Motor vehicle operators must be attentive to bicycle riders. They must equate a bicycle with a motor vehicle and observe the same laws. There are many “new” traffic laws concerning bicycles and ignorance of the laws will not protect you against negligence if you injure a bicyclist.

Most often a negligent or inattentive automobile driver is at fault in auto vs. bicycle accidents. Some of the common types of collisions include:

• An automobile driver turning directly in front of a bicyclist
• An automobile driver entering the street from a driveway or parking spot and pulls out into traffic in front of the bicyclist
• An automobile driver’s failure to yield at an intersection or running a stop sign or red light
• An automobile driver’s inattention while driving past a bicyclist
• An automobile driver’s failure to look both ways when resuming travel after stopping at a stop sign
• An automobile driver impaired by drugs or alcohol

Many cities now recognize the increase in bike traffic and have constructed special bike lanes. Parks have now made trails accessible to bicycles. Even some vehicle manufacturers are now offering bike racks as standard equipment. However, many automobile drivers do not respect the bicyclists’ rights to share the roads and, more importantly, many riders haven’t been educated on how to legally and safely share the roads with automobiles.

• Uneducated drivers and bicyclists have resulted in some staggering statistics.
• A bicyclist is fatally injured every 6 hours
• Nearly one million children are injured each year in bicycle related accidents
• Nearly half of ll bicycle fatalities occur to children under the age of 16
• 75% of all serious injuries and fatalities from bicycle accidents are from head injuries
• While collisions with cars account for only 1/3rd of all bicycle accidents, they account for the majority of catastrophic injuries and deaths

If you or a loved one has suffered Personal Injury due to the Negligence of others, whether it be from an On The Job Accident, Maritime Injury, Auto Accident, Bicycle Accident, Motorcycle Accident, Railroad Accident, or Pedestrian Accident, contact The Rasansky Law Firm immediately to discuss your potential legal rights and options regarding your Personal Injury claim by using our Contact Form to submit your potential claim.