As an injury attorney representing bicylists injured by cars and trucks, one of the most common things I hear from my clients is that they “never thought an an accident would happen to me”. Let’s face it, none of us expects that we are going to be mowed down by a car as we ride our bikes but every day some poor bicyclist is seriously injured or killed by motor vehicle collisions. So, as much as I hate the fact that we have to prepare for the worst, it is very important that you do so in case today is not your lucky day……

One safety precaution that might save your life in the event of a bike accident is to ALWAYS carry or wear some form of ID that tells rescue workers who you are and how they may contact your friends or families to let them know you have been hurt. For years I had known that I should be carrying some form of ID but more often than not I simply forgot to do so. It wasn’t until a recent bike case I handled where my client was rear-ended by a car at 50+ mph that I decided I would NEVER ride again without some form of ID on me. My client told me that he was wearing a wrist ID (called a RoadID, you can get info here) that thankfully let the ambulance people immediately notify his wife that he was injured.

Here’s what the RoadID looks like and you can get it engraved with your name, emergency #’s, etc.

So for less than $20 bucks, you can buy an ID that might save your life. Seems like money well spent to me!

Good luck and ride safe!

Jim Reed
jreed@zifflaw.com