The Dangers of Cycling in California
Everyday cyclists are roaming the streets of the busy and eventful Los Angeles with the huge risk of a dangerous accident occurring. From the year 2010 through the year 2012 338 cyclists have lost their lives in the busy city streets of the state of California. Cyclists are constantly reminded of the dangers of cycling. in California, over 100 people are killed and hundreds of thousands more are injured in bicycle related accidents and collisions. Bicyclists have the same responsibilities as motorists when it comes to regulations and rules. Some bicycle related crashes are because of the bicyclist’s behavior, while others are because of the motorist’s lack of attention. There are actually four tips of bicycling that cyclists are recommended to follow for their own safety but are not forced or required to. They are the following tips. You must maintain control of your own bicycle.You must protect yourself and reduce the risk of head injury by always wearing a helmet. Be alert, visible and communicate your actions and
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Being strict is the best way to go to protect people from deaths and injuries that could be prevented by following and obeying rules. California should be doing a great deal more to promote the fact that helmets are essential in the mission to being the safest on the streets. According to www.dmv.ca.gov, “Bike helmets are 70% effective in preventing damage on impact.” These studies show that people who wear bike helmets will significantly be more safer that someone who isn’t. This alone shows how much people really need to have helmets as a daily and essential use during rides. Despite how essential the helmet reallys is to a cyclist, it is not made obvious enough to cyclists in the State of California. More steps have to be taken to push the fact that helmets are very very necessary. Once again falling on California's table of responsibility. To
An enormous division currently exists between the people who believe that automobile safety should be an option and those that feel it must be a requirement. The federal government feels the morally obligated to create the safest driving environment possible. On the other end of the spectrum, opinions exist that the average driver has ability to make the choice of safety on their own. Editorials, political assemblies, debates, and conversations have arrived on the concept of click it or ticket. This idea refers to ticketing any motor vehicle driver and passenger that is not fastened by a seat belt. Arguments have been made for both sides, and have been reviewed in multiple states.
2. Motorcycle fatality rates due to riding without a helmet are quickly rising. Nationally, motorcycle fatalities have increased 59 percent since 1997 (Motorcycle 1). Between September and December of 2003 in Pennsylvania, helmetless rider fatalities more than doubled, but fatalities decreased in riders wearing helmets (Wlazelek 1). Similarly, research done by the American Journal of Public Health found that motorcycle helmets severely reduce the presence and severity of head injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents (Rowland 4). Obviously, there is strong correlation between helmet use and the number of fatal crashes. The research done across Pennsylvania in the years following the repeal of the all-rider helmet law suggests that helmets do in fact decrease the risk of serious head injuries and death among motorcyclists. According to Judith Stone, increased deaths were enough for Louisiana to reject helmetless riding and revert back to an all-rider helmet law. Louisiana saw a 100 per...
Millions of people all over the United States choose motorcycles over automobiles for the thrill, speed, and high performance capabilities. On the other hand, motorcycles are not at all the safest way of transportation. Motorcycles do not provide the passenger with the outer protection that cars provide, therefore, when one crashes, the results are usually much more serious. Injuries to the head are responsible for 76% of fatalities when dealing with motorcycle crashes many of which could have been prevented had the rider been wearing a helmet. For this reason, many states have adopted the motorcycle helmet law. The law states that every passengers must wear a helmet at all times when riding on a motorcycle. This law has created a great deal of controversy. One side supports the law, believing that it protects motorcyclists from danger and saves the economy a great deal of money. The other side argues that the law is unconstitutional and it violates our right to freedom. However, statistics show overwhelming support in favor of the motorcycle helmet law. Although wearing helmets cannot prevent motorcycle crashes, they can greatly reduce the number of deaths caused by head injury as well as lowering taxes, insurance rates, and health care costs. Therefore, the helmet law should be put into effect in every state across the United States.
In 1966, the National Highway Safety Bureau (NHSB) was designed by the Highway Act. NHSB’s director, Dr. William Haddon, noticed that he could prevent motor-vehicle injuries by applying public health methods and epidemiology. Various passages demanded the government to set standards for the highway and motor vehicles. The federal government responded by developing new safety features in cars such as safety belts, head rests, and shatter-resistant windshields. Barriers, reflectors, and center line strips were placed on roadways to provide direction and illumination. Traffic safety laws, wearing a safety belt, and public education encouraged drivers to make safer decisions. The use of safety belts has skyrocketed from 11% in 1981 to 68% in 1997 and decreases When the community and government understood the necessity for motor-vehicle safety, various programs such as Prior to the implementation, the rate stood at 18 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1925; however, the rate stood at 1.7 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1997. With all of the new safety features with cars, public education and enforcement of safety laws, “motor-vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States.” Over 23.9 million vehicle crashes were reported in 1997; estimated costs were around $200 billion.
Is there in the world anything more essential than having a new opportunity of life? Although several individuals may possibly think an obligatory use of seat belt is a technique for causing people to feel a prisoner in their own car, putting on a seat belt would make the difference in a car accident. The use of seat belts provides security while driving; shows self-consciousness and has a role in government. That is why, the use of seat belts should be mandatory for drivers.
When going over the studies it states that the most common types of ATV accidents are having to do with your waist and up (CPSC Blogger). During the years 2010 through 2011, thirty six percent of the accidents were head injuries. Also during this time, eighteen percent had injuries to their spinal cord and twenty-eight percent had head or neck injuries. It was found that sixty-six percent of the patients who were injured in the study were not wearing a helmet. Studies further suggest that helmets were known to lower the risk of fatal head injuries by as much as forty-two percent and the risk of nonfatal head injuries by as much as sixty-four percent. For example, “A child who runs into a tree riding a Big Wheel is very different from a child who runs into a tree driving an eight hundred pound ATV”(Mayo Foundation). My family members are very active outdoorsmen and it is a practice with my family to always make sure that everyone is aware of all the rules of driving an ATV as well as having all the appropriate equipment to ride the vehicle safely. Wearing a helmet is something that is stressed by my parents to have on at all times when operating the ATV. They also make sure that we are aware of the surroundings that we will be riding through on that day. So we do follow the above safety steps and ...
With the increasing number of road accidents every year in California, the statistics have shown that almost 50% or more of the accidents happened are involved with the teenagers. The reason is very simple – rash driving, inexperienced driving, texting and driving or mere negligence. Whatever the reason may be, it is very risky to let your teenagers drive without understanding the implications of it. Hence, California State has enforced strict restrictions on the teenagers’ driving.
Assistant City Manager Mike Wanchick said, "A helmet seems to give a false sense of security to the cyclist, who feel less vulnerable and may ride less cautiously," He then went on to add. "As a result, riders wearing a helmet are more likely to have an accident." (Post) Now, the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI) statistics show four states accounted for 40 percent of bicycle deaths in 2000, With Texas as one of them. Yet, Wanchick says that "our basic position is that bicycle safety is a parents' primary obligation," adding " What hurts kids are cars and we need to be working the traffic citations out there* people who are licensed to drive cars, not kids learning to ride bicycles." (Post) Even though 10 of the largest cities in Texas have bicycle-helmet ordinances including Dallas and Fort Worth. But, Richardson Texas choose to not act on this issue, but turn a blind eye to one of the silent injuries and the prevention of it by wearing a simple helmet. The BHSI says the statistics show about 800 bicyclists die in the US every year. Plus another one in eight of the cyclists injured has a brain injury.
Opponents feel that bicycle helmet laws are too strict and are misdirected. Principally, they feel that helmet laws do not prevent accidents and point out the fact that "motor vehicles are involved in 90-92% of bicyclist deaths" (BHSI/Compendium 4). Creating awareness among drivers by lowering their speeds would create a safer cycling environment. Furthermore, opponents of helmet laws believe that "requiring motorists to wear helmets will save more lives" (Convissor 1) since statistics show the likelihood of fatality while riding in passenger cars is nearly double that of bicycling (Bicycle 15). They are also concerned for the overall popularity of their sport when helmet laws go into effect. After helmet laws went into effect in Australia, "surveys in Sydney found the helmet law reduced cycling by 38%" (Convissor, 1). Another issue is the argument that helmets are inconvenient and uncomfortable.
II. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, bicycle related crashes kill about 900 people a year and injure over half a million. Most bicycle deaths or accidents occur between 3-9 pm, and most often occur during the summer months. We can prevent these numbers by: wearing protective equipment, obeying the rules of the road, and being aware of your surroundings.
This topic is a constant and heated debate among people. Many people argue that the rider should have the freedom to choose whether or not to wear a helmet. Although, many people feel this is a selfish perspective because when others have accidents, it becomes other people’s concerns. This is said because some people believe that the families, loved ones, or tax payers will be paying for the rider’s injury bills. Along with freedom rights, riders complain that the helmets are heavy. With the weight of the helmet, arguments are made that injuries could increase with the spinal cord or neck. Likewise, people think that helmets can become a distraction or “get in the way”. When riders say this, they are referring to their ability to see or hear what is going on in the environment. “These senses have been studied in the context of motorcycle activity and do not appear to be impaired, and in certain circumstances, may be improved” (Auerbach). Research has been shown that helmets do not cause distractions or impair hearing or vision
People ride bicycles for various reasons. Some people ride bicycles for sport, fitness purposes, as a mode of transportation, fun activity, and some people ride bikes to simply relax and clear their mind after a long day. Regardless of the reason you ride, it is important to know the factors that contribute to bicycle and helmet safety. A study in 2014 shows that 103.7 million people rode a bike that year and 34 percent of Americans age three or older rode a bike at least once in that year (“Study: 103.7 Million Americans Ride Bikes”). The importance of bicycle safety cannot be underestimated. According to the 2008 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts, there were 182 bicycle crash injuries and four fatalities. In 2008, children 14 years old and under
For young teens and some adults, they find owning a motorcycle as an ideal form of transportation. Speed, Low gas costs, and entertainment all can catch an eye for some one out in the market looking to purchase a vehicle and leaning towards a motorcycle. What people don’t realize though is motorcycles can be more of a problem then convenient; Have you ever thought about the higher risks with owning and driving a bike? People also start to become addicted to the life of owning a bike, like the adrenaline rush they get when their hitting high speeds and how they are one with the outside world as they travel through traffic. These two factors are just a few of many that make owning a bike dangerously fatal every time they take a ride.
It is important to follow all traffic laws to keep everyone safe on road. The amount of traffic accidents and losses drops significantly when people are obeying the rules on the road. Sometimes we forget what a big responsibility it is to drive carefully. Traffic laws are designed to protect you and other drivers on the streets. If we don’t follow them we are not only putting ourselves in risk but also other innocent people. By knowing the rules of the road, practicing good driving skills, you help play a vital role in preventing a crash. You will also be making the safety policies more effective. Many components play a major role in road safety including speed limits that are posted and making sure safety equipment is properly installed and used.
Road safety is one of the most important aspects of daily living. Our vehicle is our main transportation from one place to another. The number of car and motorcycle accidents seem to be increasing because of the many distractions, the lack of safety measures and judgment to road conditions and weather. Not being cautious increases the chances of not only injuring ourselves but hurting others as well. On the road, you see people talking on their cell phones or texting, eating, putting makeup on, changing the radio station, reading or using your GPS while driving. These are all distractions that endanger drivers, passengers and bystanders safety. Safe driving involves off-road precautionary measures such as making sure tires are properly inflated, testing windshield wipers, getting regular oil changes and tune-ups and adjusting the mirrors. All of these actions can help prevent an accident. Unfortunately, not all of us decide to wear our seat belts when driving or turn signal ligh...