With warm weather moving into the area, many people will trade in their motor vehicle for their bicycle to tackle their daily commute. While there are many benefits of doing so, such as saving time and money, the potential of being injured in an accident is sure to weigh heavily on your mind.
Here are five safety tips for the commuting bicyclist:
- Plan in advance: Rather than take the shortest route, consider all your options to ensure that you’re taking the safest one. Even if it’s a few minutes longer, there’s nothing more important than your safety.
- Use bicycle lanes when available: Out of all your options, bicycle lanes are the safest. When riding here, you only have to concern yourself with other bicyclists. You still need to pay attention to the motor vehicles around you, but they shouldn’t be driving in the bicycle lane.
- Watch for opening doors: Moving vehicles are dangerous, but so are those that are parked. A driver or passenger could open a door into your path of travel, thus causing a head-on collision with a stationary object.
- Cross in front of pedestrians: Just the same as motor vehicles, pedestrians have the potential to cause an accident. Do your best to pass in front of them, as it lessens the likelihood of spooking someone.
- Wear safety gear: Even though you’re traveling to work and you want to look your best, it’s critical to wear gear that will protect you in the event of an accident. A helmet is more important than anything else, but also consider your shoes, protective clothing and gloves.
If you get into the habit of following these five tips, you’ll feel better about your safety on your daily commute.
Unfortunately, even the safest bicyclists can suffer an injury in an accident. Should this happen, there’s great risk of a catastrophic injury that will change your life forever. And that’s why you need to receive immediate medical treatment, both at the scene and a local hospital.
Your injuries, prognosis and the circumstances surrounding the accident will help you determine what to do next in regard to protecting your legal rights and seeking compensation.