Although cycling has become an increasingly popular activity, not just for getting to work but also for leisure, unfortunately cyclists are some of the individuals most likely to be seriously injured in a car accident. There are several ways to avoid collisions with vehicles and several of these tips are listed below.
- Wave. If you are not able to make eye contact with a driver, wave your arm. It is much easier for a driver to see waving your arm as you indicate that you are going right or left than it is to identify a bicycle coming straight towards them. Loud horns may also be used to get driver’s attention.
- Use a headlight. Anytime that you are riding at night, which is when far too many accidents happen, you should be using a front headlight. Even during daytime riding, a bright white light with a flashing mode can help make you more visible to motorists who otherwise could cross you and leave you with devastating injuries.
- Ride further left. Although you are most likely used to riding close to the curb because you are concerned about being hit from behind, you may want to move even farther left to increase the chances that the driver will see you.
- Slow down. If you are unable to make eye contact with a driver, particularly at night, make sure that you slow down enough so that you can completely stop if you need to. Although this might seem inconvenient, it does beat getting hit.
- Never ride on the sidewalk. Crossing between sidewalks is a dangerous maneuver for any cyclist. If you do it on the left hand side of the street, you could risk being hit by a vehicle. On the right hand side of the street, you could be risked being slammed by a car making a right turn. Sidewalk riding makes you far too vulnerable to accidents, so avoid this by following these tips.
Contact an experienced California bicycle accident attorney if you have been injured.