Cyclists are at a greater risk of debilitating or fatal injuries in speeding bicycle accidents.
Summary
- Speeding, whether by motorists or cyclists, increases the risk of severe bicycle accidents due to reduced reaction time and compromised control.
- Speeding drivers pose a significant threat to cyclists, often resulting in catastrophic injuries due to the lack of protection for cyclists in collisions.
- Bicyclists themselves can also speed, leading to accidents with other cyclists or objects, highlighting the importance of adhering to safety guidelines.
- Factors contributing to speeding include running late, traffic frustrations, and impaired judgment, underscoring the need for vigilance on the road.
Speeding is when someone drives above the posted speed limit, or a bicyclist drives much faster than the normal speed of traffic.
It can reduce a person’s reaction time and affect their field of vision, making it difficult to stop before hitting another driver, bicyclist, or obstacle.
Speeding bicycle accidents can occur when a motor vehicle driver or bicyclist goes much too fast to stop themselves before hitting a bicyclist.
High-speed bicycle crashes can expose cyclists to severe injuries, such as neck injuries, broken bones, and traumatic brain injuries, that can cause life-threatening consequences.
A bicycle accident lawyer with The Eberst Law Firm can help you hold the negligent speeding party accountable for the significant damages they caused, including medical bills, lost earning potential, and pain and suffering.
Contact us for a free case evaluation at (772) 225-4900 or fill out an online contact form.
How Does Speeding Affect a Driver or Bicyclist?
Bicycle accidents can result from speeding drivers or bicyclists because they can expose bicyclists to harm.
Speeding is a common cause of bicycle accidents involving motor vehicles. Reaction time is reduced when an individual is operating their motor vehicle or bicycle above a safe speed.
Going faster than everyone else can make it much harder to stop on a dime before causing a crash. A speeding vehicle is dangerous because it requires more time and space to come to a stop than a vehicle traveling at a safe speed would need.
Additionally, speeding drivers will have a reduced field of vision because they can be going too fast to take in everything that’s happening around them.
They can also go too fast to adequately control their car, truck, motorcycle, or bicycle. Losing control after going too fast can cause them to swerve into a bicyclist, resulting in a crash that causes significant injuries.
Bicycle Accidents Caused by Speeding Motor Vehicle Drivers
The most common type of speeding bicycle accident is when a speeding driver of a motor vehicle crashes into a bicyclist. Speeding drivers can lose control of their vehicle, spin out, and crash into a bicyclist in a bike lane.
What makes a car-bicyclist speeding driving accident so dangerous is the fact that the bicyclist will have virtually no protection from a direct impact, although bicycle helmets can prevent head injury in some cases.
In a speeding car accident, the victim will at least have their seatbelt, airbags, and protection in the form of the structure of their car.
A bicyclist will have nothing to cushion the direct blow from a high-speed vehicle, exposing them to catastrophic injuries.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding increases the chances of a pedestrian or bicyclist dying from impact with a vehicle.
Drivers must be aware of their speed to avoid losing control of their vehicle and causing a life-threatening speeding bicycle accident.
Speeding Bicyclists Can Expose Themselves to Danger
Bicyclists can also speed, which involves going much faster than the other bicyclists occupying the bike lane. While bicyclists have no specific speed limit, they should not go fast enough to lose control of their bicycle and risk an accident.
Speeding bicyclists can cause an accident with another bicyclist by crashing directly into them without having the time to make an evasive maneuver.
A speeding bicycle accident can also occur if one of the parties involved does have some time to avoid the collision but ends up crashing into a hard object, road structure, building, or vehicle.
Following bicycle safety guidelines can help reduce the likelihood of a crash.
What Factors Can Cause Someone to Speed and Cause a Bicycle Accident?
Speeding can occur due to a number of factors, but the most common is running late for something. Someone may have slept through their alarm or had an inconvenience that delayed the beginning of their commute.
They may speed up to try to make up the time, but this can lead to poor decision-making, reduced reaction time, and lack of control, which can cause a bicycle accident.
The following are some of the reasons someone may speed:
- Late for an appointment, work, or meeting
- Trying to avoid a red light
- Impaired judgment, including driving under the influence
- Road rage
- Trying to get around a slow driver
- Frustrated by slow traffic
- The thrill of the speed
Speeding Bicycle Accidents Have an Increased Risk of Severe Injury for Bicyclists
As mentioned previously, bicyclists have limited protection during an accident, which can make a speeding bike accident extremely dangerous.
Getting hit by a car in any circumstance can expose a bicyclist to intense trauma, but a speeding motor vehicle can cause even more harm.
A high-speed collision with a motor vehicle can cause a bicyclist to fly from their bike, with trauma caused by the direct impact of the vehicle and whatever hard surface they land on.
The intense pressure generated by the accident can expose a person’s bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles to pressure that can lead to severe injury.
The following are some of the severe injuries caused by a speeding bicycle accident:
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Back and neck injury
- Shoulder injury
- Facial injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Chest injury
- Whiplash
- Knee injury
- Internal injury
How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help With Your Speeding Bicycle Accident?
A speeding bicycle accident can cause a person to suffer significant damages, like medical bills, lost wages, and loss of enjoyment of life. Recovering compensation for these damages is crucial.
Most people don’t have the money to pay out-of-pocket for economic damages, but a personal injury claim can rectify this. You also deserve compensation for the intangible ways the speeding bicycle accident affected your quality of life.
Protect Your Right to Compensation for Your Bicycle Accident Injuries
Choosing the right bicycle accident lawyer is an essential step in pursuing compensation for damages, as they can use their experience handling these types of claims to help with the process. A bicycle accident claims process can be complicated.
It involves collecting evidence, speaking to experts, proving the at-fault party’s liability for the bicycle accident, and negotiating with an insurance company trying to deny, delay, or devalue your claim.
Bicycle accident attorneys will have vast experience handling each step of the process, which can allow them to handle the claims process effectively while you recover from your severe injuries.
Hiring a bicycle accident lawyer gives you the best chance to recover fair compensation for your speeding bicycle accident damages.
Contact The Eberst Law Firm for Help With Your Speeding Bicycle Accident
The Eberst Law Firm is a personal injury law firm with skilled bicycle accident lawyers who will put you in a strong position to recover compensation for damages. We have decades of proven experience assisting bicycle accident victims across the U.S.
Our team will use that experience to inform your personal injury claims process. We understand the significant harm caused by a speeding bicycle accident, and we are ready to handle your process so you can worry about your medical recovery.
Let our bicycle accident lawyers help hold the speeding driver accountable for causing your damages. We will handle everything from collecting tangible evidence to speaking to expert witnesses and representing you in court.
At The Eberst Firm, we offer free consultations to potential clients. Contact us for a free case evaluation at (772) 225-4900 or fill out an online contact form.
