Good Samaritan Hospital’s 14th West Coast Blessing of the Bicycles

Good Samaritan Hospital is hosting its 14th Annual West Coast Blessing of the Bicycles to increase awareness about bicycle safety on Tuesday, May 16th from 8 a.m. to 9:30am at Good Samaritan Hospital’s entrance located at 616 S. Witmer Street in Los Angeles. The non-denominational event will feature religious leaders from different faiths who will impart blessings in the service for cyclists to continue their safe ride to and from work and/or school as well as the Los Angeles Police Department Rampart Division Bicycle Detail Unit. Attendees will also participate in the commemorative “Missing Bicyclist” lap around the hospital’s campus saluting those injured and killed in bicycle accidents. All participants will receive a free bicycle safety check.

According to the most recent report from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published in March 2017, 818 cyclists (or pedalcyclists) were killed in 2015 and an estimated 45,000 injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015. Pedalcyclist deaths accounted for 2.3 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities, and made up 1.8 percent of the people injured in traffic crashes during the year.

The number of cyclists killed in 2015 is 12.2 percent higher than the 729 cyclists killed in 2014, while there were 10 percent fewer pedalcyclists injured than the estimated 50,000 injured in 2014.

Bicyclists are considered vehicle operators and they are required to obey the same rules of the road as other vehicle operators, including obeying traffic signs, signals, and lane markings. When cycling in the street, cyclists must ride in the same direction as traffic.

Drivers of motor vehicles need to share the road with bicyclists. Be courteous—allow at least three feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist on the road, look for cyclists before opening a car door or pulling out from a parking space, and yield to cyclists at intersections and as directed by signs and signals. Be especially watchful for cyclists when making turns, either left or right.

For more information, please visit www.goodsam.org.