Riding a bicycle means exercise, fresh air, and NO visits to the gas station! There are plenty of perks to riding a bicycle, whether it’s for fun or to get around town, but there’s also a huge drawback: safety. When you share the road with big cars, trucks, and SUVs, you’re at significant risk of suffering a serious injury.
Avoiding a painful, disabling, and potentially life-threatening crash is all about riding as cautiously and defensively as possible. And doing so requires knowing the biggest threats you face on Virginia’s roads, which include:
- Intersections—Intersections are extremely dangerous for bicyclists, especially when drivers run red lights, don’t stop at stop signs, or turn right into the paths of bicyclists.
- Impatient drivers—Bike lanes allow riders a chance to share the road without slowing down traffic, but when they don’t exist, drivers may get impatient and dangerously overtake cyclists.
- Distracted drivers—Drivers must give the road their full focus and attention, but many drivers are distracted. Drivers who aren’t paying attention can drift into bicyclists.
- Vehicle doors—Cyclists who ride through downtown or urban areas often ride near parked vehicles. Open car doors are a huge threat to bicyclists and they must always be accounted for.
- Slick and uneven roads—The road surface can put cyclists at risk, especially when they ride over potholes, loose gravel, and wet leaves. Riders must always scan the road ahead for hazards.
When cyclists are injured because others were negligent, we work hard to help them get full compensation. Contact the Virginia bicycle accident lawyers at Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation.
