bicycle :: Trademark Lawyer Blog

Personal injury is a major area of practice of mine. While some of my cases include slip & falls, dog bites, and negligent property owners, most of my personal injury cases involve car accidents. So I wondered how many car accidents are there in Jacksonville?

I went to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles' website. The most recent statistics were 2004, but the results were shocking! In Duval county, there were 14,116 accidents in 2004. That's 38 accidents every day!

Even after decades of research to design safer vehicles, people usually get hurt in motor vehicle collisions. To be exact, there were 10,455 traffic accident injuries in 2004. Here's a summary of Duval County's crash data:

Alcohol Related Traffic Accidents - 1,245
Traffic Fatalities - 131
Alcohol Related Fatalities - 49
Injuries in Traffic Accidents - 10,455
Alcohol Related Injuries - 847
Motorcycle Fatalities - 15
Bicycle Fatalities - 6
Bicycle Injuries - 230
Pedestrian Fatalities - 31
Pedestrian Injuries - 329

Car accidents happen every day. If someone runs into you on the road, seek immediate medical attention, and contact an attorney as soon as possible.

Posted by Jo-Anne Yau | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: auto accident , bicycle , injury

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In Florida, a bicycle rider or passenger under the age of 16 must wear a bicycle helmet. I wondered how many people of any age wore bicycle helmets in Jacksonville. In conducting my informal survey, I drove around the residential areas of Southside, Westside, and Beaches areas over the Easter weekend, and I am sad to report that I am not surprised by what I found.

I saw many cyclists over the age of 16, but only saw two wearing helmets. But these guys looked like Lance Armstrong wanna-bes: expensive road bikes, form-fitting outfits, heart rate monitors... the works. Under Florida law, they are not required to wear helmets.

I kept driving until I saw about 30 children under age 16. Roughly 1/4 of them were wearing helmets. What does this mean for them or their parents if the police shows up with tickets in hand?

Florida Statute 316.2065 prescribes: "A bicycle rider or passenger who violates this [statute] may be issued a citation by a law enforcement officer and assessed a fine..." There IS room for forgiveness, however! The statute further states, "The court shall dismiss the charge...upon proof of purchase of a bicycle helmet that complies with this subsection."

If drivers are required to buckle their seatbelts, I think all bicyclists should be required to wear a helmet. After all, if I am hit by a careless, reckless, or negligent driver, I am sure that I would be more exposed to injury if I was a cyclist, than if I was in my crash-tested, airbag-equipped car. Don't you?

Labels: bicycle, child, helmet, ticket