Alameda County Ranks No. 2 for Bicycle Crashes in Bay Area

If you're one of those reluctant bicycle helmet-wearers who likes to pretend you left it at home, maybe the following information will jog your memory.  

The online Bay Citizen news site recently released the second version of its interactive Bike Accident Tracker.

The tool maps every bike accident reported to the California Highway Patrol from 2005 through 2009. Every city has to report collisions to the CHP, according to the Bay Citizen. 

Alameda County had the Bay Area's second highest number of bike accidents during that time period, according to the Bay Citizen, with 3,406 incidents. That translates to 7 percent of all bike commuters in the county, although the Citizen warns that the ratio might be flawed, since recreational bikers and occasional bike commuters weren't counted. 

Some 689 cyclists were involved in crashes in Alameda County each year over the time period studied. There were 13 fatalities. 

Overall, in the nine counties covered by the accident tracker, bicyclists were found to be at fault in more accidents than cars — 52 percent of the time. However, the Bay Citizen notes, that percentage includes solo bike crashes. 

Men caused more accidents than women, whether they were the bicyclists or the drivers, according to the data. In Alameda County, women were to blame for 814 accidents while men were to blame for 2,031 accidents. 

The top three traffic violations associated with bike accidents were "wrong side of road" violations, automobile "right of way" violations and improper turning. 

In San Leandro, the bulk of bike accidents appear to occur on East 14th Street and around the downtown area. You can view the map on the Bay Citizen website and click on accident points to get more details about each crash. 

You can also report your own accident to the Citizen, and they'll add it to the map. 

For the record, this reporter's No. 1 most dangerous biking spot in San Leandro is the Washington Avenue underpass north of 139th Avenue. Braving the underpass on a bike could be deadly (and there's a sign saying you can't do it), but the only other option is to cross the railroad tracks on foot (also dangerous, and you're not supposed to do that either).

If you want to turn around and get to the other side of the road to find another route, you risk getting flattened by a car flying up from under the tunnel. 

Free Bike Workshop

The East Bay Bicycle Coalition is offering a free safe biking workshop for kids following the event on June 12. The workshop will be held from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and includes a short bike tour and a free blinky red light for participants. Parents must accompany their children.

Register online at http://www.ebbc.org/safety.

Can't make it? The Coalition frequently holds safety classes and family cycling workshops. Check the website above for details.