There are more bicycles on the road today than ever before as people enjoy this convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly form of transportation.
Unfortunately, this also means that more bicycle accidents are happening than ever before.
What bicycle accident lawyers do know is that many can be avoided through simple awareness.
Know the common causes that bicycle accident attorneys see to avoid them and stay safer on a bike!
- Riding Against Traffic - The most common cause of bicycle accidents at over 25% is due to bicyclists riding against traffic, then colliding with an oncoming car making a right turn.
- Right and Left Cross Collisions - Common cross-street collisions happen when bicyclists moving with the flow of traffic are not seen by drivers emerging from or turning onto side streets. Drivers are required to treat bicycle traffic the same as all other road traffic and yield to them.
- Right Hook Collisions - When drivers pass a bicyclist on their right, then make a right turn in front of them cutting the bicyclist off, a collision can occur.
- Opening Car Doors - Another extremely common event that bicycle accident lawyers find to cause injury and damage is accidents due to drivers in parked cars opening doors and cutting off bicyclists.
- Vehicle Overtaking Bicycle - Many serious bicycle accidents are caused each year when drivers attempt to pass a rider on the road, do not leave enough passing space, and end up sideswiping them or colliding with them instead.
- Unmarked Intersection Accidents - Intersections with no signals or stop signs are common places where bicycle accident attorneys see car vs. bicycle incidents occurring. Most motorists are unaware that bicycles are considered as vehicular traffic and confusion in these situations frequently leads to collisions.
- Rear-End Collisions - Bicyclists following too closely behind moving vehicles frequently collide with them when those vehicles stop in front of them.
- Collisions With Pedestrians - Bicycle accident lawyers also see many cases involving bicyclists running into pedestrians on the sidewalk as well as bike and walking paths.
Bicycle accidents can be serious or even deadly, especially when they involve motor vehicles.
It is critical that both bike riders and vehicle drivers pay close attention to each other to avoid these incidents.
Hopefully by knowing the most common events that lead to bicycle accidents, riders can do their part to avoid being involved in one.
Any rider who is injured in an accident with a motor vehicle should contact a bicycle accident attorney who can help them seek the compensation they deserve.