Thinking About Biking Your Commute? 3 Things To Know About Bicycle And Car Collisions

27 March 2017
 Categories: , Blog


Whether you live near your college campus or just landed that hip urban home by your work, biking your commute offers multiple benefits for improving your health, saving money, and preserving natural resources. While riding a bike is far more cost-effective than walking, it is important to keep in mind that it does pose some risks for your safety. As you prep your bike to be your favorite mode of transportation, use this information to guide your decisions as you share the road with motorists.

Take a Bicycle Safety Course

Sure, you learned how to ride a bike as a kid. However, you may be unaware of the laws that are in place for bicyclists who are sharing the road. Make sure that you comply with traffic laws and learn about other ways to enhance your visibility by taking a bicycle safety course that is designed for adult riders. For example, having a working light on your bike is important for riding home from work at night, and using hand signals is essential for telling motorists what you are about to do on the road.

Know How To Handle an Accident

You should always be prepared for anything when you are riding on the open road, yet being involved in an accident can leave you feeling fuzzy headed. Prepare beforehand by packing a few supplies in your safety kit such as a pad of paper and pencil for jotting down notes about what happened, and a disposable camera in case your smartphone is broken. Then, use these items to collect evidence that you can give to your car accident attorney if you are involved in a collision.

Seek Professional Help For Compensation

Insurance coverage policies can get complicated when it comes to bicyclist collisions. While most car insurance policies cover injuries to bicyclists, it may be necessary to use your health or homeowner's insurance depending upon the specifics of your case. It is also possible that a well-meaning vehicle driver may not have any idea of what their insurance will cover either. This is why turning to a personal injury attorney who has experience handling bicyclist collisions is important for ensuring that you receive the compensation you need for a full recovery.

Naturally, you can't wait to hop on that bike and go rolling in to work or school. Yet riding a bike on your commute is just not the same as whizzing around your favorite biking trail. Make sure that you know how to prevent and handle bicycle-car collisions so that you can protect your interests should the worst scenario happen. To learn more, contact a firm such as Clearfield & Kofsky.


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