Safety Top Priority at Bicycle Summit in Florida

Legislators and officials from various federal agencies met in Florida for the Southeastern Bike Safety Summit at the Tampa Convention Center. Some of the most powerful figures in the transportation agencies put their minds together to think of new ways to make the roads safer for cyclists as well as motorists and pedestrians. The Tampa summit is the first of two conventions, with the second one held in Minneapolis on April 29.

“This year we decided we really needed to step up our safety agenda when it comes to cycling,” said US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Over the last several years the Federal Highway Administration has invested $3.9 billion in bicycle and pedestrian projects nationwide–$324 million coming to Florida.”

LaHood hopes the new bicycle safety campaign will be as effective as the “Click It or Ticket” campaign launched in the 1980s and yielded successful results. 86 percent of drivers now claim they fasten their seat belts first thing once they get in the car.

“We need to make sure that people that are driving around communities have respect for cyclists,” LaHood continued. “We will continue this effort until we reduce cyclist deaths and injuries to zero.”

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is pushing to make Tampa a more cyclist-friendly city.

“Bicycles are a big part of that if we’re going to be hip, if we’re going to be cool, if we’re going to be less dependent on cars, decrease our carbon footprint,” said Mayor Buckhorn.

It is great to see such powerful figures striving to help the cycling community. Please visit our site for more information on bicycle safety laws and call our office at (310) 273-3180 if you or a loved one sustained injuries in a bicycle accident.

Tip of the week:  There were 534 fatal bicycle accidents in Florida between 2006 and 2010, making it the one of the most deadly states for cyclists.

Bonnici Law Group, APC—San Diego bike accident lawyer