New Bicycle Recall Linked to Handlebar Defect

Approximately 3,800 Tikit Folding Bicycles have been included in a new recall due to possible handlebar defect. The defect could cause the person to lose control of the bicycle, and could pose a serious accident hazard to the bicyclist.

The bicycles were manufactured by Green Gear Bicycling Inc., and were sold by Bike Friday dealers across the country. According to Bike Friday, it is aware of several incidents in which the handlebar stems broke while the bicycle was in operation. This caused the bicyclist to lose control and fall off the bicycle. There have been several reports of injuries associated with the breaking handlebar stems, including at least 2 reports in which the person suffered lacerations, bruises and head wounds.

If you own a Tikit Folding Bicycle included in this recall, stop using the bike immediately, and contact the dealer for a free repair.

Bicyclists don’t always consider problems with bicycle design or manufacturing defects as a factor in an accident. Compared to motorist negligence, bicycle defects rank very low on the list, as far as their influence in causing accidents is concerned. However, bicycled defects are not unheard of. The Consumer Product Safety Commission issues several bicycle recalls every year for manufacturing and design defects.

For a bicyclist who has been thrown off his bicycle, it may not always be easy to understand that a defect in the bicycle that may have caused the accident. For this reason, it is important that you consult with a Los Angeles bicycle accident lawyer after an accident. It is also important that you do not discard the bicycle or any of the components of the bicycle after the accident. These components and the bicycle itself can provide vital evidence in your case.

Bike-Only Lanes Help Reduce Injuries

A new study out of Canada confirms what every Los Angeles bicycle accident lawyer already knows – separate bike-only lanes help reduce the risk of injuries to bicyclists.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, and has high praise for Vancouver’s bike-lane infrastructure. The researchers analyzed approximately 690 bicycle accident-related injuries that occurred in Vancouver and Toronto. These accidents occurred between 2008 and 2009. The injuries were then correlated to the type of bicycling infrastructure that was in use at the time of the accident.

The researchers found that the risk of being injured when a person was riding in a bike-only lane was approximately 10% of the risk involved when a person rode in a lane which had no painted lanes or bicycle symbols.

The researchers found that a bicyclist’s risk of being involved in an accident was also much higher on roads where bicyclists are allowed to bike right along vehicles, with no form of protective infrastructure. In such lanes, the researchers found that bicyclists are very likely to get injured from an opening car door, or from a motorist hitting the bicycle from behind. The bicyclists were also at a much higher risk of being sideswiped by a vehicle.

The researchers have much praise for Vancouver’s extensive bicycle-only infrastructure, which has tended to be controversial. Many motorists have plenty of complaints about the bicycle-only lanes, which, they say, take away the amount of traveling space that is reserved for motorists. There are also complaints of bicycle-only lanes causing severe parking headaches. There is no doubt however that these bike-only lanes have reduced the risk of injuries for Vancouver’s bicyclists.