3 Most Common Bike Accident Injuries and How to Prevent Them

Bicycle accidents caused 817 deaths in 2015. The number of injuries are exponentially higher, too. Bikes provide no protection to the rider. If you’re not wearing the right gear, you’re at risk of serious injury or death when in a bicycle accident.

The most common injuries, and how to prevent them, include:

1. Cuts, Abrasions and Lacerations

Cuts, lacerations and abrasions are painful. These injuries can occur on the upper or lower body, and it’s not uncommon for your knees to be the source of these injuries. When you want to eliminate these injuries, you’ll find that there is only so much that you can do.

You can choose to wear protective cycling gear, such as:

• Gloves
• Knee pads
• Vests

There are a lot of stylish options available, and they’ll allow you to absorb some of the impact when getting into a bike accident.

2. Head Injuries

Head injuries are a serious threat to all bicycle riders. A fall off of your bike the wrong way can cause serious brain injury. Even if there is no one else involved in your accident, you can fall off your bike, land on your head the wrong way and suffer a lifetime of health issues as a result.

Head injuries account for 74% of fatal crashes involving a bicycle.

And of those people that did die in bike accidents, some 97% were not wearing helmets at the time of the collision.

The simple way to avoid head injuries is to wear a helmet when riding your bike. Helmets will absorb a lot of the impact and protect the head from injury. Studies show that helmets reduce serious head injury risk by nearly 70%.

3. Concussions and Skull Fractures

Concussions occur when head injuries occur. When a person has a concussion, they’ve had a brain injury. Injury to the brain is always serious, and while the symptoms often resolve, repeat concussions can cause lifelong health issues.

Skull fractures are also a real threat.

The way that you can prevent concussions and skull fractures is simple: wear a helmet. Helmets reduce all types of head injuries and protect the brain from potential damage caused by jarring during an accident.

Precautions to Prevent Bike Accidents

Males are at a much higher risk of being involved in a bike accident. If you’re riding your bike, there are a few things that you can do to reduce the risk of accidents. The most important things that you can do include:

• Never drink and ride
• Avoid riding between 6pm and 9pm
• Mount a headlight on your bike
• Wear reflective clothing when riding
• Wear protective gear to reduce injuries
• Make use of reflectors to increase visibility
• Ride during the daytime

You’ll also want to remain cautious when biking. A quick look at your phone is all it takes to hit a pothole or swerve into traffic. Experts recommend riding your bike with traffic – not against it. The thinking behind this concept is that head injuries are less likely if you’re hit from behind than hit in a head-on collision.