GRID Chicago Looks At When Bike Crashes Happen
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 26, 2012 4:10PM
GRID Chicago’s Steven Vance has a breakdown on the times of day bicycle crashes occur across Illinois that serves as a reminder, at the very least, for cyclists to take their safety on the streets in their own hands.
The data Vance used is from 2010 and shows that the likelihood of a cyclist getting into an accident increases during the evening rush, while a bicycle fatality tended to be more likely between 8 p.m. and 8: 59 p.m. Check out the graph below.
We cannot stress enough that, while infrastructure across the area improves making it safer for cyclists on the streets, a cyclist’s safety is ultimately up to the cyclist. We biked on the lakefront path from Montrose Harbor to Balbo a couple of months back and came away frustrated with the number of bicyclists on the trail without reflective clothing or lights. Biking on well-lighted streets is no excuse for cyclists to not take responsibility for their safety. It’s state law to have lights on a bicycle when biking at night, and we don’t wear reflective bike clothing because it’s fashionable.
Be smart out there.