Davis Bicycle Safety Tips
I’m Ed Smith, a Davis Bicycle Accident Attorney. Bicycling can be a wonderful way to get around Davis and other communities while staying “green” and protecting the environment. Bicycling is also great for your own health and decreases traffic congestion on California roadways. But bicycling in Davis or elsewhere in California can be dangerous – especially for the bicyclist. Each year, numerous bicyclists suffer severe or fatal injuries as a result of a bicycle crash. By following some common-sense bicycling safety tips, bicyclists can remain safer on the road.
Safety Tips for Bicyclists
The following safety tips will not prevent all bicycle crashes or bicycle injury accidents. However, bicyclists who follow the following tips are taking important measures that will decrease the likelihood that they will be involved in a bicycle crash and/or reduce the severity of the injuries they will sustain. Bicyclists should:
- Always wear a helmet. No other safety measure has been shown to decrease the likelihood of a TBI or other serious head injury as wearing a helmet. The helmet should bear marks of certification and should fit the head properly. Be sure that a helmet provides protection for the top and sides of the head.
- Wear safety equipment and highly visible clothing. Other safety equipment like gloves and glasses can help prevent other common bicycling injuries and prevent the bicyclist’s vision from becoming impaired. Bicyclists should also wear visible clothing with bright colors so that motorists and other bicyclists are able to see them more easily.
- Use bicycling lanes where available. Whenever a bicycling lane is available, a bicyclist should use these lanes. Although nothing would prevent a car from entering a bicycle lane and striking the bicyclist, most California motorists – especially those in Davis – expect bicyclists to be in these lanes and drive accordingly.
- Obey traffic laws. Bicyclists should subject themselves to the same traffic laws applicable to motorists. This includes stopping at red lights and stop signs, yielding to traffic when appropriate, and using hand signals to indicate turns and stops. Using hand signals helps communicate the bicyclist’s intentions to other motorists, allowing the motorists to react accordingly.
- Do not tailgate traffic or travel in a vehicle’s blind spot. Bicyclists should take all reasonable measures to make themselves visible to other drivers. Bicyclists who travel too close to a car or truck or travel in the vehicle’s blind spots make it difficult for the motorist to see the bicyclist, increasing the likelihood of a crash.
- Ride defensively. Bicyclists should avoid riding offensively but should instead assume that motorists and other bicyclists may not be able to see them and react in time to avoid a crash. This means bicyclists should allow for plenty of room between them and other cars and should wait to observe the movement of traffic before making turns in front of other vehicles.
For their part, motorists can also help avoid bicyclist injuries and deaths by:
- Being aware of bicyclists on the roadway;
- Giving plenty of room to bicyclists when traveling on the road;
- Looking for bicyclists before changing lanes or opening the door;
- Looking for bicyclists before making turns or entering intersections; and
- Obeying California traffic laws, including the “3-foot law”.
What Can I Do if I’m an Injured Bicyclist?
I’m Ed Smith, and I am a Davis bicycle accident attorney who has significant experience in helping injured bicyclists in California recover compensation for injuries they sustain in bicycle crashes. I will thoroughly investigate the reason or cause of your bicycle crash, including determining whether the motorist violated the 3-Foot-Law. Call my office, Edward A Smith Law Offices, for assistance today at (916) 921-6400.
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Photo Attribution: “Bicycle diagram reflectors” by Javier Carro – Wikimedia Commons – Public Domain