As the Weather Warms up, Discuss Bicycle Safety With Your Kids

April 11, 2018 | Bicycle Accidents

With spring finally here and the temperatures steadily warming, many children in the Indianapolis area are spending more time outside. In many cases, this means riding bikes from place to place—or even just riding bikes just to ride them.

Unfortunately, riding bicycles in a metropolitan area like Indianapolis exposes kids to the risk of accidents with motor vehicles—even in the most residential neighborhoods. For this reason, parents need to talk to kids about bicycle safety regularly and make sure that they take steps to reduce the risk of a car, truck, or motorcycle hitting them.

Children can reduce their injury and accident risks when riding when they:

• Always wear a helmet when riding bikes.
• Make sure that cars and trucks can see them. Wear brightly colored clothing and equip your bikes with reflectors on the front, back, and on the wheels. Avoid riding at night altogether.
• Never wear headphones or listen to music when you ride.
• Do not wear loose or long clothing that could get caught in wheel spokes or chains.
• If you ride in traffic, follow all of the rules of the road.

• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them or pulling into their lanes.
  

Bicycle Accidents Can Have Devastating Results for Children

Kids can sustain extremely serious injuries in collisions with cars and trucks, including broken bones, serious lacerations, concussions, and even traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. In many cases, these injuries can leave children with long-term issues, including chronic pain, disfigurement, scars, cognitive issues, or even paralysis. Due to these potentially serious outcomes, do everything you can to help your child avoid a bicycle accident in the first place.

In the unfortunate event that your child is injured in an accident, take immediate steps to protect your child’s legal rights. If you can show that the accident resulted from the negligence of the driver who hit your child, you may obtain compensation for current and future medical treatments, lost quality of life, physical and emotional pain and suffering, and any other losses.

• Some steps to take after an accident include:

• Call the police to the scene of the accident. Obtain the other driver’s contact information, as well as the contact information of anyone who may have witnessed the accident.

• Take your child to the hospital for a thorough medical evaluation. Attend any follow-up appointments and help your child engage in all recommended treatments.
• Do not discuss the matter with the driver’s insurance company until you have talked to a lawyer.
• Retain an attorney as soon as you can.

Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain Today for a Free Consultation

Indianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an injury law attorney in the greater Indy area—Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon—she’s here to help! Call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click Tell Us About Your Case for a free consultation.