Bicycle drivers are extremely vulnerable on the road. They are relatively open and generally have some speed behind them along with the speed of the other motor vehicles. In Australia along, at least 2000 cyclist are listed as being injured on the road and, of those, hundreds experience severe injury or death. Many injuries happen to children who ride their bike to and from school. Other statistical reasons for getting into a cyclist action include the cyclist making a right-hand turn into the stream of traffic, motorists entering the path of the cyclist, motorists turning into the cyclist’s path, cyclist hitting a motor vehicle from behind because they fail to stop at the proper signs and the motorist failing to give the right of way to the cyclist when the cyclist is to the right of the motorist.
Ways to Avoid Getting Hit
The last thing you want to do is to utilize the services of a personal injury attorney. The best way to do this is to be a safe cyclist at all times. This means wearing a helmet at all times, driving during daytime hours only and using blinker lights if you have to drive at night and wearing bright clothing whenever you cycle.
Keep in mind that the wearing of a helmet will do nothing to prevent you from becoming struck by a motor vehicle. You can still suffer from traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, broken bones and internal injuries. What you really want to do is keep from getting hit by a car in the first place. Besides the obvious goal of wearing a helmet, you need to make sure you don’t barrel through a red light when other cares are coming. This would be a case of breaking the law on the part of the cyclists. But cyclists can do everything within the confines of the la and still get injured.
Following the law is a good first step to staying safe but sometimes works against you. If you follow the law and ride as far to the right of the road as possible, you could get struck by a parked car that has just opened its driver side door. Use discretion in such a case. Riding too far to the right can also mean that drivers exiting a driveway will be less likely to see you and drivers driving on the same lane as you might not encourage them to move to the lane over and they can strike you.
The most common way to get hit is to be struck by a vehicle to your right that has just exited a side street, driveway or parking lot. You can get hit by the front or from the side of your vehicle. You can avoid such a collision in several ways. You can get headlights so cars can see you better. The best light is a white light that has a flashing feature to warn cross traffic. These can be helmet-mounted or mounted on a bike. They operate with batteries that need to be replaced periodically. Make sure you make eye contact with the other motorist and wave your arm for good measure. Yell, if it appears that you are being struck and consider using a bell, if it is loud enough.
In this situation, you should ride a bit to your left so that you can see motor vehicles exiting driveways and so they can see you as you are approaching. What to see if the driver of the motor vehicle as actually seen you before proceeding. Most cars are looking toward the middle of the lane and not so far to the edge as a bicycle would be. Remember that moving left makes you vulnerable to being struck from behind by an aberrant vehicle but the vehicle behind you usually has you in his or her line of sight and can slow down to your speed. In general, the faster the roadway, the more to the right you should travel as a cyclist.
The second type of injury a cyclist can get is one in which a parked car opens the doors directly in your path. This is actually a very common type of collision and represents the second-most common type of cycle collision. Cyclists can be severely injured or killed by this type of injury. The trick to avoiding this type of collision is to drive as far to the left as is safe.
The third type of injury is one in which you cross a crosswalk in front of a car than is making a right hand turn and does not hear you. Drivers tend not to see cyclists in crosswalks so collisions are common. Statistics show that riding in a crosswalk is twice the danger of just road riding. The best way avoid this type of collision is to get a headlight, especially at night. Slow down at intersections so you have some manoeuvring room should a car approach you. Lastly, it is not a safe thing to ride on the sidewalks and on the crosswalks in the first place. It is far better to treat yourself as a small car and go on the roads, following all road signs and conditions. If the sidewalk is very long with few crosswalks or driveways, you can consider riding on a sidewalk like that but this is not common.
Another typical cycle collision is called the “wrong way wreck”. This occurs when the cyclist is riding on the wrong side of the road. A driver exits a side road from the left, turning right, running right into the cyclist. Riding the wrong way on a street is not only dangerous, but it is not legal. Besides the right hand turn collision, you can be struck head on by a vehicle traveling the right way on the road. This can be very serious indeed. While you can easily see and hopefully avoid a vehicle coming at you, this is not always the case. Statistics show that riding on the wrong way on the road is very dangerous and is three times as dangerous as if you cycle the right way. About a quarter of all cyclists get injured because the road the wrong way on the cycle. Wrong way driving encourages the formation of accidents and should be avoided at all times.
Another incident that can happen is if you are waiting patiently on the right-hand side of the road at a stoplight, intending to go forward. The car next to you does not see you and makes a right hand turn right in front of you. This is especially true if the motorist is a semi-truck. Try to stop behind the car so you can anticipate its moves. You can park behind the motor vehicle in the lane instead.
Tips to avoid having to see a litigation attorney that specializes in cycle accidents are easy. Always wear a helmet, even during the day. Get a rear light that flashes along the back for night-time riding. Many night time collisions occur due to failure of the cyclist having a light in back. Consider wearing a reflective vest or a bright safety triangle. Choose streets that are wide enough to accommodate bikes and cars. Pick treats that don’t have a lot of traffic and choose back streets whenever possible.
Cyclists should always ride with riding lights when it is dark or rainy. Cyclists shouldn’t ride two abreast on the road as they take up too much space designed for motor vehicles. They must follow all traffic lights the same as motor vehicle drivers. They shouldn’t ride on the sidewalk and cross against the lights. Clothing should be brightly colored and it pays to wear reflective clothing in dark or high traffic areas. Cyclists should signal their intent properly using nationally acceptable hand signals. Failure to do so can confuse motor vehicle drivers and can cause accidents.
Cyclists have some ways of protecting themselves from the complications of accidents. They should always insure their vehicle against being stolen and should get a policy that covers your expenses should another party cause an accident those results in your severe injury. This kind of policy also protects you in case you hit a pedestrian and cause them serious injury. Policies against theft are sometimes covered under one’s household insurance but each policy is different. Most policies of this kind are in effect only if the theft occurred while the bicycle was at the home at the time of the theft. Separate policies are necessary to protect the bicycle while it is away from home. Expensive bikes require extra premiums.
Cyclists protect themselves against serious injury by wearing a helmet and sometimes by wearing elbow pads and knee pads. It all depends on the type of cycling you are doing. Off road cycling requires more padding than does road cycling. Helmets, however, are a necessity for all cyclists, no matter where they are cycling. It is important for the cyclist to ride on the far right hand side of the road but not too much into the roadway. Be aware of motor vehicles pulling out from driveways or roads on the right hand side of you. As a cyclist, you are required to follow the same driving rules as regular drivers. For More Information Visit: Accident Compensation Claim