Ohio child bicycle accidents | Toledo, Ohio child accident attorney

As all parents know, children face dangers when riding their bicycles. Of the incidents reported in Ohio, 486 children through the age of 15 were injured in Ohio bicycle accidents in 2007, according to the Department of Public Safety. Two of those accidents were fatal.

Injuries attributed to bicycle accidents dropped off in 2007 for children over the age of 16, perhaps because children that age don’t ride their bikes as much once they reach driving age.

Across the United States, 15 percent of all bicyclists killed and 29 percent of those injured in 2007 were under the age of 16, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That number actually has fallen pretty dramatically compared to statistics compiled for 1997. That year, 31 percent of all bicyclists killed and 44 percent of those injured were under 16 years old.

Those numbers may have dropped because of the increased emphasis on having children wear bicycle helmets. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of a head injury by 85 percent, according to the NHTSA. Brain injuries can be cut by 88 percent through helmet use, the national organization found.