Bicycling is becoming more popular in the Dallas/Fort Worth region. Learn more about bicycling in the area from the Greater Dallas Bicyclists site.

Despite safety improvements, bicycle accidents are common in Dallas and Fort Worth

According to Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, in 2012, 726 lost their lives in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes nationally, just under two people every day of the year in the U.S. The death rate from bicycle crashes is high due to the relative lack of protection bicyclists have in an impact with a motor vehicle.

Bicycling laws in Texas

Bicycle traffic-safety laws are designed to allow bicyclists to share the road safely with motor vehicles in an increasingly crowded space.

According to the State of Texas Department of Transportation:

• Generally, bikes are entitled to all rights and obligated to all duties of the road that apply to a motor vehicle. 
• A person operating a bicycle, if moving slower than traffic, shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway. By definition, roadway does not include the shoulder of the roadway.
• A person operating a bicycle shall ride only on or astride a permanent and regular seat attached to the bicycle.
• A person may not use a bicycle to carry more persons than the bicycle is designed or equipped to carry.
• A person operating a bicycle, coaster, sled or toy vehicle or using roller skates may not attach either the person or the bicycle, coaster, sled toy vehicle, or roller skates to a streetcar or vehicle on a roadway.
• A person operating a bicycle may not carry any object that prevents the operator from keeping a least one hand on the handlebars.

Get information on bicycle crashes from the region's police departments

The Dallas Police Department may provide information on accidents, as does the Fort Worth Police Department.

These departments are good resources to get information after a bicycle crash.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles provides information on traffic laws and licensing and insurance requirements.

Dallas and Fort Worth bicycle crashes have common causes and deadly outcomes

While helmets and proper reflective gear make bicycling safer, riding a bicycle is riskier than driving a car. Maintaining control is more difficult on two wheels, and when collisions happen, bicyclists are at greater risk of serious injury or death because they don't have an enclosed vehicle for protection.

Common causes of bicycle crashes include:

• Motorist turning across path of cyclist;
• Cyclist riding into the path of a motor vehicle;
• Cyclist turning right from a major road and from a minor road;
• Child cyclist playing or riding too fast.

When someone is injured in a Dallas/Fort Worth bicycle accident, what needs to happen next?

In an injury bike crash, it is crucial to get appropriate medical treatment, regardless of the financial cost.

The major hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth area include:

• Baylor University Medical Center - Dallas;
• UT Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas;
• Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas;
• Plaza Medical Center - Fort Worth;
• Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital - Fort Worth.

As soon as possible, an injured person should contact their insurance company to find out medical treatment is covered under their insurance policy.

When a bicycle collision is serious or fatal, it is important to find a Dallas/Fort Worth bike accident attorney

When a bicycle accident, caused by the negligence of a motorist, results in serious injury or death, the next step is to find an experienced Dallas - Fort Worth bicycle accident attorney to start the financial recovery process by launching an insurance claim. Major injury or wrongful death claims are complicated and can be hard to manage without legal help. Since most personal injury lawyers offer a free initial consultation and work on a contingency basis, meaning that there are no up-front costs and all fees are paid when the claim is settled, there is no downside to speaking with a Mullen and Mullen lawyer right away, to get help for an injured bicyclist.