This week, the Royal Mail in the UK announced that it was doing away with bicycles for postal deliveries. That decision was made because of the large number of accidents involving letter carriers on bicycles. In fact, according to the Royal Mail, between 2008 and 2009, letter carriers suffered more than 1,000 injuries. The English postman on his bicycle, a long and beloved tradition that dates back to 1880, will soon end. Not that Los Angeles bicycle accident lawyers don’t understand why the British want to keep letter carriers off bicycles, considering that we live in one of the country’s most hostile areas for bicyclists.
Last month, the city’s first citizen had a sampling of what Los Angeles bicyclists face every day when he had a taxi pull out in front of his bike, sending him head first to the ground. Fortunately, the mayor suffered no serious injuries. However, it only served to underscore the kind of risks bicyclists face every day. A bicyclist or Los Angeles bicycle accident attorney will tell you that this one of the most frequent ways that bicycle accidents are caused. Motorists must understand that it’s dangerous for bicyclists to brake suddenly, and that doing so can throw a bicyclist off his bike.
Unfortunately, bicycle safety groups, who were expecting strong action against the motorist in the mayor’s accident, were disappointed. Mayor Villaraigosa said no charges will be pressed against the motorist, citing that the motorist was “careless” but that wasn’t illegal. It is that kind of attitude that’s very troubling to Los Angeles personal injury lawyers. To a bicyclist, it matters greatly when a motorist is careless. In fact, it can mean the difference between life and death when a motorist decides to drive too close to a bicyclist, or pulls out in front of him, suddenly and without warning. The mayor could have been less flippant about his accident, and a little more concerned about the city’s bicyclists.
