Summer is a prime time for bike riding, but unfortunately there is always a risk of injury while biking. If you or someone you love is hurt in a bike crash, you should contact a Colorado Springs injury law firm to get help. An attorney can provide you with comprehensive assistance in taking appropriate legal action to recover compensation for the bike crash.
While some bike accidents are difficult or impossible to prevent due to careless drivers, there are also steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of a bicycle accident occurring. Care 2 recently offered some helpful basic bike safety tips to try to reduce the likelihood of something going wrong.
Basic Bike Safety Tips
Care 2 provided a number of key tips for bike safety including the following:
- Bike riders should follow the rules of the road: This means that they should ride in the same direction as traffic and obey all traffic signals when doing so. Bike riders should also yield to traffic as other cars do, go in the correct direction on one-way roads, and stop at red lights.
- Bikers should always make use of bike lanes: If there is a bike lane where you are located, ride in the bike lane rather than riding on traffic, on the shoulder of the road, or on sidewalks intended for pedestrians.
- Avoid riding on dangerous roads: Bicycle riders should stay off high-risk roads, especially highways and freeways. Most states do not even allow bicycle riders to take their bike on a freeway or a highway.
- Be watchful for cracks in the road: Bicycles are less stable than motor vehicles and a crack in the road could cause a serious accident to occur. Bicycle riders should look ahead of them carefully for cracks or debris that could result in an accident occurring.
- Wearing brightly-colored clothing: If you are riding at night, it can be especially important to make sure that you have reflective clothing so that drivers can see you. However, at any time of the day, it is important to remember that your bike is much smaller than a car and it may be difficult for drivers to notice it. Make yourself as visible as possible and try to make eye contact with drivers to ensure that they see you before pulling into intersections or making turns.
- Watch for drivers opening car doors: If a car parks ahead of you, be aware that not all drivers pay attention to an oncoming bicycle before they open the vehicle door.
These are just a few of the key ways that bicycle riders can try to avoid becoming involved in an accident that causes serious injury.
Getting Help From a Colorado Springs Injury Law Firm
While bike riders can take steps to try to stay safe, drivers who are careless could still cause serious accidents to occur. A Colorado Springs injury law firm can help you if you or someone you care about is hurt in a bike accident. To find out more about how our firm can assist you, give us a call today.
