NATIONAL BIKE TO WORK WEEK

This year’s Bike to Work Week — observed each year in the week of Bike to Work Day, which falls on the third Friday of May — runs from May 15 to May 21. Held as a celebration of biking to work, this week is a part of National Bike Month (see our previous blogs this month: https://www.dmthomaslaw.com/national-bike-month and https://www.dmthomaslaw.com/is-georgia-a-bike-friendly-state).

Bike to Work Week is an event celebrated across the United States each May to encourage and celebrate bicycling to work and to promote public awareness of bicycling and bike safety. Bike rides to any location (not just work!) are eligible to participate in the event. During Bike to Work week and beyond, community members are encouraged to Bike There! 40% of all trips in the U.S. are less than two miles, making bicycling a feasible and fun way to get around.

BIKE TO WORK WEEK IN GEORGIA

Various events are planned in Georgia to celebrate bike to work week. See: https://www.midtownatl.com/about/midtown-transportation/bike-to-work-week-2023. Celebrate National Bike Month and complete National Bike to Work Week with all your family and friends at the Kroc to Lock bike ride. This is a family-friendly way to enjoy the day aboard your bike at your own pace. The approximately 10 mile ride will start at Kroc Augusta, proceed up the Augusta Canal Towpath to the Headgates (or turn around anywhere along the way) and then head back to the green space at the Kroc for a post-ride picnic!   

THE BENEFITS OF BIKING

There are many benefits to getting around by bike:

• Fit in your workout while running errands
• Save on gas and car maintenance costs
• Enjoy the outdoors
• Join a community
• Improve your commute
• Lower your carbon footprint
• Free parking!

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Nearly 1,000 bicyclists die and over 130,000 are injured in crashes every year that occur on roads in the United States. The costs of bicycle injuries and deaths from crashes typically exceed $23 billion in the United States each year. These costs include spending on health care and lost work productivity, as well as estimated costs for lost quality of life and lives lost. Most bicyclist deaths occur in urban areas. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), 79% of bicyclist deaths in 2020 occurred in urban areas. App. 64% of bicyclist deaths occur on sections of roads away from intersections (where higher speeds might occur) and 27% occur at intersections. App. one-third of crashes that result in a bicyclist’s death involve alcohol for the motor vehicle driver and/or bicyclist. The IIHS further reports that, of those bicyclists over 20 years old who were killed in 2020, 18 percent were legally intoxicated at their time of death. See: https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/bicycle/index.html.

INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR BICYCLE ACCIDENTS IN GEORGIA

If the driver of a vehicle was at-fault for your bicycle accident, their auto liability insurance would normally cover your injuries and losses. If they do not have enough insurance to cover the accident, you can also turn to your UM/UIM coverage. However, in cases where a bicyclist is at fault, their health and homeowner insurance may come into play. Personal injury protection insurance, or PIP, is not required or even available in Georgia. Instead of PIP insurance, Georgia insurance companies offer medical payments insurance (sometimes called MedPay), which helps with hospital bills resulting from a car accident.

So when a bicyclist is injured in an auto accident, there is a good chance their injuries and losses are covered by some form of insurance. That said, insurance policies are filled with a variety of fine-print coverage exclusions. To make sure you know exactly what is covered, consult an experienced personal injury attorney. Recovery for a bicycle accident can include: medical costs; lost work wages and lost income potential; pain and suffering; emotional distress; personal property damage; and out-of-profit travel expenses incurred for medical appointments and rehabilitation services.

CONTACT YOUR ATTORNEY

If you have been involved in a bicycle accident, contact Dave Thomas at The Thomas Law Firm for a free evaluation of your legal claim.