Bicycle Safety

We’ve all noticed that cycling is a popular activity here in Tucson and so we must share the road with care in order to avoid injuring a cyclist.  In Florida, a jury awarded $578K to a bicyclist who sustained a spinal injury following an accident where a car making a right turn hit him.  Bicycles are considered vehicles too, and bicyclists must obey the same rules as motorists.  Here are some tips from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety if you are a bicyclist:

• Obey all traffic signs, signals, and lane markings
• Signal your moves to others.  Be courteous to pedestrians and other vehicle operators.
• Most bicycle crashes occur at driveways or other intersections. Before you enter any street or intersection, check for traffic by looking left – right – left.
• Stay alert at all times.
• Watch out for potholes, cracks, wet leaves, storm grates, railroad tracks, or anything that could make you lose control of your bike.
• When turning left or right, always look behind you for a break in traffic, then signal before making a turn.  Watch for left or right-turning traffic.
• Ride so other drivers can see you. Stay out of drivers’ blind spots.
• Ride far enough out from the curb to avoid the unexpected from parked cars (like doors opening).

Share the road with care and give a bike 5 feet.  If you are injured in a bicycle accident, call Bache & Lynch today for a free consultation: (520) 293-5300!