Bicycle Accident Lawyer Indianapolis, IN
Studies have shown that a large percentage of road cycling accidents are caused by automotive drivers. Cyclists who suffer an accident with a motor vehicle and have failed to wear a properly-fitted helmet, are often hospitalized with medical injuries of the head and brain. Brain injuries can a lifetime and a severely brain-injured person can struggle with:
- Cognitive skills
- Memory skills
- Speech, hearing, and vision
- Physical coordination and balance
- The ability to feel and express emotions
Although a properly-fitted helmet does not protect a cyclist from receiving a concussion, studies have repeatedly shown that wearing a helmet reduces head and brain injuries by as much as two-thirds.
How to Fit a Bike Helmet for Maximum Protection Against Head Injuries
The following steps recommended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will help you and your family correctly fit a helmet. (A visual representation of the following steps is available at the NHTSA website)
- Wrap a tape measure around the head at the widest part of the forehead. Use this measurement to try on several helmets for comfort and fit. The helmet should be level on the head and cover most of the forehead without obstructing the rider’s vision.
- Evenly adjust and lock the slider on both sides and in front of the ears.
- Center the buckle under the chin. Most helmets allow chin straps to be pulled from the back of the helmet to lengthen or shorten the straps. You may wish to remove the helmet to lengthen or shorten the chin straps.
- After the adjustments have been made, buckle the chin strap until it is snug but not uncomfortably tight. No more than one or two fingers should fit under the chin strap.
Indianapolis Indiana Attorneys with Bicycle Accident Experience
State and local governments have failed to formally educate motorists and bikers about safely co-existing on roadways. As the growing metropolitan Indianapolis area and surrounding counties remove general traffic lanes to add complex bus and side-by-side bicycle lanes, the risks to vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists increase.
If you are a bicycle enthusiast who has been involved in a collision with a motorized vehicle, call the bicycle accident lawyer Indianapolis, IN trusts from Ward & Ward Law Firm to discuss your injuries and damages. Call today and ask for “Charlie Ward” for a free consultation at (317) 639-9501.
