As spring spreads across the nation, bikers are popping up as regularly as the lilacs, magnolias and daffodils. Biking among adults has undergone somewhat of a renaissance in America, according to various transportation studies. And why not? Biking is great exercise, easy on the environment and perfect for sightseeing. But any time you mix bikes with motor vehicles, accidents can happen. Before you saddle up for your next ride, you should know the latest on bike safety.
Biking is big in America. According to the League of American Bicyclists, there are more than 57 million cyclists out there at any given time rolling across our nation’s roads and trails. Transportation studies also show that bike trips tripled in the U.S. between 1977 and 2009. And while deaths among bicyclists younger than 20 actually dropped by 87 percent during that time period, fatal accidents increased