As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, more people will enjoy bicycling in and around San Antonio. Unfortunately, as more people choose to ride their bikes this spring and summer, these bike riders are at risk of potentially being injured or even killed in a car accident.

Our San Antonio, TX injury attorneys know that bike riders face many potential perils as they take to the road and share space with cars, pedestrians, trains and other bicycle riders. In some cases, bike riders can protect themselves from danger by making smart choices to stay safe. In other instances, however, drivers will simply not share the road in a responsible and safe manner with bicyclists and the chances of an accident will be significantly increased.

Recent Bicycle Accident Reminds Bike Riders to Obey Driving Rules

One of the biggest dangers to bike riders is that some riders do no believe the rules of the road apply to them. For example, some bike riders will drive against traffic on the wrong side of the road; will stray into the street instead of staying on sidewalks or designated bike lanes; will fail-to-yield; or will skip stopping at stop signs and traffic signals. In one recent tragic case, KSAT.com even reported that a bicycle rider appeared to ignore closed gates indicating that a train was coming, going around the gates and trying to cross the tracks. This led to tragic consequences as the bicycle rider was killed by the train.

To avoid the self-inflicted dangers that come along with not obeying driving rules, bicycle riders need to remember that they are expected to follow the law when they are on their bikes. The bike is a vehicle too, just like a car, and bicycle riders should not break any traffic laws while riding their bike just as they wouldn’t break these laws when driving any other car.

Drivers Need to be Mindful of Bicycle Riders

While bicycle riders sometimes do dangerous things that lead to accidents, most accidents are caused by other vehicles on the road, which typically fail to yield the right-of-way to a rider. Often, drivers are at fault when a bike accident occurs between a motor vehicle and a bicycle. In some cases, drivers will also misjudge the speed at which a bicycle rider is going, so the driver may believe he or she has plenty of time to make the turn or cut the bike off when in reality this is not the case.

Drivers who are speeding, driving drunk, distracted by their cell phones or something else in the car, or who are overtired and falling asleep may also increase the chances of becoming involved in a crash with a bike rider. Any time a driver is not paying attention or is not in control of his vehicle, there is a chance that the driver could hit an innocent bike rider and become responsible for the harm caused. Drivers, therefore, will also need to be more cautious as the warmest months of the year approach and as more and more people take advantage of spring to get on their bikes.

If you’ve been injured in an accident, contact the Herrera Law Firm at 800-455-1054 for a confidential consultation.