Bicycles and Car Accidents

One of the reasons driving is such a delicate task requiring your utmost concentration is that you're sharing the road with many different kinds of vehicles.

2013-01-30

ATLANTA, GA, January 30, 2013 (Press-News.org) One of the reasons driving is such a delicate task requiring your utmost concentration is that you're sharing the road with many different kinds of vehicles. You're not just dealing with other cars of similar size, or even with motorized vehicles of different size like SUVs and motorcycles. Instead, while you're dealing with all these things, you also have bicycles to consider. They're slow, they're small, they don't come with headlights and bicyclists are uniquely vulnerable in a crash.

Sharing the road with bicycles is difficult and requires all of your attention. A car accident involving a bicycle is always dangerous, and the injuries to the bicyclist can be devastating. The laws governing accidents and personal injury are complicated, and if you've been involved in an accident you should speak with a car accident lawyer immediately about your options.

Rules of the Road

If the law is complicated, one element of it is simple: bicyclists have to follow the same rules cars do. That includes stopping for red lights, obeying speed limits (bicycles can work up quite a bit of speed when going downhill), signaling turns and generally behaving in a safe and responsible manner.

Under the law, a bicycle on the road is almost no different than a car on the road. A car accident lawyer will be able to explain the nuances of motor law if needed.

This means that if you're involved in an accident with a bike while driving your car, you can be found responsible if you caused the accident by treating the bicycle in a way you wouldn't treat another car. A car accident lawyer can determine if you were at fault. In practical terms, this means:

- You can only pass a bike when it's safe to do so
- You can only turn with a bike by your side when it's safe
- If parked, you cannot open your door if it poses a danger to a bike

Exceptions

There are a handful of exceptions to the general rule that a bike has the same rights and responsibilities as a car. Those include:

- If the road contains a dedicated bike lane the bicyclist must use it
- The bicyclist should ride on the right side of the lane when possible, especially if he or she cannot keep up with the speed of traffic

Whatever happened in your accident, you shouldn't assume you are or are not at fault. An experienced car accident lawyer can help you.

If you're in the Atlanta area, you've recently been in a car accident with a bicycle involved and you want to know more about your options, please visit the website of Robbins and Associates, PC today at www.robbinslaw.com.

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