Bike advocates react to city’s crash study

[B' Spokes: It's a shame that crash data went from public to top secret in Maryland.]
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By Martine Powers, Boston Globe

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and the mayor’s office may push for a law requiring helmet use by bike riders of all ages.

“We’re still blaming the victim,” said Dahianna Lopez, a Harvard doctoral student who worked as a consultant compiling crash data for the Boston Police Department. “Helmets are not what we need to focus on right now. What the report should be highlighting is, ‘Hey, what can we do to prevent these crashes?’ ”
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Of the 891 crashes in which causes were listed, cyclists ran a red light or rode through a stop sign before colliding with a car just 12 percent of the time.

Twenty-two percent of collisions between cars and cyclists occurred when a vehicle door opened unexpectedly on a ­cyclist. Eighteen percent ­occurred when a motorist did not see a cyclist, and 12 percent occurred when a cyclist rode ­into oncoming traffic.
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<a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/05/15/bike-advocates-react-city-crash-study/6Y7g9E2QefP0hOFA66cT9N/story.html">http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/05/15/bike-advocates-react-city-crash-study/6Y7g9E2QefP0hOFA66cT9N/story.html</a>;