Most of the time, drivers of other vehicles do not clearly see cyclists on the road and in the process inadvertently hit them. Some common scenarios where another vehicle hits a bicycle are the following:
A car, truck or bus made a left turn in front of the bicycle or it suddenly merged with the path taken by the bicycle.
A vehicle overtakes a bicycle and does not allow the bicycle enough space to safely pass and caused the cyclist to fall off the bike.
The driver of the other vehicle fails or refuses to yield the right of way to the bicycle.
The vehicle suddenly enters the road from a driveway.
A speeding or intoxicated driver may not notice a bicycle and is too late to react and crashes to the bicycle.
Another type of bicycle accident are single-crashes wherein no other vehicle is involved. Some common scenarios that lead to a single-crash bicycle accident are the following:
A defect on the road like potholes and uneven roads can cause a cyclist to lose control of the bicycle.
Weather conditions like rain, fog, mist, and snow may cause low visibility and slippery roads.
Road debris like nails and screws can puncture the wheels of the bicycle while sand on the road can make it slippery enough to cause a bicycle to slip.
To avoid bicycle accidents, bicycle riders are advised to follow the following guidelines:
Obey the law.
Wear a helmet. 95 percent of bicycle accident fatalities are caused by head and brain injuries.
Wear bright colors, this can increase your visibility especially at night.
Use lighting devices as most states require bicycles to have head and rear lights to increase their visibility to other drivers.
Use the 3 foot rule. Always keep a distance of at least 3 feet from the curb and other vehicles.
Ride with the traffic. Some cyclists believes that riding against traffic is safer as they can see the oncoming vehicles. That may be true but it does not translate the other way. The cyclist may see the oncoming traffic but the oncoming traffic might not see the cyclist.
In the event of a bicycle accident, a cyclist can follow the following tips:
Get medical aid Head and brain injuries may not be felt immediately after the accident, it is always a good idea to have the victim examined after an accident to discover hidden injuries as well.
Report to the police Even if the victim sustained minor injuries, the police should still be reported and a copy of the accident report should be obtained. It will really help in the victims personal injury claim.
Gather evidences take note of all information of the accident and take pictures of the scene.
Talk to a lawyer A bicycle accident attorney should be able to help in any legal actions against the liable party and their insurance company.
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