There’s no doubt about it, cycling is one of the best ways to get around. The less you use cars and motorbikes, the less you are polluting the environment. The only issue is, cyclists are quite exposed! An accident on a bicycle is not something anyone wants to go through.
Ideas on How to Keep Safe While Cycling
Sadly, accidents sometimes happen, no matter how hard you try to keep safe. You can also check epicbicycles.com for more tips if you are a beginner. You can’t keep your eye on everyone else on the roads. Hopefully, you do not get injured, though injuries to cyclists can be common. In this instance, personal injury law firm https://bayoucitylaw.com/ explains that the best thing to do is seek legal help as soon as possible. Professional and experienced personal injury lawyers are your best bet here.
If You Have an Accident
They will help you gather all the appropriate evidence and build a case against the driver or cyclist who caused your accident. At least a settlement will go some of the ways towards helping you feel better post-injury! Hopefully, the steps below can help you avoid serious injury and reduce the risk of accidents…
1. Wear a Helmet
It goes without saying, doesn’t it? The helmet is the most important part of a cyclist’s gear. When cycling, you are so exposed to the elements, but you should try and protect your head as much as possible. A helmet reduces the risk of a serious brain injury whilst cycling or motorcycling by around 67%. If that isn’t motivation enough to wear a helmet on your next commute, I don’t know what is!
2. Use Hand Signals
Often, drivers in accidents with cyclists try to blame the cyclist for the incident, saying that they were cycling erratically or unpredictably. This, whether true or not, can be avoided by using proper hand signals when cycling. Make yourself big and show exactly where it is you intend to turn with a strong arm signal left or right.
3. Reflective Clothes
On par with the helmet in terms of choosing your safety over your image, it’s important that everyone can see you when you’re cycling. Day and night, reflective jackets, backpacks, and lights on your bike can make a huge difference to how visible you are. Even a distracted driver will see the flash of a reflective strip on your back or helmet, making you more visible and less at risk.
4. Stay Focused
Many cyclists these days cycle around cities with headphones in. For us, this is a big no-no. Headphones are very distracting, especially if you have the volume up high. You should have your focus 100% on the road ahead and behind of you, to ensure you are aware of any dangers, large vehicles, or other risks around you.
5. Don’t Weave
Let’s not forget that summer cycling is super fun. However, cycling on real roads should be done responsibly and not for fun. Weaving in and out of traffic, between cars, or on the wrong side of the road should all be avoided. Follow the rules of the road – just as you expect other drivers around you to do the same.
6. Make Yourself Known
Finally, something we briefly touched on earlier. When cycling you need to make sure you are visible and known. You have as much right to be on the road as the cars, busses, and trucks that share the road with you. You, therefore, do not need to tuck into the inside and risk clipping the curb. Stay in your lane but make yourself very visible and take up as much space as you need. You put yourself at less risk by being there than you do by being clipped on the inside by a truck that never saw you.
Make sure you cycle safe, then if anything happens you know you’ve been safe. Also, the safer you are, the better your case will be if someone does hit you. Good luck and stay safe!