Factors That Determine Liability In Bicycle-Auto Collision

Riders of bicycles must stay on the side of the road. Unfortunately, that rule has contributed to the occurrence of numerous bicycle-car accidents. How could a traffic law manage to cause accidents?

What are some of the most frequent accidents that involve a bicycle and an automobile?

Often, the rider on a bike hits a door that has been opened by the driver of a motor vehicle. There have been repeated instances of a motorist making a right-hand turn, and hitting the rider on a bike, when doing so.

The additional rules, the ones that protect bikes and their riders

All cyclists on the road enjoy the same rights as the drivers on that same roadway. There are certain times when a cyclist is allowed to leave the side of the road.

-Cyclists that want to make a left-hand turn have the right to venture off of that side-of-the-road path.

-Those traveling on bicycles have a right to venture off the same path, if they need to avoid debris, or some threatening object.

-There are times when the rider on a bike has to leave the side lane, in order to keep up with traffic.

-There are also times when that side lane is too narrow to permit a sharing of the roadway with passing cars.

An application of the rules regarding negligence can also work to protect bikes and riders.

Reasonable behavior would include that of checking for oncoming vehicles, before opening a door that has been placed on the passenger’s side. Unreasonable behavior qualifies as a careless and neglectful act. In other words, such an action is an example of negligence.

A negligent motorist would have no right to file a claim against the rider of a bicycle, someone that has stayed in the lane that has been designed to carry him or her past the doors on the passenger’s side of the passed vehicles. In other words, the motorist would be at-fault for an auto door-bike accident.

Drivers that plan to make a right-hand turn do not have to do so quickly. Each of them would be demonstrating reasonable behavior by slowing down and checking to see what might be coming up in the bike lane. In other words, those that have failed to do any checking have been negligent.

Are bicycle riders aware of how laws of negligence can be used to protect their rights?

Unfortunately, few of those riders do understand how the laws of negligence protect their rights. Too often, an angry motorist can make a cyclist feel as though he or she has been negligent. That is why those that have been involved in an accident should hire a personal injury lawyer in Halifax.

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