Bicycles have been a form of transportation for hundreds of years now. Although many people choose to drive automobiles rather than riding bicycles, there is still a sizeable amount of people who prefer riding bicycles. In addition, Cyclists have always ridden their bicycles on the road next to automobiles. However, many people believe that cyclists should have separate laws, while, on the other hand; other people believe that cyclists deserve to have the same laws as car drivers. According to Grant Petersen, bike commuting is up to 61.6 percent in the last thirteen years, but since the national average is still less than two percent, it is hard to make a strong case for revamping the laws to accommodate the significant upsurge. In spite of this, I agree that the laws and infrastructure should be altered to recognize the differences between bicycles and automobiles because it will improve the safety of cyclists, as well as vehicle drivers, and create a more diverse population inside our cities.
Although bicycles are known for being very convenient and economical, they can cause accidents on the road with other vehicles, and it can make driving next to bicycles a safety hazard. “But while bicycles are defined as vehicles by most state laws and have a legitimate right to the road, from a safety and operations perspective they are not the same as cars” (Sandt). Bicycles are physically and mechanically distinct from cars. According to Laura Sandt, bicycles have dissimilar weights and dimensions, travel speeds and stopping distances than cars and these factors need to be taken into account when roadways are being designed. Additionally, cyclists as a population are not similar as the car-driving population because some people may ha...
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...users when designing a roadway” (Sandt). Creating separate laws will benefit America by making citizens more accepting to the idea of cycling on the roads, and it will increase the safety of drivers and pedestrians. Lastly, despite the opinions of many citizens who believe that cyclists hinder the roads, or they should be treated as equals, I believe that the laws and infrastructure should be altered to recognize the differences between bikes and cars because it will improve the safety of many citizens, and it will help make our cities more diverse.
Works Cited
Baykal, Ayfer. "In Copenhagen, Separate but More Than Equal." (n.d.).
Forester, John. "Drivers and Cyclists Should Be Equals ." (n.d.).
Petersen, Grant. "Make Cars More Inconvenient." (n.d.).
Sandt, Laura. "Different Spokes for Different Folks." (n.d.).
Xing, Yan. "Attitude Adjustment in the U.S." (n.d.).
ISTEA Sec. 1033 (1991) authorized the allocation of national highway system funds as well as federal land highway funds to support the construction of bicycle and walking paths adjacent to highway systems and refurbishing bridges for pedestrian use, up to 80 percent of total cost (“Intermodal Surface Transportation”,1991). At the conclusion of the 6 year scope, ISTEAs impact was viewed as minimal, at best. Dilger (2003) cites a lack of public interest by the American people as the catalyst for the “failure”. Americans would much rather drive to their destination as opposed to riding a bicycle or walking (p. 60).
fog, after dark on unlighted sections; Vehicle speed was directly related to fatality rates [3]; The bumper was responsible for 23.4% of all injuries in bicycle-vehicle accidents followed by the bonnet (20%), the bonnet edge (19.7%), and the windscreen (14.7%); The road surface (secondary contact) accounted for 59.5% of injuries (for head injuries, contact with the windscreen and bonnet were the main contributors followed by secondary impact with the road (26%)); in data presented by Peng (2012) the head struck the roof of the vehicle 4 times from 17 [6]; a more pronounced bonnet leading edge increases cyclist injury severity; although cyclists are able to travel at higher speeds, 60% of vehicle-bicycle accidents occurred at cyclist speeds of 5 km/h or less, and 90% at 10 km/h or less; in Germany, 31% of injuries were caused by impact with the road surface, also interesting were bumper (8%), windscreen (10%) and bonnet leading edge (14%); Bicycle design is unlikely to have a significant influence on cyclist injuries
Millions of people all over the United States choose motorcycles over automobiles for the thrill, speed, and high performance capabilities. On the other hand, motorcycles are not at all the safest way of transportation. Motorcycles do not provide the passenger with the outer protection that cars provide, therefore, when one crashes, the results are usually much more serious. Injuries to the head are responsible for 76% of fatalities when dealing with motorcycle crashes many of which could have been prevented had the rider been wearing a helmet. For this reason, many states have adopted the motorcycle helmet law. The law states that every passengers must wear a helmet at all times when riding on a motorcycle. This law has created a great deal of controversy. One side supports the law, believing that it protects motorcyclists from danger and saves the economy a great deal of money. The other side argues that the law is unconstitutional and it violates our right to freedom. However, statistics show overwhelming support in favor of the motorcycle helmet law. Although wearing helmets cannot prevent motorcycle crashes, they can greatly reduce the number of deaths caused by head injury as well as lowering taxes, insurance rates, and health care costs. Therefore, the helmet law should be put into effect in every state across the United States.
The bicycle is often mistaken as an item for pleasure, and a means of optional transportation in the 21st century. However, we tend to forget that the bicycle was one of the most revolutionary inventions of its time. The bicycle was used for pleasure but more importantly a means of transportation. When the Great Depression swept across the entire country, people began to cut back on things that weren’t necessary for survival and businesses felt the effects. Less spending caused businesses to become increasingly nervous when it came to their survival. In order for businesses to stimulate consumer spending one would assume that they would possibly increase their own advertisement spending to encourage consumer spending. However, this is not true,
No matter what any politician in Washington or employee of the Federal Highway Administration may say, there is a serious and immediate problem with our nation's transportation systems. The Texas Transportation Institute has recently done several studies that have produced some very alarming results. For example, the average American spends approximately 26 hours a year stuck in traffic. Let?s think about that. The ?average? American spends this long cruising at five miles per hour and cursing at other cars around. By saying average, the study means this figure also takes into account people living in rural areas who spend maybe one hour a year stuck in traffic. That means for the majority of us, in the Phoenix area and other large cities, we spend 3 or 4 times more wasting our valuable time in traffic. For people who drive into the city everyday for work, it might even be worse (Fay 3). Now that?s a lot of time if you ask me.
With the introduction of the automobile in the early 1900s, laws have been instituted to protect drivers on the road. With these laws come lawbreakers who put their agenda in front of the well being of others. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost. billions of dollars have been spent, and pollution has grown exponentially because of this. drivers travelling at high speeds on roads (Hartman).
There will be a day when driving will not require a license. Children will be traveling on their own, teens will be texting while driving, adults will be doing their jobs while driving, and the elderly who are visually or physically impaired will be able to transport themselves (Symonds). This will be made possible through new technological car advancements that will enable a car to be driverless. With technology increasing exponentially, and our everyday lives getting busier and busier, we need a solution. Weeks of productivity are lost each year by Americans (Pollette). Driverless cars will cause this issue to vanish by reducing delays and smoothing traffic flow (Winston). Most technology will have flaws, and this is also true for driverless cars’ technology. Improvements are being made to enhance the car (Pollette), but accidents will still take place. Despite the flaws, driverless cars will make trips shorter, and when trips are long, we will be able to multitask.
It's a beautiful day to be a pedestrian on campus at Indiana University. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you're surrounded by thousands of other students walking, sometimes very slowly, to class. Clearly remaining a pedestrian is not the best way to get around campus. In the polarizing topic of bikes versus skateboards, it is simple to understand why biking is the superior mode of transportation.
Opponents feel that bicycle helmet laws are too strict and are misdirected. Principally, they feel that helmet laws do not prevent accidents and point out the fact that "motor vehicles are involved in 90-92% of bicyclist deaths" (BHSI/Compendium 4). Creating awareness among drivers by lowering their speeds would create a safer cycling environment. Furthermore, opponents of helmet laws believe that "requiring motorists to wear helmets will save more lives" (Convissor 1) since statistics show the likelihood of fatality while riding in passenger cars is nearly double that of bicycling (Bicycle 15). They are also concerned for the overall popularity of their sport when helmet laws go into effect. After helmet laws went into effect in Australia, "surveys in Sydney found the helmet law reduced cycling by 38%" (Convissor, 1). Another issue is the argument that helmets are inconvenient and uncomfortable.
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People ride bicycles for various reasons. Some people ride bicycles for sport, fitness purposes, as a mode of transportation, fun activity, and some people ride bikes to simply relax and clear their mind after a long day. Regardless of the reason you ride, it is important to know the factors that contribute to bicycle and helmet safety. A study in 2014 shows that 103.7 million people rode a bike that year and 34 percent of Americans age three or older rode a bike at least once in that year (“Study: 103.7 Million Americans Ride Bikes”). The importance of bicycle safety cannot be underestimated. According to the 2008 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts, there were 182 bicycle crash injuries and four fatalities. In 2008, children 14 years old and under
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