Even while cycling isn’t an extremely dangerous mode of transportation — especially when done with basic safety measures such as bike lights and fluorescent clothing – cyclists are overrepresented among those injured or killed in car accidents.
The vast majority of collisions involving bicycles in North Carolina are avoidable. However, they often occur when drivers are not paying attention and are not watching for bikers on the road.
Typically, these collisions follow certain patterns. If cyclists and motor vehicle drivers were on the lookout for these patterns, the number of bike crashes and deaths might be reduced significantly.
Here is an article on my website that you must read, its about How Many Accidents Are Caused By Bicycles?
Consider The Following Frequent Bike Accident Scenarios
The following are five of the most prevalent scenarios that result in car-on-bike collisions. However, although being aware of these circumstances won’t prevent every possible collision, You can still reduce danger and protect yourself (and others) by becoming more familiar with these potentially hazardous cycling situations and how to avoid them.
Scenario #1: A Collision With The Left Cross
A left cross accident occurs when a vehicle or truck driver conducts a left turn on the other side of the road and fails to see a bike riding in the opposite direction while turning left. The (PBIC) Information Center reports that over half of all car-bike incidents in the United States include this incident.
How to stay away from it: Because drivers may not be paying attention to fast-moving vehicles off the highway and trees or parked automobiles might obscure riders on sidewalks from view, cyclists on the sidewalk are a typical element in these collisions.
Cyclists should ride on the right side of the road to avoid left-cross traffic when it is safe to do so. Likewise, motorists should be on the lookout for bicycles, both on the sidewalk and in oncoming traffic lanes, before turning left.
Scenario #2: The Right Hook Is A Car Accident
It occurs when a vehicle or truck passes a bike and then abruptly turns right, driving straight into the rider’s path, causing a collision.
How To Stay Away From It:
Right hook collisions sometimes occur when motorists fail to utilize their turn signals and then maneuver their car into the path of a bicyclist without giving the bicycle any notice. Drivers must indicate their turns appropriately; cyclists must use caution while overtaking stopped or slow-moving vehicles and take the appropriate lane when required for safety.
Crash Scenario #3: When A Red Light Stops You
What occurs is as follows: An incident in which a cyclist is “doored” occurs when an automobile or truck driver opens the driver’s-side door straight into their path. Either striking them from the side or forcing them to crash into the door at high speed is called “dooring.”
How To Stay Away From It:
Almost all of these collisions occur while a cyclist is cycling behind a line of parked vehicles. Motor vehicle drivers are almost always at fault in dooring incidents, and they must look inside and outside their vehicle before opening the door.
Although it is preferable to avoid an accident and be “in the wrong,” cyclists should exercise care when riding beside parked automobiles by riding at least three feet away from them and keeping an eye out for possible door opening signals. When approaching automobiles (for example, brake or tail lights being on, movement inside the vehicle, etc.).
Alley-Oops Is The Fourth And Final Crash Scenario:
Generally speaking, this collision occurs when a vehicle or truck drives out of an alley, parking lot, or garage and collides with a bicyclist.
Again, bikes riding on sidewalks are a common cause of these occurrences; thus, cyclists should always ride on the road unless traffic or road conditions prevent it. On the other hand, drivers of motor vehicles must look both for vehicle and pedestrian traffic before pulling out of a garage, parking lot, or alley before proceeding.
Situation #5: Being Rear-Ended In A Car Crash
How it happens: A rear-ends collision occurs when a vehicle or truck collides with a bicyclist from the rear.
How To Avoid It:
As is common in rear-end collisions, the motorist who rear-ends the other vehicle is almost always at blame in these incidents. However, the biker may also be held responsible, particularly if they fail to comply with North Carolina rules requiring bike riders to have a red rear light or wear a fluorescent vest while riding at night in the state.
Bicycles must adhere to the road rules and make themselves visible in low-light circumstances. At the same time, automobile and truck drivers must pay attention to the road in front of them and keep an eye out for cyclists, particularly while driving around bends.
Of course, even the most cautious riders may suffer catastrophic injuries in an incident that is not their fault – this is particularly true when careless drivers create hazardous road conditions.
When this occurs, the bike riders need the assistance of an expert personal injury attorney who is familiar with the law and can assist them in holding the drivers who injured them responsibly.
General Recommendations
Stay Away From Congested Areas:
The most frequent errors individuals make when they first start riding are traveling the same routes they did when they were driving. It is a huge mistake. It’s typically preferable to choose other routes with fewer and slower automobiles. Bicyclists can use the road, but that’s of little comfort if you’re already dead and buried.
Consider how far you may push this strategy: In many cities, if you know your routes well, you’ll discover that you may go via neighborhoods to get to the majority of your destinations, merely crossing the main streets rather than traveling on them.
Be Careful With Your Turn Signals
You’re less likely to become trapped when you don’t surprise drivers. By waving your arm in their direction, you may alert them that you will turn or move left or right.
To move left, extend your left arm out, and to go right, extend your right arm out, as shown. You may have learned an ancient manner of indicating a right turn with your left arm, but cars have no clue what you’re talking about, so it’s pointless.) (With your right arm, show that you want to turn right.)
Before making a left turn, check your rearview mirror or look behind you (because a vehicle passing too near may rip off your arm)
Ride As Though You Were Invisible To Everyone Around You
In many cases, riding so that vehicles will not strike you even if they do not notice you may be beneficial. You are not attempting to remain invisible; rather, you are attempting to make it irrelevant whether or not automobiles notice you.
If you ride in such a manner that an automobile must notify you to take action to prevent striking you (for example, by slowing down or changing lanes), then if they do not see you, they will almost certainly strike you. However, if you keep out of their path, you will not be struck, even if they were unaware that you were there.
Because automobiles are coming rapidly on high-speed routes, they have less time to notice you. Therefore, you should attempt to avoid driving speed routes whenever feasible unless there is enough space for both a vehicle and a bike to ride alongside each other.
In addition, if there is sufficient space, you may practice invisibility by riding to the far right of the road on rapid highways. Then, even though you’re not in the area of the lane where the vehicles are, they’ll whizz past and not strike you if you’re far enough to the right of the center of the road.
Here’s another illustration: The use of turn signals is a wonderful idea, but make one left turn at a time or at a location where there are no automobiles behind you that may strike you while you’re still stopped and waiting to make that turn.
The first and only way to get around this is to halt in the middle of the street with your left arm extended and wait for the vehicles behind you to see you and slow down or stop altogether. Your situation is dire if they don’t see you.
Of course, we don’t recommend that you ignore red lights while driving, but if you’re the kind of person who does, consider the invisibility principle when considering whether or not to go through a specific light: Could any oncoming vehicles conceivably strike me if I were invisible?
If the answer is affirmative, then refrain from doing so. Never put yourself in a position where a driver has to slow down to avoid striking you (red light or not). The more you depend on automobiles to notice you avoid being struck, the greater likely they will strike you.
Please remember that you are not attempting to be invisible; rather, you are riding on the premise that motorists cannot see you. But, of course, you want people to see you, and you should do all in your power to make that happen.
Consequently, during the day, you will wave at automobiles that you believe are going to turn in front of you, and at night you will resemble a Christmas tree (front and rear lights).
Keep in mind that you’ll be required to use the right lane in many situations, in which case you’ll be relying on other drivers to spot you.
