Research In Action

In the past couple of months, I've noted more and more posts on my town's Facebook page from people concerned about a growing issue of local teenagers riding bikes toward incoming traffic and popping a wheelie or swerving away at the last minute. Needless to say, this puts all involved at risk: the teens on the bikes, the drivers of the cars, and the passengers in the cars. I myself nearly had a heart attack when I recently encountered teens on bikes driving straight at me on the road.

I've come to learn that this trend, generally known as "swerving," is a dangerous trend around the globe, starting from at least a few years ago. I haven't been able to find statistics on injuries from this practice, but it's been enough of a concern that legislators in Nassau, NY recently proposed a bike law to try and curb this dangerous practice. 

And it's not even just the act of swerving, which is dangerous enough in and of itself, but people are also filming and posting these swerves on the internet for attention. One video of bikers swerving cars (including police cars) and pedestrians throughout New York City has over 2 million views. 

Have you encountered this where you live?