Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa broke his elbow in a bicycle accident Saturday evening.  The mayor was riding in the bicycle lane on Venice Boulevard in Mid-City at about 6:50 p.m. when a taxi allegedly pulled in front of him. The mayor hit his brakes and fell off the bike. 

The mayor’s accident comes as bicyclists in Los Angeles have increasingly been complaining about safety issues and pressing city officials to do more to make cycling safe.   Bicycle advocates have called for more dedicated bike lanes and appeared repeatedly before the City Council to argue that a specific share of sales tax for transportation projects should be set aside for bicycle- and pedestrian-related initiatives.

Bicycle activist Stephen Box, who was run off the road by a bus while cycling on Sunset Boulevard several years ago, said Venice Boulevard already has bike lanes but needs considerably more attention from city officials.  “Venice Boulevard is notorious for having all of the trash cans block the bike lanes. Venice Boulevard is notorious for having motor homes block the bike lanes. And Venice Boulevard is notorious for having fast traffic that uses the bike lane to squeeze through even when bicyclists are in the bike lane,” he said.

Police Chief Charlie Beck has made overtures to bicyclists, promising to make their safety a bigger priority.  The LAPD also issued a directive instructing officers that a motorist can be held responsible for causing a bicycle accident even if he or she did not make direct contact with the rider — and can be arrested for fleeing the scene.

There are approximately 80 million bicycle riders in the United States and safety is a big issue.  Each year, about 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries.  Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries, and 27,000 have an injury serious enough to be hospitalized. Non-helmeted riders are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than helmeted riders. [The message is clear – if your ride a bicycle wear a helmet!] In 2007, 698 bicyclists reportedly died in the United States. In a typical year, over 90 percent of cyclists killed are involved in crashes with motor vehicles. The “typical” bicyclist that is injured is not wearing a helmet, is riding on a major road between intersections and is in an urban area. Head injuries account for more than 60 percent of bicycle-related deaths, more than two-thirds of bicycle-related hospital admissions, and about one-third of hospital emergency room visits for bicycling injuries. It has been estimated that the direct and indirect annual cost of bicycle injuries is over 2 billion dollars.

If you or one of your loved one was injured in a bicycle accident and need help, please call us at 310-348-8106 or check out our website to see how we can help.