Most bike accidents are not due to the biker’s fault. When a biker gets into an accident, the consequences can be severe, often far worse for the biker than the driver. This underscores the importance of remaining diligent while riding. That is not to say that bikers can never cause accidents. Many do. However, the majority of accidents are caused by negligent drivers. Below, we will discuss many of the most common causes of a DC bike accident. Washington, D.C., is a vibrant and active city. The region as a whole is among the healthiest in the entire country. Bicycling to work is an excellent exercise and a great way to avoid traffic and spend hours in your car daily. While DC has grown accustomed to bikers on every street and has the infrastructure to support it, accidents still occur.
This page aims to spread awareness of the most common causes of a DC bike accident. In doing so, bicyclists and drivers will better understand how catastrophic bike accidents occur in the District. While much of our job is reactive, helping bike accident victims recover compensation for their injuries, this is our effort to be proactive in highlighting the responsibilities shared by everyone on the road. While some negligent is inevitable, by realizing the most dangerous causes of bike accidents, you can avoid them to the best of your ability in the future.
If you are injured in a DC bike accident, don’t hesitate to contact our office for a complimentary consultation. We’re here to help you understand your rights and options.
Whether on a bicycle, scooter, skateboard, e-bike, car, or truck, if you find yourself in the blind spot of another vehicle, you’re at risk of a collision. This doesn’t mean you’re at fault for the accident. The other driver has a legal obligation not to merge into your lane when you’re driving safely in your lane. However, our goal is to protect you from future harm and educate you on negligence. Most of the accidents we handle involve motor vehicles and bicyclists in Washington, D.C., and often, the bike DC bike accident is in the car’s blind spot. When a driver intends to turn right, sometimes in the bike lane in DC, they may need to be made aware of a biker riding alongside them. It’s customary for a driver to check the crosswalk before turning right on the green.
However, fewer drivers check their blind spots with a head check than they should. To bikers, we recommend avoiding blind spots. While we do not necessarily advise going out of your way to avoid blind spots, try not to coast for extended periods in the blind spot of another vehicle. While drivers are required to share the road with bikers, and many know this, they cannot do so if they do not see you. To combat this, we recommend wearing reflective clothing. This is particularly useful at night. Also, place a blinking light on the front of your bicycle. The relatively small cost of this light can save you your life. Lastly, communicate your intentions.
Do not be afraid to yell to get the attention of a driver who appears to be coming in your lane. Signal if you are turning right, left, or stopping. Let drivers know you are there.
Dooring is a common causes of a DC bike accident. When you bike into the door of a car when an occupant is exiting, there may be a dispute of liability. If the door had been open for several seconds, you, as the biker, may be found liable. However, if the door is opened just as you are biking by and you had no time to stop, the occupant exiting the vehicle is undeniably liable. These are interesting cases, and establishing liability can be difficult. In these cases, locating and getting contact information from an eyewitness is best. Eyewitness testimony can be critical in establishing how long the door had been open before it struck you.
Dooring accidents are more severe than one might think. If you are struck by a truck traveling at 40 miles per hour, your injuries can be catastrophic. But if it is not a head-on collision and only a side swipe, the collision may not have much force. It will undoubtedly be enough force to knock you off balance and cause an accident, but the force may not be as impactful as a dooring accident. In a door accident, you may be traveling 25 miles per hour when your bike suddenly comes to a complete stop. This can send you flying over the door and landing hard on the pavement. Or, you may strike the glass window, cutting yourself open.
Distracted driving is not just a threat to bikers but everyone else on the road. Unsurprisingly, it is a common cause of a DC bike accident. If drivers are not paying attention to the road, they are more likely to collide with a biker. Also, the same is likely to occur if a biker is not paying attention to the road. Many things could distract a biker. Bikers sometimes believe that the laws for cars do not apply to bikers, but they are mistaken. Bikers are not permitted under DC law to wear earbuds while biking. Moreover, they cannot text and bike. Texting while biking causes a bicyclist to take their eyes off the road. Research has shown that the average texter and driver takes their eyes off the road for five seconds to either read or send a text.
While fewer studies have been done on bikers, regardless of how many seconds their eyes are off the road, the consequences are even more severe than for the typical car accident.
Some bike lanes in Washington, D.C., are not as clearly marked as in the nicer Downtown region. Consequently, bicyclists are not as protected as they should be. Bike lane intrusions are common causes of a DC bike accident for this reason. A bike lane intrusion is when some vehicle, whether a car, truck, or bus, intrudes into the bike lane and contacts a biker. When this happens, even if there is minimal or zero damage done to the vehicle, it can be enough contact to knock a biker off their bicycle, causing severe injury and road rash. Unfortunately, there may be little proof that contact occurred at all due to the lack of significant contact.
In the typical motor vehicle accident case, the property damage done to each vehicle makes it clear that an accident occurred. Further, in some bike accident cases, if there is a significant enough impact, the car or truck that hit the biker will have damage done to its frame. However, in a bike lane intrusion, we rely on eyewitness testimony to establish in court that a contact occurred.
Notably, a bike lane intrusion is sometimes done intentionally or recklessly. Bikers are a source of frustration for many drivers. They do not understand why they must share the road with them and try to ignore them as best as they can. If a driver loses his cool and intentionally strikes a biker, that biker may be entitled to punitive damages.
Contact a bike accident attorney at Gelb & Gelb to learn more about the common causes of a DC bike accident.
Call today for a free consultation at (202) 331-7227.
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