Injuries and Bicycle Safety

Nowadays, head injuries and other injuries of cycling accidents have become the main cause of the sport-related head injuries. Biking safety is one thing that we should pay attention to. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, cycling was the leading cause of sports head injuries in children under 14.



As the popular form of sport, bicycle riding is accessible for all ages since 1800's. Beneficial to the cyclists, cycling is one of the best exercises for the human to keep fit and have fun. For kids, riding a bike is a good way to have fun and to exercise while adults want to chase for speed and to maintain fit. However, many cyclists suffer from the injuries or pain that the cycling brings to them. Injuries of bicycle accidents are increasing among both adult cyclist and children especially for males. The passage is about the injuries and bicycle safety of cycling.

Head Injuries

Millions of people around the world ride bikes, however less than half of them cycling without wearing a helmet. Unluckily, riding can turn into a tragedy if a cycling accident happens. In the US, thousands of people are treated in the emergency departments because of the bicycle injuries, including the head injuries and other injuries. According to the studies, 9 out of 10 riders who are killed in the accidents are not wearing a helmet. In the bicycle accidents, the cyclists may be thrown over their handlebars and get out of control to land safely, thus the head injury happens. Head injuries contain the form of bumps, scrapes, gashes and so on. The most serious result is that the skull may fracture, which will turn to a result of brain injury.



Brain Injuries

You may suffer a concussion if the brain injuries are not very serious. But the brain injury may result in the traumatic brain injury in extreme cases. The effects of the traumatic brain injury include the loss of memory, decreased bodily function. What's worse, the injury may lead to permanent disabilities. The brain injury may be caused by the cyclists who do not wear helmets in the bicycle accidents or the cyclists who ride with a high rate of speed so that lose control of the bikes.

Facial Injuries

As one form of the injuries resulting from the bicycle accidents, facial injuries are the most common in the accidents. The facial injuries including the damage or loss of an eye, broken nose, loss of teeth, and damage of the jaw and so on. The facial injuries may result in chronic pain, scarring which would last a lifelong time, or even give rise to severe disfigurement. Wearing a helmet the face may still get hurt in the accidents.

Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord injuries would happen because the cyclists are more vulnerable in cycling because of the near-complete exposure. The injuries may result from the bike crash which the cyclists land on their back, head or neck with the proper force. The injuries may result in the fractures of the vertebrae or paralysis. When meeting someone who may have produced the spinal cord injury, do not move him or her.

Broken Bones and Fractures

The bones, such as the legs, arms, and neck, would suffer the risk of broken or fracture in the bicycle accidents because the cyclists usually have nothing to protect their legs or arms when cycling. Bone fractures may happen under the situation that the cyclists strike the pavement or when the riders collide with the cars. Serious bone fractures can have complications if not treated with the right way at once. The cyclists with the bone fractures in the bike accidents need to take weeks to recover.

Bicycle Safety

So how can you produce the risk of injuries? Preventing people from riding bicycles? It is impossible and unnecessary. With the proper safety preparation and observe the traffic rules, it is likely to reduce the possibility to get hurt in the bicycle accidents. Sharing the same roads with cars and big trucks can be very dangerous sometimes, so take all the safety measures you can to ensure your safety.



The first thing you can do is to ride on the right side of the road and observe the traffic rules as if you were driving a car. Remember to cycle with the flow of the traffic, but not against it.
The most important thing is to wear a fitted helmet. A research found that cyclists who wear helmets reduce the chance of the fatal head injuries by 65%. Remember to wear a fitted helmet every time when you going to ride on the roads with cars and trucks.
Try to keep a safe distance with the cars or trucks when riding in the heavy traffic roads, because a safe distance will give you some time to react to the danger. Generally speaking, you should keep at least 4 feet with the other cars or trucks.
The first thing you should concern about is the bicycle safety not speed, so riding the bike with a safe speed. Otherwise, you may lose control of the bikes and fall from the bikes.
With bright and colorful clothing, the drivers can spot you on the roads to avoid the collision. So wear bright clothing, especially when you riding at night. Front and back bicycle lights are required when you riding on the bikes in the dark, dim environments.
Use hand signals when you need to turn or stop. Be aware of the traffic and concentrate on the roads and your riding when riding on the bikes, because it is hard to react to the unexpected things if the cyclists are absent-minded.

Be aware of the bicycle safety to reduce the risk of injuries when riding on the roads with other vehicles. Bicycle accidents may result in injuries or even death, so try your best to avoid them. Take all measures that are helpful to keep bicycle safety to stay away from the injuries. After all, you can't be too careful with your safety.