How to avoid a bicycle accident
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How to avoid a bicycle accident
Cyclists are amongst the most vulnerable road users. A
combination of factors means that cyclists are exposed to
dangers that most motorists don't even have to consider. For
example being less visible to drivers and being completely
without the protection of a tonne of metal means that your
average cyclist is pretty likely to be badly injured if they
come head to head with a car. In fact there were 114 cyclists
killed in 2003 and 2,297 seriously injured. Although a cyclist
has the advantage of being able to stop quickly if they
encounter an obstacle a car driver is less likely to see a bike
until the last minute.
The first and most obvious safety pointer that applies to
everybody who takes to the road on a push bike is to wear a
helmet. Cycle helmets are only designed and tested to withstand
an impact equivalent to an average weight rider travelling at a
speed of 12 mph falling on to a kerb from a height of 1 metre.
Because of this riders shouldn't become complacent and rely on
their helmet to save their life in an accident. The best way to
avoid serious injury is to try and avoid being hit by a car in
the first place.
Secondly, you should wear reflective clothing and always use
front and rear lights if riding at night or if the light is
impaired in any way. Another useful safety device is the mirror.
This can help you to judge the traffic from every angle. Many
bike accidents occur when the car behind you clips your rear
wheel. This is not as serious as an accident from the front or
from the side, but can still knock you off and cause serious
injury. By looking in a mirror from time to time you can assess
any potential dangers. Basically if you are prepared to ride on
the roads you should take the measures to protect yourself.
Motorists can't always see you and unfortunately for much of the
time haven't learnt to look out for cyclists. Everyone has a
right to be on the road so protect your self as much as you can.
Common accidents and how to avoid them You are more likely to be
seriously injured in a collision with a car than in a bike only
accident. There are one or two car versus bike accident types
that are fairly common and that with a bit of foresight can be
avoided. They are shown below with some tips for avoiding a
deadly collision.
If a car pulls out of side road to your right
* You will either cycle into the side of the car or it will
drive into the side of you. If you're riding at night the
motorist may not have spotted you at all so you should have a
white light on the front of your bike that they are more likely
to be able to spot
* Secondly you could consider shouting at the driver as you
approach the vehicle; although bells are now mandatory on bikes
again you may not be heard just by tinkling a bell. You should
also consider slowing right down. You may want to get to your
destination in a hurry but by slowing down just a little you can
potentially avoid an accident
* The final way to avoid an accident of this kind is to ride
closer to the centre of your lane. The car driver will be
looking down the centre of the lane for other cars not along the
kerb for cyclists. You can also pull further away from the car
if it doesn't notice you and pulls out. Obviously when you are
on a busy road with few side roads it is safer to stay nearer to
the kerb but on a slow road with lots of junctions, stay
slightly to the left
A car door suddenly opens
If this happens you won't have very long to stop, so the best
option is to ride closer to the middle when you are riding down
a road with lots of parked cars. Again if the road is fast and
narrow avoid this, but judge the road you are on and ride
accordingly.
A car passes you and then turns left directly in front of you
* Don't ride on the pavement as motorists won't be looking out
for you when they turn into a side road
* Take up more of the road. If a motorist has to sit behind you
until the road is clear to overtake then they are unlikely to
cut across you. Judge the road and give yourself space
* Check in your mirror as you approach a junction. Once you
arrive at the turning you will have to be paying attention to
what is going on around you
A car coming towards you makes a right turn right in front of
you or into you
* Don't overtake slow moving cars on the right as cars turning
right will not be able to see you
* Wear bright clothing so that drivers can see you. Yellow and
orange vests will make it impossible to miss you
* Ride slowly. Again, you will be able to stop more easily if
you are riding slowly in the first place. Whilst it may be a
pain you will be grateful if a car does cut you up
Check your bike
It pays to check your bike over before you even get on it. Every
time you take it out you should give it the once over to see
that the tyres are pumped up and the brakes are working.
* Pat the tyres to check they are tight in the frame * Squeeze
the tyres to check that they are properly inflated * Put the
bike on the ground and apply the brakes, check that the brake
pads bear evenly on the rim, push the bike forward to see if the
brakes work * Check all the levers on the handle bar are
correctly fitted * Grasp the saddle and ensure that it is
correctly fitted with no side to side movements * Make sure you
have lights that work so that you are safe on the road in the
dark
Personal injury compensation
Cycling should be an enjoyable and healthy pastime. It can save
you money on fuel and is environmentally friendly. The only
drawback is the risk of being involved in an accident. Sadly
this does happen and many people are left with serious injuries.
If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a car accident
or cycling accident or motorcycle accident then you may be
entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim. For more
information and free legal advice go to
www.car-accident-claim.com. -ENDS-
Editorial notes:
Car Accident Adviceline www.car-accident-claim.com, 0808 143 43
42, is an independent company that works towards claiming
compensation for people who have had a non fault road traffic
accidents. Their services are completely free to use as all car
hire charges and legal fees are recovered from the person at
faults insurance company or written off.