Using your bike is a enjoyable pastime with well being advantages and an efficient solution to get round for work or pleasure. Sadly, it will also be harmful. In addition to your helmet, there’s little to guard your physique from hurt should you collide with a automobile whereas using your bike. At night time, the chance is larger as a result of drivers might not see you.
In line with the U.S. Division of Transportation, 854 cyclists had been killed in collisions with automobiles in 2018 alone. The excellent news is biking deaths have decreased by 15% since 1975. The dangerous information is, the bottom price of deaths was in 2010. Since then, the loss of life price has elevated by 38%.
Maintain studying to study extra about widespread causes of bicycle accidents and why the speed of bicyclist deaths is climbing. The next are a number of the most important contributors to the bicycle accident with different automobiles:
Failure to Observe Visitors Legal guidelines
Bicycle legal guidelines in Georgia deal with bicycles as automobiles which are topic to all the identical legal guidelines as vehicles on the highway. Meaning as a bicycle owner try to be revered as one other driver with a proper to be on the highway. It additionally means you could have the identical obligations as vehicles, so far as site visitors legal guidelines are involved.
A whole lot of accidents occur when cyclists fail to observe the principles of the highway or they assume that a number of the legal guidelines don’t apply to them. Once you’re using your bike it is advisable to journey in the suitable lane, getting into the identical course as different motorists round you.
Following site visitors legal guidelines additionally means ready at site visitors lights, stopping at cease indicators, and yielding to site visitors and pedestrians once you don’t have the suitable of means. Failing to adjust to these guidelines makes a collision way more possible.
They Don’t See You
Whereas try to be diligent and at all times journey defensively, loads of bicycle security on the highway is dependent upon the alternatives of the drivers round you. One of many largest risks to you as a bicycle owner on the highway is the truth that you’re comparatively small and onerous to identify in comparison with most automobiles on the market.
A driver may not discover you instantly in the event that they’re not significantly alert, and this turns into much more of an issue at night time. If you happen to’re going to journey your bike at nightfall or later, it is best to:
• Put lights on the entrance and rear of your bike
• Put on light-reflective clothes
• Be accustomed to the route you might be touring
• Obey all site visitors legal guidelines
• Make certain your bike is well-maintained
If drivers can’t assist however see you on the highway, they’ll be a lot much less prone to hit you. You by no means know the way distracted or disoriented a driver could be, so that you wish to make it straightforward for them to see you and keep away from you.
Unpredictable Actions
As a bicycle owner, there’s nothing you are able to do to completely management the drivers round you and guarantee they make secure choices. What you are able to do is give all of them the data they could should be secure round you. You’ll want to make sure that they see you, however you additionally must take care to not shock them.
Drivers on the highway see you and make plans to keep away from you based mostly on what they count on you to do. Any sudden strikes or turns or different choices that the driving force doesn’t see coming might put you in danger. Use biking hand indicators earlier than you make any turns, and attempt to keep at a constant pace when you may.
No matter you do, don’t let security considerations dissuade you from getting out on the highway and having fun with a motorbike journey each from time to time. All it is advisable to do is keep alert and defensive and take a few precautions to make sure your security.
