It’s fun to ride your bicycle on winding, empty, country roads. But now many cyclists ride their bikes as they commute around the city, which is very dangerous. According to the Centers for Disease Control, across the U.S. each year more than 500,000 people are treated for bicycling injuries from biking accidents.
It’s important to know how to navigate your bike when riding in the city in order to prevent a biking accident. Here are three tips on how to cycle safely in the city:
- Pretend you are a car: Since you are supposed to ride in the road along with cars, and not on the sidewalk, you must follow all traffic laws that cars do. If there is no bike lane, try to ride in the center of the lane to make your presence known to the other vehicles around you. Also, stay away from parked cars in case someone is about to open their door and hit you.
- Know how to merge: When bike lanes end and you have to merge in with the rest of traffic, it’s important to merge in front or behind merging traffic. When merging, it’s vital to stay smart and alert, and to ride on the far outside of the bike lane before merging, so cars know you are there.
- Be visible: The best thing you can do to protect yourself from ending up in a biking accident is to ensure other vehicles can see you. Try to wear bright colored shirts, have a white light on the front of your bike, and a red light on the back of your bicycle, and even try wearing a headlamp to ensure visibility.
If you or a loved one were the victim of a Dallas biking accident, you deserve compensation for your physical and emotional trauma. Our experienced Dallas bicycle accident lawyers can help. Contact Crowe Arnold & Majors, LLP today and set-up your free, no-obligation consultation.
