-
ous and of greater concern to bicyclists. In gener-
al, crashes involving children (up to age 14) tend
to be caused by an error on the part of the bicy-
clist. Children often do not yield to traffic in the
roadway when riding out from a driveway or side-
walk. A swerve into traffic from the side of the
road is another common error among children.
In crashes involving adult bicyclists, the crash is
more likely to be caused by an error on the part of
the motorist. Failure to yield the right of way –
either when making a turn or at a traffic control
device – is the cause of most adult bicyclist-
motorist crashes.
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