Fatal Bicycle Crash Occurs on Same Day as Bicycle Safety Webinar
On Monday, March 22nd Pike & Lustig hosted a Bicycle Safety Panel with Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Robert S. Weinroth and other community leaders to talk about bicycle safety, why there has been a recent increase in accidents, and what needs to be done to keep everyone safe. That same night, another fatal bike accident occurred in Jupiter when a car slammed into two bicyclists at a busy intersection, and one man, a husband and father of three, did not survive. This is now the second bicyclist to die in a crash in our area in the past week.
At Pike & Lustig, we’ve been seeing a rise in car versus bike crashes and have deduced that it is partially due to more bicycles being on the road during the pandemic. Pike & Lustig Attorney Robert Johnson was on hand to comment to WPTV NBC 5 about bicycle crashes, fatalities and the increasing trend in Palm Beach County the next day to represent our firm and offer more information:
I think it definitely comes down to one thing and that’s being distracted by cell phones while on the road. What it comes down to is that drivers have to pay attention.
When it comes down to it, drivers just need to pay attention to the road and stop staring at their screens. Until that happens, cyclists need to be even more careful, even more vigilant. The majority of bicycle crashes happen between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. therefore wearing reflective clothing and have reflectors on your bike to help drivers see you is a must.
Here are some other guidelines for bicyclists from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- Wear equipment to protect you and make you more visible to others, like a bike helmet, bright clothing, reflective gear, and a white front light and red rear light and reflectors on your bike
- Drive with the flow, in the same direction as traffic
- Obey street signs, signals, and road markings, just like a car
Here are some guidelines for drivers who are sharing the road with bicyclists:
- People on bicycles have the same rights and responsibilities as people behind the wheel of a vehicle
- Yield to bicyclists as you would motorists and do not underestimate their speed
To watch the video featuring Attorney Robert Johnson and to read the full article, please visit: https://www.wptv.com/news/region-n-palm-beach-county/jupiter/family-mourns-loss-of-bicyclist-killed-in-jupiter-crash
