Bicycle accidents are unfortunately common and can be extremely devastating and deadly. As a person on a bike goes up against a motor vehicle traveling at higher speeds, the bicyclist often ends up with serious injuries and medical bills. From a crosswalk accident to a highway collision, bicyclists are extremely vulnerable on the roads without extra protection.
Although the Montana Highway Patrol shows that total fatalities from car accidents are trending down, the state’s friendliness to bicyclists does not have such high rankings. The League of Bicycle-Friendly America ranks Montana as the 42nd state when it comes to bicycle-friendly laws and efforts.
Bicycle friendly actions
Montana only gets credit for one bicycle-friendly action, while other states have up to five. These can include a bicycle safety emphasis area, federal transportation money spent on walking or biking, a statewide bike plan, a Complete Streets policy or a safe passing law.
The state’s grade on bicycle safety
The league gave the state a letter B grade for education and encouragement, and infrastructure and funding. The state received an F+ for traffic laws and practices, a D for policies and programs and a C for evaluation and planning. Compared to the other 49 states, Montana has not put the same effort into bicycle safety on the roads.
With little to no focus on bicycle safety, accidents are more likely to happen. As the state works to improve rules and regulations to protect bicycle riders, anyone injured in a bicycle accident may deserve compensation for a variety of things.