Every year the number of pedestrians and bicyclists are killed or injured in New York City due to bike accidents. Now with the arrival of warmer weather, more people are using bikes as their mode of transportation and for recreation, so it’s important to review some “rules of the road” to greatly lower the probability of an accident.
Always wear a bicycle helmet which must be federally-approved. According to a study, riders without helmets are 14 times more likely to suffer from fatal head injuries compared to those who are wearing head protection.
- Riders should follow the same traffic laws as a motorist and that includes riding with the flow of traffic.
- To make themselves visible to other motorists, especially when it’s dark, riders should wear bright clothing. Their bicycles should also have reflectors that will allow motorists to see them.
- Riders should maintain a safe distance from parked cars to prevent being hit by doors which may open.
- When riding a bike, don’t listen to portable music players. According to traffic safety experts, bicycle riders, just like any motorists, should have 100 percent of their focus on the road.
- Respect the right of way of pedestrians.
- Riders should base their speed on the road condition and volume of traffic.
- Make sure to use the proper hand signals when stopping, turning, or changing lanes.
- Riders should use the whole lane—not the edge of a street—to make themselves visible and predictable to other motorists.
- Riders should be especially careful when there is a passing truck or bus which has a larger blind spot than a passenger car.
Please ride safe this summer and know that if you or a loved one is involved in a bike accident either as a rider or a pedestrian, make sure that you contact an experienced personal injury lawyer who is knowledgeable specifically in the law as it applies to bike accidents. The law firm of Mitchel Ashley has handled countless cases involving bicycles and has successfully won the compensation his clients deserved for their injuries
