The year’s peak cycling season is here, and many Atlantans are out on their bicycles.By law, Atlanta bicyclists must bike on the road, and not on a sidewalk.That means they share the roads with motorists who must, accommodate these bikers.
Last week, an elementary school teacher was left with injuries after her bicycle was struck by a car.The impact was serious enough to break the car’s side view mirror, but the driver drove off from the scene of the accident.Fortunately, the woman did not suffered life altering injuries.What makes this accident even more ironic was that the woman had recently been elected to the Board of Directors at Bike Cobb, a bicycle safety advocacy group that lobbies for better bicycling roads and safety.On the day of the accident, in fact, the victim was on her way to her first meeting as a board director.
Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers always encourage bicyclists to wear helmets as an essential safety precaution while bicycling.However, sometimes it seems like we put much of the onus for safety on bicyclists, while neglecting to acknowledge that most bicycle safety concerns can be eliminated when motorists look out for bikers.Bicycles are easy to miss because of their narrow frame, but that isn’t an excuse in Atlanta where the numbers of bicyclists have swelled dramatically over the past decade.Law enforcement in Atlanta must take bicyclist safety concerns into consideration over the next few months to reduce accident risks.