How to Stay Safe While Riding Your Bicycle

Bicycles are a lot of fun to ride. In addtiion to a sense of freedom, you can also get some needed physical fitness and burn off some unwanted pounds. Some say that riding a bike allows you to get directly in touch with the natural part of life and move at a pace that is closer to what humans need to be calm and in control.

When you are riding a bicycle in the streets however you need to be aware and constantly look out for dangers because it is also a potentially hazardous past time. After all, you are on the road with motor vehicles and pedestrians. Sometimes the roads have specific bike lanes and other times it is paved and lit well, but most times this is not the case. And cars, trucks and motorcycles are usually looking to occupy the same space and are a dangerous to the bike rider.

Because of the dangers, the bicyclist must be extremely alert and if the bike rider is injured by a motor vehicle, needs to hire a reputable attorney for representation in a personal injury case. The bicyclists must hire a local attorney. So if the accident occurs in Portland Oregon, the bicyclist must hire a bicycle accident attorney in Portland, OR. But to avoid accident the bike rider needs to take extra precautions. Here are a few of the most important things a bicyclist needs to look out for on the road.

Distracted Drivers

Distracted drivers are becoming the largest cause of motor vehicle accidents. Distracted driving includes texting, phone calls, watching videos, and any other activities that cause a driver to not pay attention to what’s going on in the road. If a driver’s attention is taken away from driving for even a few seconds, the driver can become disoriented and cause an accident. Bicycle Riders must be tuned to any drivers that are not looking at the road and I was driving erratically because of it.

Impaired Drivers

Driving while impaired includes drivers who are drunk, under the influence of illegal drugs, and under the influence of prescription drugs that should not be taken while driving. These drivers I have poor hand eye coordination, slow reflexes, and I generally unaware of their surroundings. Funny when riding a bicycle around and impaired driver, it can be a very dangerous situation. If a bike rider sees a drivers swerving in and out of lanes or speeding up and slowing down for no reason, this may be an indication that the person is impaired. The bicycle Rider should immediately move to the side of the road and the way from that automobile.

Bad Weather

When it is rained or snowed, or is doing so currently, it is a very dangerous time for bicycle rider. The limited visibility, reduced traction, and increased stopping distances mean that both the bicycle Rider and any automobile will have a difficult time operating on the road. Bicyclists should take into account inclement weather and consider not riding on the roads until the weather improves. If the bicyclist must go out in bad weather, the road conditions must be taken into account. The bicycle should ride slower and keep greater distances between Motor Vehicles.

No matter how careful a bicyclist is on the road, there is always the chance that they will be an accident with a motor vehicle. If this happens, the bicyclist should hire a reputable attorney for representation and to gain compensation for any injuries and other negative effects from the accident.

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