Bicycle accident, hit and run issues in Seattle
The city has said it aims to have zero traffic deaths by 2030, but advocates say it has a long way to go before reaching that goal.
SEATTLE – Fourteen people have died in traffic accidents so far this year in Seattle, and 21% of those accidents involved people on bicycles.
Less than a week ago, a 63-year-old man died on his motorcycle in a crash near the Spokane Street Bridge in Seattle. Also this week, a teenage bicyclist was killed in Parkland when a car hit him on a crosswalk.
Cyclists say they have to watch out for cars every time they’re on the road.
“At the last second they swerved to make a right turn and stopped in the middle of the bike lane. I turned. If I hadn’t swerved, I would have gone through their window. [I] I hit the back of the car, hit myself, spun, hit the pavement, broke my back,” Sean Deller said, describing an accident he was involved in.
Delaire says he was involved in a car accident last month while riding his bike. The crash sent him to the hospital and he is still recovering.
However, he says the worst part is that he is still waiting for answers.
“He saw me on the ground and asked me if I was OK and I said ‘no I’m not.’ And they took off before the paramedics got there,” Deller said.
SDOT officials say that of the 14 traffic fatalities that occurred in 2022, three of them involved bicyclists.
“It’s a huge impact. It’s the ultimate loss,” said Vicky Clarke, political director of the Cascade Cycling Cluba group that advocates for the fairness and safety of cyclists.
She says a lot more needs to happen in Seattle before the city can reach its goal of zero traffic deaths by 2030.
“He’s acting aggressively, to be honest. Invest in safe infrastructure that separates vulnerable road users, pedestrians, cyclists from fast moving vehicles,” she said.
In 2021, SDOT installed 2,500 new signs reducing speed limits to 25 mph on most Seattle city streets.