May Is National Bicycle Safety Month

May is Bicycle Awareness Month, and from the Tour de Palm Springs to local rides, the cycling community in the valley is strong.

The activity can be dangerous, in fact one local biker lost his life in March. Officials I spoke with at Desert Regional Medical Center say bicycle related trauma cases have gone up more than 72% in the last five years, most of these trauma cases were preventable.

“We have over 900 people die from bicycle trauma per year and nationwide, it’s a cause of over 500,000 emergency room visits nationwide as well.” says Dr. Andrew Mccague, a trauma and acute care surgeon at Desert Regional Medical Center. 

He says bike safety is a two way street. Drivers should slow down and pay attention to cyclists, and cyclists have to do their part.

“Some of the other risk factors are time of day riding when the lighting is not really good early morning or later in the evening, not using bike lanes, so it’s very important, especially people who are visiting, to be aware of the different bike lanes and how to be safe on the road.” 

Dr. Mccague emphasizes one major problem.

“Bike riding while under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. That is a major problem, unfortunately.”

Desert Regional says bicycle injuries increased 72% from 2018, when 50 cases were recorded at the hospital. In 2022, 86 patients were treated.

Deaths peaked in 2021, with nine people dying from bicycle trauma, and in 2022, the number of deaths declined to four.

“The main thing is just the proper safety equipment, your helmet if you’re riding in the mountains and to have the knee pads, elbow pads to have the correct shoes, and everything from that… so physically if you fall, but then to be mentally prepared to have a plan to let somebody know where you’re going to be, have a phone with your gps if you’re riding up in the hills…” says Nathan Gunkel, a Fire Captain and Public Information Officer, for the Palm Springs Fire Department. 

Law enforcement reminds cyclists about the rules of the streets.

“Please obey the traffic laws and the signals just like any motor vehicle just because you’re on two wheels, and not four doesn’t mean that you don’t have the same responsibilities. Enhance the visibility, as I was just mentioning, wear those bright reflected type clothing materials, especially when cycling at night, or in areas where the lighting is very low at night. Those low light conditions utilize hand signals. They’re very, very simple. you know, left, right, slow down. so it’s as simple as that.”

Law enforcement also reminds cyclists to ride defensively and to anticipate hazards especially when it comes to cycling next to cars.