Common Bike Accident Factors
I’m Ed Smith, a Marysville bicycle accident lawyer. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that, in 2015, the U.S. saw more than 1,000 bicycle accident fatalities and almost 467,000 bicycle accident injuries. Furthermore, CDC also reports that more bicycle accident fatalities occur in the state of California than in any other state. In Marysville alone, there has been a total of 35 injury-causing bicycle accidents since 2016.
With so many bicycle accidents occurring, it might be useful for bicyclists and drivers alike to know what causes these collisions.
Low Visibility
Bicycles are, by far, the smallest objects that drivers need to look out for on the roadway and a leading cause of bicycle accidents is visibility. Because cyclists are so small, drivers who aren’t paying close attention are less likely to notice them and are liable to cause serious accidents. Additionally, bicyclists who are riding in rainy weather or at night are even more difficult to see and even more at risk of being struck.
Speed
Another common cause of bicycle collisions is speeding. Simply because bicycles don’t travel as fast as passenger vehicles doesn’t mean that cyclists can’t ride at an unsafe rate of speed. Bicyclists can easily reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour and, oftentimes, this can be an unsafe speed of travel that leaves cyclists vulnerable to accidents.
Factors such as terrain, vehicles on the roadway, weather, and road condition should all be taken into account in order to determine a safe bike speed
Riding too Close to Vehicles
For adequate safety, drivers should leave cyclists at least three feet of space from their vehicle’s widest point and over 20 U.S. states require drivers to allow bicyclists three feet of room when they are traveling in the same lane of traffic.
Cyclists should never assume that vehicles will leave them enough space to safely ride and should try to use shoulder lanes when they are able in order to ensure maximum distance from large cars and trucks.
Inattention
Drivers and bicyclists alike are often involved in accidents due to distraction. Although distraction has always been a dangerous problem on roadways, the advent of mobile devices such as cell phones has made this issue even worse.
Drivers or cyclists who are texting, talking on the phone, or doing any activity that requires them to divert their attention from the road and their surroundings, drastically increase their risk of being involved in an accident and suffering a traumatic injury.
More From Marysville Bicycle Accident Lawyer, Ed Smith
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Marysville Bicycle Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Marysville bicycle accident lawyer. When people sustain injuries in car crashes, they can often recover for their damages. If you’ve received injuries in an accident, call (530) 392-9400 for some friendly, free advice. I can also be reached by calling (800) 404-5400 and visiting AutoAccident.com.
I have been practicing personal injury and wrongful death law in Marysville and nearby cities for more than 35 years, assisting area residents with recovering the money that they rightfully deserve.
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Visit AutoAccident.com, the top online resource for useful, accurate info and articles about auto accidents and personal injuries in Northern CA.
pic: “bicycle front wheel after car crash” by Turello under CC A-SA3.0U
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