northern california bike accident attorneys | Northern California Personal Injury Blog

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Teaches Safe Cycling

By Kelly Balamuth on April 18, 2012

In the wake of several car-bicycle crashes that left bicyclists permanently injured or took their lives last year, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has increased its commitment to teaching people how to ride on the roads safely – and how to share the roads safely with bicyclists when driving a car.

After Portland and Seattle, San Francisco has the highest number of people who commute by bicycle of any city in the U.S., according to The Sacramento Bee. As of 2011, 75,000 trips in San Francisco each day were made by bicycle. All these bicyclists must face the particular challenges found in San Francisco, which include steep hills and drivers who sometimes express their frustration by honking, yelling, or making bad or hasty decisions that can cause an accident.

Although the city has added features for bicyclists and mounted a campaign to encourage motorists and bicyclists to share roads safely, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has noted that the results haven’t always kept pace with the growth of bicycling. Among other offerings, the Coalition offers a six-hour on-road bicycling class. Designed to follow a preliminary “ground class” that covers road rules, maintenance, and other issues, the on-road class teaches students how to bike safely, including when to use hand signals, how to anticipate the need to change gears on a hill, and more.

Bicycle accidents can cause serious injuries, especially when an unprotected bicyclist and a car collide. If you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident, call a knowledgeable San Francisco personal injury lawyer at Balamuth Law today at (888) 254-1234 for a free, confidential consultation.