According to statistics reported by ICBC, an average of 600 bicycle riders are injured between the months of May and October each year in the Lower Mainland, and there are four fatalities during that same period.
The Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition is working on a new, updated edition of "the premier cycling safety manual for British Columbia" for 2013, but you can find a copy of their earlier version of Bike Sense here. It is very well written and is a recommended read for anyone that rides a bicycle, and it probably wouldn't hurt if some drivers read it as well.
Citing a study from 1997, Bike Sense says that the three most common collisions between bicycles and motor vehicles that are cause by motorists are:
- a motorist that turns left infront of a cyclist that is going straight through
- a driver at a cross street that stops, and then pulls out in front of the cyclist; and
- a driver that passes the cyclist and then turns right.
No one needs to explain the physics involved when a cyclist and a vehicle collide. The probabilities of escaping injury in a bicycle vs. motor vehicle collision weigh heavily in favour of the motor vehicle driver.
Bicycle-motor vehicle collision injuries don't need to happen. The aftermath of the injuries from these bicycle collisions can be devastating, so ride safe, and more importantly, drive safe, this summer!
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