How To Safely Walk Or Ride A Bike To School

Instead of attending class one morning this winter, a 13-year-old Orange County boy was rushed to the trauma center at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. While walking along Spring Street to Santiago Middle School, a Toyota 4Runner struck him, the impact sending him into opposite lanes of traffic, where a Land Rover Discovery hit him. He sustained moderate injuries.

"Unfortunately, several fatal and injury accidents have occurred around schools in recent months", explains Jim Ballidis, an Orange County injury lawyer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, more than 53 million young people attend over 119,000 schools every day in the United States. Many of them will walk or ride bicycles to reach their destinations. In 2009, individuals aged 14 and younger accounted for 244 of the 4,092 fatalities and 13,000 of the 59,000 injuries suffered by pedestrians, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's, NHTSA, 2009 Traffic Safety Facts.

NHTSA categorizes bicyclists and other cyclists, including the riders of tricycles, unicycles powered solely by pedals, and other two-wheel non-motorized vehicles, as pedalcyclists. In 2009, the 14-and-younger age group suffered 74 of the 630 pedalcyclist fatalities and 8,000 of the 51,000 pedalcyclist injuries.

In collecting and analyzing data on pedestrian and bicyclist accidents, NHTSA noticed some trends: females accounted for fewer of the pedestrian accidents suffered by persons in this age group (45 percent). 76 percent of the pedalcyclist fatalities were attributed to males.

Concerning the time of day, 42 percent of young pedestrian accidents occurred between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7:59 p.m., followed by noon and 3:59 with 21 percent, and 8 p.m. and 11:59 with 16 percent. 74 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurred at non-intersection locations.

Jim Ballidis, an Injury Lawyer based out of Orange County, California, has compiled a list of safety guidelines from the CDC and NHTSA for young pedestrians and bicyclists.

Young Children:

Playing in the street, riding in parking lots and driveways, and darting into traffic mid-block are just some of the behaviors that lead to accidents.

Supervise:

An adult should always supervise toddlers near parked or moving vehicles and hold his or her hand while crossing the street.

Education:

Demonstrate to children how to wait at a stop sign or light and look left, right, and then left again before using the crosswalk.

Enforce helmet rules early by having children wear them while riding tricycles and similar toys.

Set a good example:

When walking or riding with children, always use safe street crossing practices and wear a helmet.

Choose Child-Appropriate Places To Play

Children should not play near traffic. Fenced yards, parks, and playgrounds are safe places to play.

Teenagers:

Drivers must yield for pedestrians walking in crosswalks—whether marked or not—in most situations; however, they often fail to, so pedestrians should be especially vigilant at intersections.

Use designated crosswalks whenever possible. Before crossing, always look left, right, and then left again. In situations in which a parked car is blocking the view of the street, step to the edge line of the vehicle to ensure the street is clear before crossing.

At night, increase visibility by wearing retro-reflective clothing to highlight body movement and carry a flash light.

Wear a bicycle helmet when riding, and make sure that it fits properly. Fitting guidelines can be found at NHTSA's website.

Bicycles should be adjusted for height. For road bikes, allow 1 to 2 inches between you and the top bar, or, for mountain bikes, allow 3 to 4 inches. Adjust the seat so that there is a light bend in the knee when your leg is fully extended.

Properly maintain the bicycle. Check the air pressure of tires and effectiveness of brakes prior to riding.

Ensure that drivers can see you. Bright colors, such as neon and fluorescents, will increase you visibility, as will reflective materials.

Traffic:

In the United States, bicycles are considered vehicles, and riders are subject to the same rights and responsibilities as drivers.
Ride with the flow of traffic.

Heed traffic signs, signals, and lane markings.

Before turning left or right, check behind you first for a break in traffic. Be aware of left- or right-turning traffic.

Signal when you are planning on turning.

Be careful around parked cars. Drivers may open doors or pull away from parking spots, and you may not have adequate time to stop.

Have a safe school year!

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By: Larry Drexel

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If you've been involved in a pedestrian or bicycle accident in California, Larry Drexel recommends contacting James Ballidis, an Orange County injury lawyer specializing in bicycle and pedestrian accidents.