San Diego Bicycle Accident Attorney

Retain an experienced and effective San Diego bicycle accident attorney who will fight for your legal rights.

Bicycling Safe Tips -

Being aware of patterns of common car and truck vs. bike accidents can help a bicyclist avoid (the avoidable) accident rather than getting hit by the car.

Under California law, bicyclists are subject to the same rights and responsibilities as a car or truck driver. As a bicyclist, you are required to follow the same traffic laws as motorists and thus you deserve the same protections provided to motorists by those laws.

As a bike rider, it is important to drive defensively, and not take any expected action on the part of a car, truck, or bus driver for granted. Obeying the rules of the road will help to protect you both while riding, and in the event of an accident. If a car or truck driver breaks the law though, you want to avoid any consequences of those actions. Being aware of common car and truck vs. bike accidents will help you avoid riding into a bad position.

The Right Hook

One of the top hazards an urban bicyclist has to contend with is having a car turn right in front of him/her.

When a bicyclist is riding in the bicycle lane (typically right side of the road), or simply riding on the right of the main busy traffic lane, automobiles may for a variety of reasons turn right, unexpectedly, in front of the bicyclist. This can result in a collision, or it may trigger the bicyclist losing control of the bicycle, or it may necessitate the bicyclist needing to force a fall to prevent contact with the automobile. Often with large semi trucks or even 4X4 or SUVs, the visibility at intersections for the driver may obscure the the vehicle driver's ability to see the bicycle in the bike lane also just because of the mechanical reality of blind spots in these types of vehicles.

Even though a car may have just passed you on a bike, often you can't be sure that the driver saw you. He may have been distracted, or may have just looked away, be blinded by road glare or had his sight obstructed by window glare, a passenger, or something else.

Even if a vehicle driver did see the bicycle rider as they passed the bike, the driver may in the next moment forget completely about the bicycle rider and turn right in front of you.

Distracted Drivers

Many drivers are simply not looking for bikes or motorcycles, being satisfied to watch out only for large automobiles and their own safety, they neglect to watch out for road users who are much more vulnerable in an accident. Other drivers are multi-tasking, doing their hair, makeup,eating, texting or talking on the phone, and they really aren't able to pay enough attention to their driving and other vehicles on the road, including bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians.

Other Causes Of Bicycle V. Car Accidents

An auto driver may come from out of state, where there are few if any bikes to share the road with. The driver may be not used to bike lanes, bike boxes and what they mean, and be unfamiliar to commuting with bikers.

Eye Contact Between Car and Bicycle

It is important to make yourself be seen by wearing bright clothes, lights, reflectors, and by using eye contact to confirm that the auto driver sees you.

However, never assume a driver has seen you, even if you think he/she has. If a car is ahead of you, you may be in the driver's blind spot. He may not be able to see you in his mirrors nor out the passenger side window.

The driver may also our of laziness neglect to turn and check his blind spot if possible.

The bicyclist may try to avoid the accident and fall as a result.

In many cases, a collision doesn't have to occur for injury and expensive damages to the bike to occur. When a bicyclist rightly avoids a car turning in front of her, she may lose control of the bicycle, and crash. If this happens, try to remember to observe the make and model of the vehicle and get a license number.

Expect spur-of-the-moment changes in a driver's presumed route.

Car drivers are often indecisive when sharing the road with bikes. The driver may wait for the bike and then step on the gas impatient of waiting for the bike and not giving the bike time to get across. Many car drivers don't estimate the rate of speed the bike is traveling at. Other drivers just don't think bikes should share the road because they are slower than the speed limit. In stressful driving situations, driver behavior may also be more unexpected and irrational just because of the demands and stress on the driver.

Bicycle Helmets

In case your helmet made any contact with the ground or with the offending vehicle have it examined or replaced. Bicycle helmets are made to absorb the energy of an impact. Sometimes even if you crash or just wear and tear of an older helmet with compromise the crush and impact resistance of the helmet. After a car accident or crash, even if you do not see visible indications that your helmet is damage, it may be compromised from protecting you in the future. Bicycle and motorcycle helmets need to be replaced; check your helmet brand and the manufacturers recommendations.

Happy Bicycling and Commuting

Understanding how accidents occur can help us enjoy many more miles of bicycling and driving and watching out for each other on the road, everyone getting safely and efficiently to where we want to go.

If you have been injured in a bicycle accident, speak to a California personal injury attorney who is experienced at handling bicycle accidents as soon as possible. An experienced bicycle accident attorney may be able to help you with the specifics of your case and give you good advice.

I offer free initial consultations and within a few minutes I can help you understand the legal aspects of your bicycle accident injury situation. Many bicyclists have experienced either the car driver or their auto insurance company will not step up to their responsibilities in the accident when you are on bicycle not driver of another car. The ealier you retain a personal injury attorney after your accident the better that attorney can do more to help protect your rights.