The cold weather of winter may be keeping many Cranberry Township residents from imagining that they are outdoors and on a bike ride. However, spring will be here in a matter of months and before long local vehicles will have to share the roads with smaller, two-wheeled modes of transportation. When bikes and cars are on the road at the same time, very dangerous and sometimes deadly accidents can happen when drivers fail to responsibly operate their vehicles.
Like the drivers of motor vehicles, bicyclists are required to follow the rules of the road and exercise a duty of care that promotes reasonableness in their actions. Bicyclists can be responsible for accidents with automobiles, though the opposite is often the case when the drivers of cars, trucks, vans and other motored vehicles fail to respect the presence of bikes and their riders.
Bicycle accidents with vehicles can occur when drivers drive too fast and collide with bicycles. This often happen when drivers fail to pay attention to their surroundings, causing them to hit bicycles that are riding on shoulders or in designated bike lanes. They can result when drivers ignore road signage or fail to signal and leave bicyclists guessing as to where they are going to turn.
Vehicle collisions between cars can be dangerous, but collisions between bikes and cars are sometimes deadly. The disparity of size and protective features between bikes and cars can lead to fatal accidents and serious injuries suffered by the bicycle riders. While a victim’s damages from a car accident will be based upon the facts that led to the crash and the types of losses that the victim suffered as a result of the collision, readers who have experienced bicycle-car crashes and other motor vehicle accidents may wish to discuss their cases with Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys.