east bay bike accident | Northern California Personal Injury Blog

San Francisco Streets Very Dangerous for Bicyclists

By Kelly Balamuth on March 2, 2011

The streets in San Francisco are more dangerous than ever for bicyclists, according to a story published in The New York Times. Recent data shows there are 58 percent more bicycles on the streets than in 2006, and in the last two years, there have been 1,147 bicycle accidents recorded by San Francisco police.

Significantly, in the past year alone, there has been a seven percent increase in bicycle accidents in San Francisco. There were 554 accidents in 2009 and 593 in 2010. In the past two years, there have been 101 accidents where an automobile passenger “doored” a bicyclist – which means they opened a car door right into or in front of a bicyclist, causing an accident.

The top two causes of bike crashes in San Francisco are routine road violations: speeding (by bicyclists) and illegal turns (by cars). The third leading cause is dooring. The data shows that in the past two years, automobile drivers were at fault in 573 accidents, or about 57 percent of the time. Cyclists were to blame in 428 accidents, or about 43 percent. The layout of the city and its streets also share a role in the bicycle accidents.

San Francisco officials are considering plans to make the streets safer for bicyclists. They may extend the separated bike lanes that already exist. Officials have also taken steps to make intersections that are known to be dangerous to bicyclists safer.

Statistics show that in San Francisco, automobiles and bicycles are frequently involved in accidents. If you have been in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, contact an East Bay accident lawyer at Balamuth Harrington. We will strive to determine who was at fault in the accident and to obtain fair compensation for your injuries. Call us today at 1-888-254-1234 to learn more.