Bicycle accidents can occur when a bicyclist rides into a heavy object or a driver of a larger vehicle, such as a car, truck, or bus, strikes a bicyclist. This can happen when a driver behaves negligently or recklessly behind the wheel and doesn’t see bicyclists in their path. A bicycle accident involving a larger vehicle can lead to severe injuries, such as back and neck injuries, bone fractures, and spinal cord injuries.
While a driver should stay aware behind the wheel and avoid crashing into bicyclists, someone riding a bicycle can also take it upon themselves to ride safely to avoid accidents. There are safety tips they can take advantage of to avoid bicycle accidents and mitigate the damage of bicycle accident impact. Some of these safety tips include riding the right size bike, checking to ensure the bike is safe to ride, wearing safety gear, using the proper lanes, avoiding wearing heading, and staying focused while riding.
Ensure You Ride a Bike That is the Right Size
One way to stay safe and avoid bicycle accidents is to ride a bicycle that is the right size. Bikes can come in many different sizes that can fit young kids and older adults. Depending on where you are in your life and how tall you are can change what type of bike you should be riding.
Riding the right size bike can make it much easier to control. If you ride a bike too small for you, you can get bunched up and hunch over the handlebars. Your legs may be too long to peddle the bike adequately. If you ride a bike too large, your legs may be too short to reach the pedal.
Bike shops have size charts that let you determine what size bike can work for you based on height. Along with selecting the right bike size, you should ensure that the bike is properly maintained, has good air pressure in the tires, and doesn’t have problems with defective parts.
Wear Proper Safety Equipment
Bicyclists should also ensure they wear the proper safety equipment to protect them should they be involved in a bicycle accident. Sometimes, bicyclists can do nothing to avoid a distracted, drunk, or speeding driver. Wearing proper safety gear can protect them from some impact from the collision, mitigating the severe injury risk associated with the accident.
Every bicyclist should wear a helmet, which can help protect a bicycle accident victim from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Depending on the bicyclist’s age and what state they live in, they may be required by law to wear a helmet. Other protective gear that can keep them safe from the impact of a bicycle accident includes heavy-duty clothing, eye protection gear, and knee and elbow pads.
Ride in Safe Locations to Avoid Traffic
Another bike safety tip is riding in the safest location possible. Bicyclists should steer clear of traffic to ensure they are not exposed to impact with a vehicle. Every road will have a location that is safe for a bicyclist to ride on, but it’s up to the bicyclist to make that determination.
If there is a bike lane, the bicyclist should ensure they stay in it. That is a designated location for bicyclists that other drivers should avoid to prevent bicycle accidents. In some cases, there will not be a designated cycling lane. Bicyclists can share the road with other drivers but should ride as close to the right as possible. They should follow the traffic flow and avoid swerving between cars, as that can lead to a car striking them and suffering severe bicycle accident injuries.
Never Ride a Bike With Headphones On
Bicyclists can experience distractions just like drivers can. Manual, visual, and cognitive distractions can cause a bicyclist to lose focus and crash into a building, hard object, or vehicle. Headphones are a distraction that bicyclists commonly use.
Over-the-ear headphones and earbuds are dangerous for cyclists to use while riding a bike, as they can prevent them from hearing what’s happening around them. They can also distract a bicyclist from operating their bike safely, as they can be more engrossed in the music than the task at hand.
Stay Alert and Assume Drivers Do Not See You
Those riding bicycles should avoid distractions and stay focused. There are a lot of obstacles that a bicyclist can encounter that they need to be able to see to avoid. By always keeping their eyes on the path in front of them, they can see these obstacles and make the proper adjustments to their route to avoid a catastrophic collision.
They must also ensure that other drivers see them to avoid bicycle accidents. Cyclists cannot assume that other drivers can see them, so they must make sure that everyone driving around them realizes they are there. Bicyclists can do this by using hand signals and using reflective stickers on their bikes to stand out from the crowd of cars.
How Can a Bicycle Accident Lawyer Help With Your Bicycle Accident Claim?
Bicycle accident victims can suffer damages that can affect their financial situation, physical health, and quality of life. Some damages they can suffer include medical bills, wage-based losses, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium. Their insurance may not cover the full cost of their damages, so they could file a bicycle accident claim to pursue compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company.
The best chance for a bicycle accident victim to recover compensatory damages comes from hiring a bicycle accident lawyer. They have experience handling these claims and will understand how to recover compensation for damages from the at-fault party’s insurance company. They can help you calculate the cost of your damages, determine the liable party, collect evidence, and negotiate a settlement.
Contact The Russo Firm for Help With Your Bicycle Accident Claim
The Russo Firm’s bicycle accident lawyer can assist you through the process of a bicycle accident claim to help you recover fair compensatory damages. They can help you recover from the fallout of a bicycle accident that can lead to a severe health issue. Our bicycle accident lawyers can use their experience to advise you on the best steps to take as you pursue economic and non-economic damages. Contact us for a free bicycle accident consultation at (561) 270-0913 or leave a message on our online contact page.
