Phone: (516) 487-8207
Hunter College in New York released a new study last week counting approximately 1000 pedestrian hospitalizations every year due to accidents involving bicycles in New York state. Over half of these are concentrated in New York City.
The study was commissioned by the Stuart C. Gruskin Family Foundation. In 2009, Gruskin was killed after being mauled by a bicycle travelling the wrong way. The Gruskin Foundation has since noticed that too few studies focus on bicycle-pedestrian collisions rather than automobile-pedestrian crashes.
The study's authors warn that the 1000 pedestrian hospitalization figure does not do a good enough job accurately portraying the incidence of injury. Some pedestrians visit doctors in smaller practices, while others with injuries do not seek treatment at all. Still, the findings, they write, are higher than previous estimates.
There has recently been complaints about bike lanes in New York City, which crowd automobile traffic and may make street crossing more dangerous, according to critics of the program. Thanks to this kind of criticism, the Department of Transportation is understandably defensive. They point out that the 1000 pedestrian hospitalization figure has declined in recent years. They attribute this to the Department of Transportation's newer safety measures. They also compare this figure to 10,000 pedestrians who need hospitalization every year after accidents involving cars. Finally, they point out that of 600 pedestrian deaths in the past 4 years, only three have come from accidents involving bicycles.
As an avid bicyclist I take these issues to heart. There are valid points made by bicycle activists and also the residents who live and work in areas where bicycle lanes currently exist. Next summer when 10,000 bicycles for rent-by-the-hour become available, critics charge that the streets will be impossible to navigate by foot and that these injury statistics will increase dramatically. Only time will tell.
If you would like more information about how bicycle accident cases work in the state of New York, I encourage you to explore my educational website. If you have legal questions, I urge you to pick up the phone and call me at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at lawmed10@yahoo.com to answer your questions. That's what I do every day. I welcome your call.
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