Bicycle accidents are not uncommon. If you ride a bike, you are in far more danger of being seriously injured or killed by a car than if you’re driving. On a bicycle, you don’t have thousands of pounds of metal and hard plastic protection that you have when you’re driving a car. On a bicycle, you also don’t have a seat belt that prevents you from being thrown onto a road or sidewalk. Another danger you face while riding a bicycle in traffic is that it is harder for drivers to see you than it is for them to see other cars.
I ride my bicycle regularly, mostly to do my grocery and other shopping, but also for fun once in a while. I can therefore understand bicycle accidents from a cyclist’s point of view, instead of thinking of bicycles as nuisances on the road as many if not most drivers do.
I grew up riding a bicycle in Chicago, before the days of helmets and bike lanes. One of the first things I was taught and never forgot was to always assume that drivers don’t see you on a bicycle. Riding with that in mind has saved me from being hit on multiple occasions. Another thing that I learned as a child was to always use lights when it begins to get dark, again so that cars have a better chance of seeing you. I also feel that it’s important to have a mirror on your handlebars so that you can see the traffic behind you without turning around, and to get into the habit of using the mirror regularly.
If you have been injured by a car or other motor vehicle while riding your bike, contact a personal injury attorney who can relate to riding bicycles today.