Articles & Resources

If you hit a cyclist with your car, you must stop, help, and report the accident. After that, five things can follow from one event: a traffic citation, a personal injury claim against your liability coverage, a higher premium, and personal exposure for anything above your policy limits. A criminal charge is the fifth, if you were impaired, reckless, or you drove away....

A pothole crash is a lonely one: no driver, no insurance card, just you, a bent rim, and a medical bill. You can still make a pothole claim against whoever owns that strip of pavement, usually a city, county, or state DOT, but the case is won or lost on proof of prior awareness. You must prove the pothole was a dangerous condition and that the entity knew about it, or...

Yes, in most states you can face charges for riding a bike under the influence. Statutes covering “any vehicle” include bicycles; those saying “motor vehicle” usually do not. That can bring fines, potential jail time, a criminal record, and in some states the loss of your license. Many people assume biking home is the responsible choice, but DUI...

After a bicycle accident, you expect the police report to get the facts right. When the accident report contains errors, that inaccuracy follows you into every conversation with the insurance company. A wrong location, missing injuries, or a misassigned fault finding all affect how your insurance claim is handled. No single deadline exists to correct or amend a police...

No federal rule governs how you ride. Federal regulations reach the machine itself and stop there. In nearly every locale a cycle is classified alongside cars under the legal framework, handing you the same protections and obligations as any operator. Each state, jurisdiction and municipality layers its own rules on top, which is why Texas cycling rules and California...

Comparative negligence reduces your bike crash recovery by your own percentage of fault, and in most states it erases the claim once your share passes half. Three states have rewritten that negligence rule since 2023, New York as recently as May 26, 2026. What does comparative negligence mean in bicycle accident claims? Comparative negligence divides accountability by...

Sidewalk cycling is legal in most states and banned in a few. 2026 bicycle laws for all 50 states, $50 to $500 fines, and what a sidewalk crash does to your claim. You can ride a bicycle on a sidewalk in most of the United States. Only a handful of states ban it statewide. State vehicle codes, highway regulations, and safety regulations rarely prohibit riding a bicycle...

In 2025, Georgia recorded 31 bicycle fatalities, up from 23 cyclist deaths in 2023, according to the state’s live crash dashboard. In the most recent full statewide fact sheet, Georgia reported 921 bicycle crashes, 23 cyclist fatalities, and 140 serious or fatal injury crashes in 2023. These numbers show more than crash volume. They show where cyclist risk is concentrated,...

Roughly one-third (30-35%) of non-fatal bicycle accidents involve head injuries that require emergency treatment. The numbers are far worse in fatal crashes: TBI and related trauma cause an estimated 60% to 75% of all cyclist deaths, most commonly in collisions with motor vehicles. A properly fitted helmet can significantly reduce head injury risk by 60% and traumatic...

Wearing a helmet reduces the odds of a serious or fatal head injury by 60 to 70%, and brain injuries remain a leading cause of death in bicycle crashes. In 2024, 68% of US cyclists killed were not wearing a helmet, 14% were, and helmet use was unknown for the rest. But the raw fatality share is widely misread, and bicycle helmets do not prevent every death. We’re...

The most common cause of serious bicycle accidents is a broadside crash at an intersection, where an automobile and a rider cross paths, accounting for about 35% of fatal and serious crashes. The top factors are unsafe velocity (16.5%), failing to yield (16.3%), and improper turning (15%). In 82% of fatal crashes, the front of the automobile struck the cyclist, meaning...

Two years from the collision date is your civil filing deadline (ARS § 12-542). That provision governs your personal injury claim as a cyclist whether police identify the driver or not. Criminal prosecution and insurance notification rules run on separate timelines, and a missed deadline can end your recovery. Drivers fled the scene of 16,136 crashes in Arizona in 2024,...

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 1 in 5 cyclists injured in a US traffic accident in 2023 was struck by someone who left the scene, and more than 70% of everyone killed in a hit-and-run that year was on foot or biking (AAA Foundation, 2026). The National Safety Council estimates that bicyclist fatalities from hit-and-run accidents are among the fastest-growing...

If a collision left you injured while riding, you have the right to file a cycling accident claim in New York City and recover compensation for your medical bills, lost income, bike damage, and suffering. When a motorist’s negligence caused the incident, that driver and their insurer can be held liable. New York’s PIP system covers your initial medical expenses...

A bike ticket in NYC costs between $50 and $190. It adds no points to your driver license and carries no extra fees. On March 27, 2026, the NYPD stopped writing criminal summonses for minor cycling offenses. Police now issue civil citations instead, which means an OATH hearing, not Criminal Court. There is no arrest and no criminal record. Cyclists follow the same traffic...

As of 2026, New York City permits electric bikes in three categories on city highways, bike lanes, and bridges. All e-bikes operating in NYC are subject to a 15 mph limit effective October 24, 2025, and must also be UL-certified for fire safety. Users must be at least 16 years old, and a helmet is mandatory for those aged 16 to 17 and all operators in the fastest category. E-bikes...

Most bicycle accident settlements in New York City land between $50,000 and $200,000 when injuries are moderate and driver fault is clear. Your number depends on the crash and injury severity. The national median bicycle accident settlement is around $45,000, but the average bicycle accident settlement in NYC runs higher because of medical expenses, insurance policy limits,...

In New York City NY certified headgear is legally required for minors under 14 years old, commercial cyclists, and all who ride Class 3 e-bikes. Adults on standard bikes are not required to wear approved bicycle helmets by state or city law, though headgear is strongly recommended by the NYC Department of Transportation for all bicyclists. As of 2026, bicycle safety statistics...

Bike accidents cause harm ranging from minor skin scrapes to life-changing head injuries. The most common include soft-tissue damage, broken bones (especially the collarbone), and head wounds. Head injuries alone cause more than 60% of fatal cycling outcomes. In 2023, US hospitals treated 341,774 nonfatal cases. Of those, roughly 50,000 involved motor vehicles, and 1,166...

Bruckner Boulevard and Longwood Avenue in the Bronx tops our safety ranking of New York City intersections: 93 individuals injured at a single corner from 2023 through 2025, according to NYC Crash Mapper records. Brooklyn fills 8 of the remaining 11 rows. In December 2025, Transportation Alternatives identified 116 particularly dangerous locations citywide where 5 or more...