There’s no question that bicycle lanes drastically lower accident rates. One study concluded that dedicated bike lanes decreased bicycle accident rates by up to 90%. In Chicago, bike lanes are usually well-defined and typically on the far-right side of the roadway. Some bike lanes even have physical barriers that prevent motor vehicles from being driven on them. Given traffic congestion in Chicago, bicycle lanes are intended to allow riders space to travel with the traffic flow while drastically reducing the chances of being in an accident with a motor vehicle.
Different Types of Bike Lane Crashes
A bike lane crash might involve a bicyclist and a passenger car, a truck or even a CTA bus or school bus. Sometimes, they even involve pedestrians. Some common types of bicycle accidents in Chicago might involve the following:
- Intersection Accidents: Bicyclists present low and narrow profiles on city streets. Distracted motorists might not see a bicyclist who is traveling straight through an intersection while the motorist turns left directly in front of the rider.
- Right Turn Accidents: As most bike lanes are located on the right side of a vehicle lane, a motorist can make a right turn into a bicyclist in a bike lane who he or she didn’t even know was there. Sometimes, the motorist sees the bicyclist and forgets about him or her. At other times, the motorist might see the bicyclist, but that fact doesn’t register on the driver’s mental radar screen.
- Getting Doored: A driver or passenger in a stopped vehicle might suddenly and without notice open a door immediately in front of a bicyclist and cause a crash.
- Sideswipes: Drivers must give bicyclists sufficient room, or a sideswipe accident might occur. In this type of an accident, the rider is hit by a vehicle that’s traveling in the same direction.
- Drivers Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs: Nobody really knows what drivers who are under the influence of alcohol, drugs or a combination of the two might do. They become unpredictable and might travel in or obstruct a bike lane and cause a serious accident.
Some Common Bike Lane Crash Injuries
There are usually at least two impacts in a bicycle lane accident. The first would be between the motor vehicle and the bicyclist, and the next would be between the rider and the pavement. As a result, a bike lane crash can be life-threatening. Here are some examples of some common injuries that might be caused in these types of crashes:
- Skull and facial fractures with traumatic brain injuries.
- Neck fractures with spinal cord involvement.
- Shoulder, arm, wrist, hip, leg and ankle fractures.
- Internal organ damage.
- Joint damage.
- Lacerations, contusions and road rash with infection.
If you were riding a bicycle in a bike lane and were injured in an accident, the driver of a motor vehicle or somebody else may have been at fault for your injuries and damages. You might be eligible for compensation for them.