There were nearly 550 bike-related crashes on Utah roads last year. And the helmet use rate was ‘abysmal’

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Almost a year ago, Levi Roberts was riding his bike to work in the Cache Valley, cruising straight along his regular route, when a truck making a turn slammed into him.

“I flew about 15 feet, landed on the ground,” Roberts said. “I was in incredible pain.”

The longtime bike commuter suffered a broken ankle, a concussion, and road rash. Wounded on the ground, Roberts asked the driver why he hit him.

The driver responded that he “didn’t see me,” Roberts said. “That has always stuck in my mind.”

Roberts’ story highlights some troubling trends seen recently on Utah’s increasingly busy roads. He told his story this week as the Department of Public Safety launched a media campaign urging drivers and cyclists to “meet in the middle” on road safety.

According to statistics released by the department, last year marked a five-year high in bike-related crashes, with 548 collisions on Utah roads. Nine of those were fatal and 55 left cyclists with serious injuries.

So far this year, there’ve been 263 bike-related crashes, with two fatalities.

The most common crash scenario, involving nearly 70% of drivers, is that they fail to yield to cyclists, similar to what happened to Roberts.

As such, safety officials are reminding drivers to be on the look out for cyclists, especially heading into August and September, when the highest numbers of bike-related crashes typically occur in Utah.

Decline in helmet-wearing

The statistics released this week also showed a troubling decline in helmet-wearing among Utah cyclists.

In 2019, more than 11% of cyclists involved in crashes on Utah roads wore helmets, but last year the figure dropped to just 1.5%. In a news release, safety officials described the reported helmet use rate as “abysmal.”

Roberts was one of the few cyclists who was wearing a helmet during a crash last year.

“That probably saved my life,” he said, adding that the concussion he suffered still left his vision blurry for days.

More young people involved in crashes

Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Ryan Sanders rides a bike daily as part of his patrols. He said that collisions involving bicycles generally occur in the afternoons and evenings, particularly during weekday rush hour.

Sanders also said that parents need to talk with their children about the importance of following the rules of the road, both in driving and riding a bike.

“We’re seeing higher numbers of younger riders getting into crashes,” he said.

According to state statistics, one-third of bicycle riders involved in crashes on Utah roads are under the age of 20. Teen drivers are also a signficant factor amid summertime driving crashes, safety officials said.

‘We assume people see us”

Thomas Cooke, who works at the Bicycle Collective in Salt Lake City, had been riding on Utah roads for more than three decades.

He said that over the years traffic has increased, cars have gotten bigger, and drivers seem more distracted than ever, mostly due to celll phones.

“Oftentimes when we’re riding, we assume that people see us,” he said. “I just don’t believe that’s the case any more.”

He urges motorists to put down their phones and pay attention behind the wheel. Likewise, he tells aspiring bike commuters to do all they can to be seen.

The top selling items at his store, he noted, are bicycle lights, which are required for night riders under Utah code.

Road rules

Safety officials say it falls on both drivers and cyclists to be safe on the road.

For motorists, Utah law requires drivers to give cyclists at least three feet of space when passing. The law allows for vehicles to cross the center line so long as there’s no threat from oncoming traffic.

For cyclists, Utah law treats bicycles as vehicles , meaning that they must obey traffic laws, yield to pedestrians, and always ride in the same direction as traffic.

For Roberts, the relationship between drivers and cyclists shouldn’t be an us-versus-them relationship.

“We all have a responsibility to be safe and not cause harm,” he said.

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